Testing Generic Ada Packages with APE

Despite substantial research on methods and tools for testing reusable modules, little help is available for the tester in the eld. Commercial tools for system testing are widely available, but tools for module testing are hard to nd. This paper presents a practical approach to testing Ada packages using the Ada Package Exerciser APE. The APE tool generates test drivers for Ada packages from test scripts written by the tester. The generated test drivers provide test inputs and check output correctness automatically, so that it is practical to rerun the tests after every change to the package implementation or its environment. The testing approach and the APE tool are described in detail, and illustrated with a simple example and a commercially developed package. A specialized technique for testing generic packages is presented.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1998
• Where: SIGADA
• Authors: Daniel Hoffman, Jayakrishnan Nair, Paul A. Strooper
• Keywords: Ada Packages, APE Tool, Programming Languages, SIGADA 1998, Test Drivers