Regression testing on object-oriented programs

Abstract

Regression testing is an important activity at both testing and maintenance phases. When a piece of software is modified, it is necessary to ensure the quality of the software is preserved. To this end, regression testing retests the software using the test cases selected from the original test pool. We present a regression testing technique that selects test cases by utilizing static information from the analysis of the program structure and dynamic information by tracing the function-calling sequences. To compare the effectiveness of this technique with other existing approaches, we conducted an empirical study on an industrial trial real-time system. The results show that not only, does this technique preserve all the necessary information for regression testing, but it is also much more efficient and more precise than the existing techniques.