CATS# : a testing technique to support the specification of test cases for context-aware software systems

Abstract

Contemporary Software Systems (CSS) bring distinctive characteristics compared to conventional systems to the table. One of them is context-awareness when the context and its variation affect the software system's behavior in unthinkable (sometimes unpredictable) ways. Therefore, it is essential to ensure the correct functioning of this type of system. However, as far as it could be investigated, there is a lack of software technologies to support these systems' testing. This work presents CATS#, a testing technique to support the specification of test cases for Context-Aware Software Systems (CASS). CATS# evolves the CATS (Context-Aware Test Suite) Design technique by adapting the test case concept to include the context and offers a test template capable of capturing (and representing) the variation of context that can influence the system's behavior during test execution. CATS# was applied in a project by undergraduate students. The results indicate its initial feasibility to support the specification of CASS test cases for situations not covered by conventional testing techniques.