Junior
What is a range in software testing?
sobes.tech AI
Answer from AI
In software testing, a range is a set of values (boundaries and intermediate) for input data used when testing functionality that processes numerical, temporal, or other ranges of values.
Key concepts related to ranges:
- Boundary Values: Minimum, maximum, and values close to them (e.g., min-1, min+1, max-1, max+1). Boundary testing often reveals errors.
- Equivalence Partitioning: Dividing the entire input data range into several non-overlapping subranges (equivalence classes). It is assumed that data from one class will be processed similarly. Testing one value from each class is sufficient.
- Invalid Values: Values outside the permissible range, testing which checks error handling and exceptions.
- Positive and Negative Tests:
- Positive Tests: Using values within the permissible range.
- Negative Tests: Using values outside the permissible range or of incorrect data types.
Application of range testing:
- Numeric fields: Age (0-120), number of items (1-1000).
- Dates and times: Date ranges for reports, start/end times of events.
- String values: Length restrictions.
- Enumerations: Allowed values from a list.
The goal of range testing is to minimize the number of test cases by selecting representative values that are highly likely to reveal defects.