Testing makes your application robust. True?

Software testing is a part of the Software Development Life Cycle and forms a highly important part of the same. The software is tested a number of times using various modes of testing so that the final application build through it is strong, robust and free of bugs.

Role of Testing

Testing is highly required for pointing out the defects and errors made during the phases of the development. It also ensures the customer that the software or the applications build through it is a reliable one, of sound quality and one that will have a low cost of maintenance resulting in more accuracy and consistency thereby leading to their satisfaction.

Besides, testing assures that the customer as well as the developer of the effective performance of the application or the software and that it will not fail in any circumstances.

Testing helps the programmer to get an idea of the parameters that are necessary to judge the robustness of the software or the application. Usually a lot of efforts and time are consumed in for developing robust programs.

Tips for Building Robust Applications

It generally ensures a robust application. There are three types of testing namely User, Module and Data Testing.

User Testing

Testing forms one of the most vital activities carried out by a programmer. Without examining the software, one cannot assume its status of working. It again merely does not ensure the working of an application but also makes sure that it does not get broken in the middle.

One needs to ensure handling the user's data in such a way that makes full sense to the user. Furthermore, the data needs to be passed on in a manner that gives sense to the other remaining parts of the application. In case the application finds or gets input that do not make any sense, it requires carrying out specific functions.

Depending on the program, it may result in putting an end to the same, prompting the user to enter the values again, thereby notifying the programmer with a major error log, resulting in rolling back of an operation, or rather ignoring it and continuing.

The application should be tested by others as well so as to result in a program that is more finely tuned and free of all errors.

Users often find bugs in an application that programmers generally do not get as they are unaware of the expectations of the machine from the software. Allowing non programmers like the users to use the application generally lead to more accurate information for determining the robustness of the same.

Data Testing

This is generally carried out while designing the programs to make the application more robust. This requires each function of the program to be more specific with respect to the type as well as the range of data that it may or may not accept.

These functions need to be tested to ensure that they perform in accordance to the specified and appropriate data when given to it. The most vital part corresponds to testing the edge cases or the corner cases. The corner cases form the inputs that have larger chances of causing problems or behaving unexpectedly.

Module Testing

Software Testing should not only concentrate on examining the program in its complete form but also the various individual pieces of the same. As the program or the application is being developed, individual functions need to be tested by providing the same with the data created in order to ensure that it responds in an appropriate manner.

There are a number of things in a simple program also that needs to be considered important and handled carefully by the programmer.

On the other hand, in a large program, it becomes even more problematic. Large programs have more possible conditions for making errors than conditions favouring success. Thus the programmer needs to spend majority of his time in checking the status codes, writing crucial error handlers as well as carrying out similar tasks that will make the program robust. If developing a program takes two weeks, making the same robust will require two more. All the messages that pop up on the computer screen have also been programmed by a person who had put the best of his abilities to make the program a robust one.

Therefore, you should always expect to spend the majority of your time checking status codes, writing error handlers, and performing similar tasks to make your program robust. If it takes two weeks to develop a program, it will likely take at least two more to make it robust. Remember that every error message that pops up on your screen had to be programmed in by someone. You can get in touch with a custom software application testing company who can help you in testing your application within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide software testing services. If you want to hire software testing engineer for your testing needs, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.