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Axini develops tools for model based testing (MBT) and model based software engineering (MBSE). Model based testing is a software testing approach in which test cases are automatically generated and executed from a model, a formal specification of the system under test. This approach allows for a high degree of test automation and more thorough testing.

Classical model based testing theory is focused primarily on testing reactive systems: communicating systems with discrete input and output messages. Testing GUI applications, such as web, desktop and mobile applications, differs from testing reactive systems in various ways. For example, a GUI rarely responds with a discrete message. Instead, the tester will need to observe the GUI for changes in the shown content.

We are interested in applying our model based testing approach to testing GUI applications. For this, we need to investigate which concepts are used/needed for testing such applications and how they relate with the classical model based testing theory.

We expect that GUI testing can be expressed in generic interactions: e.g. observing, clicking, typing. If this is the case, it should be possible to develop a generic adapter that can be used to test many different applications.

Possible research questions

There are several puzzles and research questions that students can work on.

Combining GUI testing and MBT theory
What concepts are needed for testing GUI applications? How do the concepts of testing GUI applications fit within the classical MBT theory?
Evaluatig model based GUI testing
What does model based testing of GUI applications look like in practice?
Generic adapters
Is it possible to define a generic adapter for GUI interactions?

Recent work

Recent work at Axini on this topic: