An automated tool for data flow testing of ASP.NET web applications

The structure of ASP.NET web applications is very different from traditional ones. This paper discusses the adaptation of data flow testing techniques for such applications. In addition, it describes the data flow analysis of ASP.NET web applications, presents a proposed model for data flow testing of these applications, and describes the structure of a supporting automated tool. The tool generates the definition-use pairs for all variables in the application under test, then the application is executed with test data to cover these pairs, if possible. At the end of each test run, the tool shows the covered and uncovered pairs. The tool’s report is generated in a highly organized format to improve the readability of the test results, and to reduce the time needed to review them. The paper also presents a case study to illustrate how the tool works. Finally, the paper presents the results of the experiments, which have been conducted to evaluate the viability of the data flow testing approach with the presented extensions for ASP.NET web applications, and the readability of the improved analysis and test report produced by the tool.