From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.5-pre1 (2020-06-20) on ip-172-31-74-118.ec2.internal X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.5 required=3.0 tests=BAYES_05 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.5-pre1 Date: 11 Mar 93 00:22:22 GMT From: cis.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uw m.edu!spool.mu.edu!news.cs.indiana.edu!jehollin%cs.indiana.edu@ucbvax.Berkeley. EDU (joseph e. hollingsworth) Subject: Re: testing Generics Message-ID: <1993Mar10.192230.28353@news.cs.indiana.edu> List-Id: In article <8MAR199313194203@bambam> you write: >In article <226@hathor.CSS.GOV>, jeffe@hathor.CSS.GOV (Jeff Etrick) writes... >>I wanted to know what the net's opion on generic testing was. >> >>I believe a generic procedure should be simple enough to test using a >>test >>driver which multiply instantiates the procedure for each intended use. If >>.... stuff deleted ... >Part of the point of using a generic is that it reduces testing. If you >have a generic that accepts a generic scalar type parameter, you do not >need to test itwill all possible scalar types (a totally impossible task!); >you only need to test it with representative samples from each class; >integer, enumeration. > ..... stuff deleted ..... If you design your components well, then the above statement applies to non-scalar types as well. I.e., you don't need to test with all possible non-scalar types to be sure that it works correctly with each (an equally impossible task). See the arguement for "local certifiability" of the properties composability and correctness in the following: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hollingsworth, J.E. "Software Component Design-for-Reuse: A Language-Independent Discipline Applied to Ada" Department of Computer and Information Science August 1992 To get a copy, FTP to "archive.cis.ohio-state.edu" and login as "anonymous", giving your own user id as password (e.g., "xy@abc.com"). Then "cd" to directory "pub/tech-report/TR1-1993" where you will find a "README.txt" file and several compressed PostScript files (approximately one per chapter of the dissertation). You'll need to get all these files. You should read the "README.txt" file and follow directions there. Of course, make sure you uncompress all the other files before attempting to preview or print them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cheers, Joe jholly@isu.indiana.edu