Software Testing

• sure the user can see that an error has occurred. Error messages need to stand out from the rest of the layout. They should be placed at the top of the page if that is the area displayed after the form has been submitted with errors.
• An error icon if your layout makes it difficult to visually separate errors from the rest of the page
• Be consistent when you present errors (the user will expect errors to be displayed at the same location and with the same style on all pages)
• Update the page title to indicate that the user is on the same page but with errors (e.g. if the page title is “Registration” you could change it to “Registration - Error occurred”).
  

• Make sure the error message identifies the related field with the name as it is written in the label for that field
• Do not use complicated words
• Describe what the user should do to correct the error, especially if it could be difficult to understand
• Make it clear if there were more than one error so that the user can correct all errors at once
  

• Make sure all user agents can parse error details. Use a heading to identify the error area.
• Present each error as an item in a list. This makes it easy for the user to understand what has to be corrected. Also, screen reader users will find it easier to keep errors apart
• If you use software specific error id numbers do not hesitate to add them to the id-attribute of the list element. If you use automated functional tests (e.g. Rational Robot) it will be much easier for the test robot to parse and identify errors
• Provide an access key for the error message section. This is valuable if your form can generate many errors and enables the user to move back and forth between the error list and the form
• Make it possible to navigate from the error message to the related field. This makes it easier for users that navigate with the keyboard

1. Run time behavior on various operating system or different hardware configurations.
2. Install ability and configure ability on various systems
3. Capacity limitation (maximum file size, number of records, maximum number of concurrent users, etc.)
4. Behavior in response to problems in the programming environment (system crash, unavailable network, full hard-disk, printer not ready)
5. Protection against unauthorized access to data and programs

System tests check that the software functions properly from end-to-end. The components of the system include: A database, Web-enable application software modules, Web servers, Web-enabled application frameworks deploy Web browser software, TCP/IP networking routers, media servers to stream audio and video, and messaging services for email. A common mistake of test professionals is to believe that they are conducting system tests while they are actually testing a single component of the system. For example, checking that the Web server returns a page is not a system test if the page contains only a static HTML page

HTML content checking tests makes a request to a Web page, parses the response for HTTP hyperlinks, requests hyperlinks from their associated host, and if the links returned successful or exceptional conditions. The downside is that the hyperlinks in a Web-enabled application are dynamic and can change, depending on the user's actions. There is little way to know the context of the hyperlinks in a Web-enabled application. Just checking the links' validity is meaningless if not misleading. These tests were meant to test static Web sites, not Web-enabled application

Makes a request for a set of Web pages and records statistics about the response; including total page views per hour, total hits per week, total user sessions per week, and derivatives of these numbers. The downside is that if your Web-enabled application takes twice as many pages as it should for a user to complete his or her goal; the click stream test makes it look as though your Web site is popular, while to the user your Web site is frustrating

Online help tests check the accuracy of help contents, correctness of features in the help system, and functionality of the help system

Click stream Testing is to show which URLs the user clicked, The Web site's user activity by time period during the day, and other data otherwise found in the Web server logs. Popular choice for Click-Stream Testing statistics include Keynote Systems Internet weather report, Web Trends log analysis utility, and the Net Mechanic monitoring service.
Disadvantage: Click-Stream Testing statistics reveal almost nothing about the user's ability to achieve their goals using the Web site. For example, a Web site may show a million page views, but 35% of the page views may simply e pages with the message "Found no search results," With Click-Stream Testing, there's no way to tell when user reach their goals

Security measures protect Web systems from both internal and external threats. E-commerce concerns and the growing popularity of Web-based applications have made security testing increasingly relevant. Security tests determine whether a company's security policies have been properly implemented; they evaluate the functionality of existing systems, not whether the security policies that have been implemented are appropriate
Primary task in security testing over web applications

• Application software
• Database
• Servers
• Client workstations
• Networks

External beta testing offers developers their first glimpse at how users may actually interact with a program. Copies of the program or a test URL, sometimes accompanied with letter of instruction, are sent out to a group of volunteers who try out the program and respond to questions in the letter. Beta testing is black-box, real-world testing. Beta testing can be difficult to manage, and the feedback that it generates normally comes too late in the development process to contribute to improved usability and functionality. External beta-tester feedback may be reflected in a future releases.

Easy of use, User Interface testing evaluates how intuitive a system is. Issues pertaining to navigation, usability, commands, and accessibility are considered. User interface functionality testing examines how well a UI operates to specifications

Areas Covered in User Interface Testing

• Usability
• Look and feel
• Navigation controls and navigation bar
• Instructional and technical information style
• Images
• Tables
• Navigation branching
• Accessibility

Web system often requires both client-side and server-side installs. Testing of the installer checks that installed features function properly--including icons, support documentation, the README file, and registry keys. The test verifies that the correct directories are created and that the correct system files are copied to the appropriate directories. The test also confirms that various error conditions are detected and handled gracefully.
Testing of the uninstaller checks that the installed directories and files are appropriately removed, that configuration and system-related files are also appropriately removed or modified, and that the operating environment is recovered in its original state.

Perform to check that an application functions properly across various hardware and software environments by using Compatibility and configuration testing. Often, the strategy is to run the functional acceptance simple tests or a subset of the task-oriented functional tests on a range of software and hardware configurations. Sometimes, another strategy is to create a specific test that takes into account the error risks associated with configuration differences. For example, you might design an extensive series of tests to check for browser compatibility issues. Software compatibility configurations include variances in OS versions, input/output (I/O) devices, extension, network software, concurrent applications, online services and firewalls. Hardware configurations include variances in manufacturers, CPU types, RAM, graphic display cards, video capture cards, sound cards, monitors, network cards, and connection types(e.g. T1, DSL, modem, etc.)

Exploratory Testing do not involve a test plan, checklist, or assigned tasks. The strategy here is to use past testing experience to make educated guesses about places and functionality that may be problematic. Testing is then focused on those areas. Exploratory testing can be scheduled. It can also be reserved for unforeseen downtime that presents itself during the testing process

Missed errors by formal test cases are found by using this method of testing. These tests simulate the actions customers may take with a program

The forced-error test (FET) consists of negative test cases that are designed to force a program into error conditions. A list of all error messages that the program issues should be generated. The list is used as a baseline for developing test cases. An attempt is made to generate each error message in the list. Obviously, test to validate error-handling schemes cannot be performed until all the handling and error message have been coded. However, FETs should be thought through as early as possible. Sometimes, the error messages are not available. The error cases can still be considered by walking through the program and deciding how the program might fail in a given user interfaces such as a dialog or in the course of executing a given task or printing a given report. Test cases should be created for each condition to determine what error message is generated.

The task-oriented functional test (TOFT) consists of positive test cases that are designed to verify program features by checking the task that each feature performs against specifications, user guides, requirements, and design documents. Usually, features are organized into list or test matrix format. Each feature is tested for:

• The validity of the task it performs with supported data conditions under supported operating conditions.
• The integrity do the task's end result
• The feature's integrity when used in conjunction with related features