What are the various methods used to measure test coverage?
All software needs to be properly tested before it gets released for use, but how can you be sure that your testing is sufficiently thorough to ensure that the application is up to the job?
Testing needs to cover all of the functions of the application, even the ones that are likely to be less frequently used. It also needs to take account of thorough re-testing after bugs have been identified. This means re-testing the whole program and not just tests of the areas that have been fixed.
Measuring Test Coverage
There are many reasons why software fails, and the object of testing is to eliminate as many of these as possible – ideally all of them. This means software testing services need to approach the task in a number of ways.
Firstly, all the software’s features need to be covered, including start-up and shutdown of the program. Each part of the user interface, icons, buttons and menu links needs to be checked on each screen of the application, as do any sections that require text entry.
Testers like https://www.bugfinders.com can use tools to build tests so that they’re repeatable and can be re-run over the same code after bugs have been fixed. This ensures that the software can be tested against measurable goals, and you can see progress as the testing advances.
Code Testing
As well as testing the functions of the application, it’s important to address the code too. Testers need to look at the structure of the program, including statements, decisions, conditions and so on. They need to ensure redundant code isn’t left in and also that code which is infrequently used gets checked too. In addition, it’s important to check all of the paths through the program that a user would take to reach a particular goal.
Increasingly, software is run or accessed from the cloud, so its interfaces need to be tested. This will include web pages, scripts and APIs that allow the application to be accessed and to exchange information safely and securely with other systems.
Ensuring good thorough test coverage means having the testing carried out to a precise specification. The more critical the software is, the more important it is that you ensure proper test coverage in order to minimise the risk of failure when it’s released.
