Using mutation to design tests for aspect-oriented models

Abstract

Using mutation to design tests for aspect-oriented models. Technology, http://dx.doi.org/10. 1016/j.infsof.2016.04.007 Access to the published version may require subscription. N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published paper. Information and Software AbstractContext: Testing for properties such as robustness or security is complicated because their concerns are often repeated in many locations and muddled with the normal code. Such "cross-cutting concerns" include things like interrupt events, exception handling, and security protocols. Aspect-oriented (AO) modeling allows developers to model the cross-cutting behavior independently of the normal behavior, thus supporting model-based testing of cross-cutting concerns. However, mutation operators defined for AO programs (source code) are usually not applicable to AO models (AOMs) and operators defined for models do not target the AO features.Objective: We present a method to design abstract tests at the aspect-oriented model level. We define mutation operators for aspect-oriented models and evaluate the generated mutants for an example system. Method: AOMs are mutated with novel operators that specifically target the AO modeling features. Test traces killing these mutant models are then generated. The generated and selected traces are abstract tests that can be transformed to concrete black-box tests and run on the implementation level, to evaluate the behavior of the woven cross-cutting concerns (combined aspect and base models). Results: This paper is a significant extension of our paper at Mutation 2015. We present a complete fault model, additional mutation operators, and a thorough analysis of the mutants generated for an example system. Conclusions: The analysis shows that some mutants are stillborn (syntactically illegal) but none is equivalent (exhibiting the same behavior as the original model). Additionally, our AOM-specific mutation operators can be combined with pre-existing operators to mutate code or models without any overlap.

Software Development for Educational Information Services Using Multilayering Semantics Adaptation

“…The component requires concern separation, which is accomplished via cross-cutting points. The weaving process is the method by which concerns and fundamental codes are woven together (Lindstrom et al, 2017).…”

Model Testing of Complex Embedded Systems Using EAST-ADL and Energy-Aware Mutations

“…Mutation testing has been widely used at lower levels of testing and mostly on implementation models. Even if there are some studies that have applied this technique on specification models [15][16][17][18] for designing behavioral faults, there is a lack of methods that target architectural models and extra-functional aspects for model mutation testing. No attempt has been made to propose and evaluate mutation testing for EAST-ADL models.…”

“…When implementing this step, a set of operators needs to be available based on the desired types of mutants. Different set of operators were proposed in the scientific literature for both models and code [18,23] for mutation testing using the UPPAAL model checker. We show how mutant generation is implemented for the EAST-ADL language as an input for MATS and UPPAAL SMC.…”

On strong mutation and the theory of subsuming logic‐based mutants

“…The definitions and descriptions here are previously presented in Lindström et al. . For more details on these concepts, see Bengtsson and Yi or Hessel et al.…”

“…This section provides a brief but necessary introduction to automata as used in this study. The definitions and descriptions here are previously presented in Lindström et al [24]. For more details on these concepts, see Bengtsson and Yi [25] or Hessel et al [26].…”