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Example of Condition coverage

Simple example

Assume we want to test the following code extract:

        
          if ( (A || B) && C )
          {
          /* instructions */
          }
          else
          {
          /* instructions */
          }
        
      

where A, B and C represent atomic boolean expressions (i.e. not divisible in other boolean sub-expressions).

In order to ensure Condition coverage criteria for this example, A, B and C should be evaluated at least one time "true" and one time "false" during testes.

So, in our example, the 3 following testes would be sufficient to valid Condition coverage:

      A = true  / B = not eval / C = false
      A = false / B = true     / C = true
      A = false / B = false    / C = not eval
    


More complex example

Assume we replace the condition: ( (A || B) && C )
by: ( ((u == 0) || (x>5)) && ((y<6) or (z == 0)) )

A full Test Coverage would consist into building the following truth table and testing each combination:

Test case n° A: (u == 0) B: (x>5) C: (y<6) D: (z == 0) ( (A || B) && (C || D) )
1 F F F F F
2 F F F T F
3 F F T _ F
4 F T F F F
5 F T F T T
6 F T T _ T
7 T _ F F F
8 T _ F T T
9 T _ T _ T

On the other hand, to ensure Condition coverage, we should test (for example) just the 3 combinations here-before underlined in yellow.

Go back to Test Coverage Levels

Glossary:

Condition: a logical indivisible (atomic) expression. It is often called boolean variable, represented by a capital letter (A, B, C, etc.), can only be equal to "true" or "false", but can not be divided in other simpler "sub-conditions".

Decision : a logical expression which can be composed of several conditions separated by logical operators like "or", "and", "xor".

The Test Coverage Analyzer Testwell CTC++ can do measurements for all kinds of test coverage criteria (particularly for MC/DC and MCC) requested for "critical software development" in order to get certifications, such as DO-178B of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).