Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

JExample: Exploiting Dependencies between Tests to Improve Defect Localization

  • Conference paper
Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming (XP 2008)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ((LNBIP,volume 9))

Abstract

To quickly localize defects, we want our attention to be focussed on relevant failing tests. We propose to improve defect localization by exploiting dependencies between tests, using a JUnit extension called JExample. In a case study, a monolithic white-box test suite for a complex algorithm is refactored into two traditional JUnit style tests and to JExample. Of the three refactorings, JExample reports five times fewer defect locations and slightly better performance (-8-12%), while having similar maintenance characteristics. Compared to the original implementation, JExample greatly improves maintainability due the improved factorization following the accepted test quality guidelines. As such, JExample combines the benefits of test chains with test quality aspects of JUnit style testing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+
from €39.99 /Month
  • Starting from 10 chapters or articles per month
  • Access and download chapters and articles from more than 300k books and 2,500 journals
  • Cancel anytime
View plans

Buy Now

Chapter
EUR 29.95
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
EUR 42.79
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
EUR 53.49
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

') var buybox = document.querySelector("[data-id=id_"+ timestamp +"]").parentNode var buyingOptions = buybox.querySelectorAll(".buying-option") ;[].slice.call(buyingOptions).forEach(initCollapsibles) var buyboxMaxSingleColumnWidth = 480 function initCollapsibles(subscription, index) { var toggle = subscription.querySelector(".buying-option-price") subscription.classList.remove("expanded") var form = subscription.querySelector(".buying-option-form") var priceInfo = subscription.querySelector(".price-info") var buyingOption = toggle.parentElement if (toggle && form && priceInfo) { toggle.setAttribute("role", "button") toggle.setAttribute("tabindex", "0") toggle.addEventListener("click", function (event) { var expandedBuyingOptions = buybox.querySelectorAll(".buying-option.expanded") var buyboxWidth = buybox.offsetWidth ;[].slice.call(expandedBuyingOptions).forEach(function(option) { if (buyboxWidth buyboxMaxSingleColumnWidth) { toggle.click() } else { if (index === 0) { toggle.click() } else { toggle.setAttribute("aria-expanded", "false") form.hidden = "hidden" priceInfo.hidden = "hidden" } } }) } initialStateOpen() if (window.buyboxInitialised) return window.buyboxInitialised = true initKeyControls() })()

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Beck, K., Gamma, E.: Test infected: Programmers love writing tests. Java Report 3(7), 51–56 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Belli, F., Crisan, R.: Empirical performance analysis of computer-supported code-reviews. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Software Reliability Engineering, pp. 245–255. IEEE Computer Society, Los Alamitos (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Beust, C., Suleiman, H.: Next Generation Java Testing: TestNG and Advanced Concepts. Addison-Wesley, Reading (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Deursen, A., Moonen, L., Bergh, A., Kok, G.: Refactoring test code. In: Marchesi, M. (ed.) Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Extreme Programming and Flexible Processes (XP 2001), University of Cagliari, pp. 92–95 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Feathers, M.C.: Working Effectively with Legacy Code. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Fewster, M., Graham, D.: Building maintainable tests. In: Software Test Automation. ch. 7. ACM Press, New York (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Gaelli, M.: Modeling Examples to Test and Understand Software. PhD thesis, University of Berne (November 2006)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Gaelli, M., Lanza, M., Nierstrasz, O., Wuyts, R.: Ordering broken unit tests for focused debugging. In: 20th International Conference on Software Maintenance (ICSM 2004), pp. 114–123 (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Gaelli, M., Nierstrasz, O., Ducasse, S.: One-method commands: Linking methods and their tests. In: OOPSLA Workshop on Revival of Dynamic Languages (October 2004)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kung, D., Gao, J., Hsia, P., Toyoshima, Y., Chen, C., Kim, Y.-S., Song, Y.-K.: Developing and oject-oriented software testing and maintenance environment. Communications of the ACM 38(10), 75–86 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Lanza, M., Ducasse, S.: Polymetric views—a lightweight visual approach to reverse engineering. Transactions on Software Engineering (TSE) 29(9), 782–795 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Meszaros, G.: XUnit Test Patterns - Refactoring Test Code. Addison-Wesley, Reading (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Moore, I.: Jester — a JUnit test tester. In: Marchesi, M. (ed.) Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Extreme Programming and Flexible Processes (XP 2001), University of Cagliari (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Rothermel, G., Untch, R., Chu, C., Harrold, M.J.: Prioritizing test cases for regression testing. Transactions on Software Engineering 27(10), 929–948 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Smith, S., Meszaros, G.: Increasing the effectiveness of automated testing. In: Proceedings of the Third XP and Second Agile Universe Conference, pp. 88–91 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Stoerzer, M., Ryder, B.G., Ren, X., Tip, F.: Finding failure-inducing changes in java programs using change classification. In: Proceedings of the 14th SIGSOFT Conference on the Foundations of Software Engineering (FSE 2006) (November 2006)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Deursen, A.V., Moonen, L., Zaidman, A.: On the Interplay Between Software Testing and Evolution and its Effect on Program Comprehension. In: Software Evolution. ch. 8. Springer, Heidelberg (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Van Rompaey, B., Du Bois, B., Demeyer, S., Rieger, M.: On the detection of test smells: A metrics-based approach for general fixture and eager test. Transactions on Software Engineering 33(12), 800–817 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Wong, W.E., Horgan, J.R., London, S., Agrawal, H.: A study of effective regression testing in practice. In: Proceedings of the Eighth International Symposium on Software Reliability Engineering, November 1997, pp. 230–238 (1997)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Software Composition Group, University of Bern, Neubrückstrasse 10, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Adrian Kuhn, Lea Haensenberger, Oscar Nierstrasz & Markus Gaelli

  2. University of Antwerp, Middelheimlaan 1, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium

    Bart Van Rompaey, Serge Demeyer & Koenraad Van Leemput

Authors
  1. Adrian Kuhn
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bart Van Rompaey
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Lea Haensenberger
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Oscar Nierstrasz
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Serge Demeyer
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Markus Gaelli
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Koenraad Van Leemput
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Pekka Abrahamsson Richard Baskerville Kieran Conboy Brian Fitzgerald Lorraine Morgan Xiaofeng Wang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Kuhn, A. et al. (2008). JExample: Exploiting Dependencies between Tests to Improve Defect Localization. In: Abrahamsson, P., Baskerville, R., Conboy, K., Fitzgerald, B., Morgan, L., Wang, X. (eds) Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming. XP 2008. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 9. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68255-4_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68255-4_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-68254-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-68255-4

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics