White-Box Testing

Eshcar Hillel
Michael Beder
 Tutorial Outline

 What is White Box Testing?

 Flow Graph and Coverage Types
 Symbolic Execution:
– Formal Definition
– Examples

2 White Box Testing

 White-Box means
Testing by Implementation

 Execution-based testing that uses the program’s

inner structure and logical properties
– A.K.A Clear Box, Glass Box and Structural Testing
 There are different types of white-box testing
– For example statement coverage where each statement is
executed at least once
 Flow Graph helps us model an analyze different
types of coverage

3 White Box Testing

 Flow Graph start

G = (V, E) where
1, 2
- V is the set of basic blocks
- E is the set of control branches
F
end 3
Example:
Input: T
1. a = Read(b)
b=2
2. c=0 F
6 4
3. while (a > 1)
4. If (a^2 > c)
5. c=c+a Output:
a = 0, c = 2 T
6. a=a-2
5

4 White Box Testing

 White Box Coverage Types

 Statement Coverage: Every statement is executed

 Branch Coverage: Every branch option is chosen
 Path Coverage: Every path is executed
 Basic Path Coverage: Loops?
– We need to define basic path set first

5 White Box Testing

 Basic Path Set

 An execution path is a set of nodes and directed

edges in a flow graph that connects (in a directed
fashion) the start node to a terminal node.
 Two execution paths are said to be independent if
they do not include the same set of nodes and
edges.
 A basic set of execution paths for a flow graph is an
independent maximum set of paths in which all
nodes and edges of the graph are included at least
once.

6 White Box Testing

 Basic Path Coverage start

 The number of Basic paths is 1, 2

E – N + 2 (Linear Complexity)
F
end 3
 Example
T
p1 = start – 1,2 – 3 – end
F
p2 = start – 1,2 – 3 – 4 – 6 – 3 – end 6 4

p3 = start – 1,2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – end

T
5
E–N+2=8–7+2=3

7 White Box Testing

 Path Function

A function f : D  D
n n
 represents the current values of the
variables as function of their initial values
Each variable X is represented by a projection function f X : D  D
n

 Function composition ( g  f )(v )  g ( f X (v ),..., f X (v ))
1 n
– For example

f ( X , Y , Z )  ( X  Y , X  Y , XZ )
f X ( X ,Y , Z )  X  Y fY ( X ,Y , Z )  X  Y f Z ( X , Y , Z )  XZ

g ( X , Y , Z )  ( XY , X  Z , Z )
( g  f )( X , Y , Z )  g ( f X ( X , Y , Z ), fY ( X , Y , Z ), f Z ( X , Y , Z )) 
 g ( X  Y , X  Y , XZ )  (( X  Y )( X  Y ),( X  Y )  XZ , XZ )

8 White Box Testing

 Path Condition
start

 A condition that ensures the execution of a path

 A constraint on the initial values of the variables
1, 2

For Example: p = start – 1,2 – 3 – end.

1. a = Read(b) F
2. c=0 end 3
3. while (a > 1) T
4. if (a^2 > c)
5. c=c+a F
6 4
6. a=a–2

The path condition is B <= 1, where B is the initial value of b

T
5

9 White Box Testing

 Symbolic Execution
 A method for deriving test cases which satisfy a given path
– Outputs path condition (input) and path function (expected result)
 Initially
– Path function is the Identity function
– Path condition is true
 Each step in the path induce a symbolic composition on the
path function or a logical constraint on the path condition
– Simple block g(x): f  g  f
– Control branch: C  C  branch condition

10 White Box Testing

 Example: Symbolic Execution
start

1. a = Read(b)
2. c=0
3. while (a > 1) 1, 2
4. if (a^2 > c)
5. c=c+a
6. a=a–2 F
end 3
Find test case for path:
p = start – 1,2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – end T

F
6 4

T
5

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 Example: Symbolic Execution
start

1. a = Read(b)
2. c=0
3. while (a > 1) 1, 2
4. if (a^2 > c)
5. c=c+a
6. a=a–2 F
end 3

p = start – 1,2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – end T

vertex path function path condition
start: (A, B, C) true F
6 4
1,2 (A, B, C) true
3 (B, B, 0) true
4 (B, B, 0) (true Λ B>1) ↔ B>1
5 (B, B, 0) (B>1 Λ B^2>0) ↔ B>1 T
5

12 White Box Testing

 Example: Symbolic Execution
start

1. a = Read(b)
2. c=0
3. while (a > 1)
1, 2
4. if (a^2 > c)
5. c=c+a
6. a=a–2 F
end 3
p = start – 1,2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – end
vertex path function path condition T
6 (B, B, B) B>1
3 (B-2, B, B) B>1
F
4 (B-2, B, B) (B>1 Λ B-2>1) ↔ B>3 6 4
5 (B-2, B, B) (B>3 Λ (B-2)^2>B) ↔ B>4
6 (B-2, B, 2B-2) B>4
3 (B-4, B, 2B-2) B>4
T
end (B-4, B, 2B-2) (B>4 Λ B-4<=1) ↔ B=5
5

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 Example: Symbolic Execution
start

1. a = Read(b)
2. c=0
1, 2
3. while (a > 1)
4. if (a^2 > c)
5. c=c+a F
end 3
6. a=a–2
T
p = start – 1,2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – end
F
end (B-4, B, 2B-2) B=5 6 4

Hence the test case is B = 5

T
and the expected result is 2B-2 = 8
5
Is there a test case for
p = start – 1,2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 3 – end ?
14 White Box Testing