A non-invasive object-oriented tool for software testing

A non-invasive approach for capture and playback (C&P) can be a very useful tool for testing applications endowed of a graphic user interface in local and/or distributed environments, and in general for testing applications without modifying their run-time environment. In the software lifecycle, the phases ofC&P are performed after the application design. Since these are close to the delivery deadline, the time needed for application testing is considered as a high, and frequently unacceptable, cost. In this paper, a new approach for non-invasiveC&P testing techniques is proposed. This is strongly based on the object-oriented paradigm at both hardware and software levels. In particular, a new board for image grabbing and pattern matching, and a new object-oriented language for specifying the tests have been defined. The main goals of this new approach are (i) the reduction of testing time by supporting the reuse of tests (coded by using a specific language) at each level of abstraction, and (ii) the anticipation of the capture-phase of testing with the system design.