Tool to generate test cases for configuration app based on use case variation?

Question

I am making changes to a configuration tool for a web application. The tool allows internal users to configure messages and custom experiences for external users of the webapp.

I have been given a task to provide cases that would show 100% test coverage, and then help the test team target reasonable test coverage for the changes. I'm trying to find a tool that will let me put configuration variations in a table or spreadsheet, and then generate the different use case variations that result from these configurations.

Does such a tool exist?

Answer 1

I'd suggest using a modelling tool to perform Model-based testing; we use one called Direct-to-test (DTT) at our workplace. Basically, you can set up a path through the application and specify what should vary based on what configuration files, proving therefore that you've covered every configuration file option (usually a cluster of nodes at the beginning of the model) and every path through the application, and let the tool generate the test cases from that. It's not a spreadsheet, but it can be easier to show people outside your department a graphic than a spreadsheet anyway.

Answer 2

Hexawise is one of several tools that could help you:

• Identify all the potential configurations for a given system
• Identify a prioritized set of permutations that maximize coverage (based on user-specified coverage objectives).

As dzieciou mentioned, and provided links to above, multiple tools can do this.

Disclaimer, I am the CEO of Hexawise.

Having said that, for what it is worth, here is how the process works:

First, identify the different possible configuration options that might exist in the system you are testing. Also, if relevant, you may want to include actions that users of the system might take, different data possibilities, etc.

Second, click on "Create Tests" or the equivalent. That will bring up a set of highly varied, prioritized permutations. In this case, the default strength is to provide the smallest possible set of scenarios that would provide you with what is known as "pairwise" or "all pairs" coverage.

Third, if you have a higher coverage goal (e.g., "all possible permutations"), you can select the appropriate coverage goal. Here, there are 6 parameters, so 6-way coverage would create a list of all 216 possible permutations.

It is worth noting that 2-way solutions will tend to find the significant majority of defects. 3-way and higher strength will tend to find very few, if any. There is a lot of literature on this topic and quite a few studies.