A Method for Semi-automated Generation of Test Scenarios Based on Use Cases

Use cases are a widely accepted way to define application functionality. They can therefore form a solid basis for testing the correct functionality and quality of service of a developed application. In this paper, we describe a method for semi-automated generation of test scenarios for simulation testing of software components and component-based applications. It derives the scenarios from the use cases written in natural language, enriched with annotations that allow us to connect the specification with the source code of the application. This helps us to generate a sequence of method invocations within the tested application that forms a testing scenario. The achieved benefit is that the utilization of use cases not only helps to keep tests directly related to the original requirements of the application, it also makes it possible to easily generate new test cases when the requirements on the application change.