7.7.7   Test Tool Characteristics

• The generation path leading to a modifier may contain conditions that are not supported by the test tool. When starting the wizard, the user is notified that unsupported conditions exist in the path. These conditions are ignored by the wizard, that is, they are not able to affect the number of test cases that are produced. It is, however, possible to go ahead with the generation and to modify the produced simulation cases manually later in the simulator panel.

• The user is also notified if several conditions in the generation path are affecting the same field, for example, the TimeOfDay condition and the DayOfWeek condition both needs the Start Time field to be set for them to be evaluated. Such situations are complicated for the test tool and may result in that unexpected test cases are produced, for example, cases that fail or identical cases. Thus, it is highly encouraged to manually inspect and execute the simulation cases generated by the test tool.

• It is possible to generate simulation cases for a generation path that spans across several selection trees, joined using the goto modifier:

  Start the wizard by selecting a terminating modifier in the sub-tree, that is, the tree that is being called.

  Select the root of the sub tree selected in the wizard. Where the condition or modifier-specific setting are usually shown, the wizard now displays a text stating that it is possible to drop a goto modifier at that location to combine the tree containing the goto modifier and the sub-tree. This can be achieved by opening the selection tree with a goto modifier, and drag a goto modifier from the tree to the wizard.

  When the two trees are joined in the wizard, it continues to function as before.

• It is important to know that the tool, depending on the complexity of the selection tree, may not be able to produce a simulation set covering all the possibilities of input data for the tree. It is vital that the user sees the tool not as a complete solution, but as an aid providing a set of simulation cases which is a good basis that the user can continue working with.

• It is not possible to start the test tool from some of the modifiers in RMA. This may be because they are not “terminating” modifiers, that is, the execution of the selection tree does not stop when the modifier is encountered. It may also be because the modifier does not set any validation or output fields.