Challenges and opportunities for improving code-based testing of graphical user interfaces

Issue title: Selected papers from the International Conference on Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, e-Business, and Applications, 2004

Guest editors: Narayan C. Debnath

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Karam, Marcel R.^a | Dascalu, Sergiu M.^{b; *} | Hazimé, Rami H.^a

Affiliations: [a] American University of Beirut, Lebanon, Department of Computer Science, 11 Bliss St., P.O. Box 11-3246 | [b] University of Nevada, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, 1664 N. Virginia St., MS 171, Reno, NV, 89523, USA

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Sergiu M. Dascalu, University of Nevada, Reno, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, 1664 N. Virginia St., MS 171, Reno, NV, 89523, USA. Tel.: +1 775 784 4613; Fax: +1 775 784 1877; E-mail: dascalus@cse.unr.edu.

Abstract: The research presented in this paper introduces an execution model for graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that we have developed and formalized as a sequence of actions and finite output states. This model has allowed us to investigate the possibility of applying code-based testing methodologies to testing graphical user interfaces. Our findings highlighted challenges and revealed opportunities to adapt code-based testing methodology to verify the correctness of such interfaces. In particular, the “All-OP-DUs” technique provides important error detection capability and can be applied effectively to test GUIs. This paper also introduces Xtester, the GUI testing tool we are currently building to empirically evaluate our proposed testing criteria.

Keywords: Code-based testing, GUI testing, regression testing, data-flow testing

DOI: 10.3233/JCM-2006-6S214

Journal: Journal of Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering, vol. 6, no. s2, pp. S379-S388, 2006