Test Coverage v/s Code Coverage
A product is not successful unless it serves the purpose of a business. How can you determine its viability then? A well-documented coding and techniques are not immune to human errors, thus leading to the rejection of the product. As a result, it wastes your efforts, time, and resources and above all glaring from clients.
However, thorough testing methodologies can do the tricks and ensure the effectiveness of coding. Unit testing does not always come up to your expectations and offer better testing of a product. Instead of regarding this, go with Test Coverage and Code Coverage. These two are the most comprehensive and popular testing techniques to ensure the efficacy of codes and high product quality. Let’s understand these two coding phenomena by combing their differences and specifications.
Overview: Test Coverage and Code Coverage
Test Coverage and Code coverage are measurement metrics to ease the assessment of the quality of application codes. Code coverage is used during the application is run to determine the exercise of application code. Test coverage applies to the overall test. But, both these metrics are useful and significant for developers to ensure the quality of the application efficiently.
Definition:
What is Code Coverage?
It refers to both manual and automation testing for test cases that cover the number of codes. The metrics of this type of test aims at measuring the total lines of codes and also a number of lines. The primary objective of this metric is to reduce the probabilities of bug attacks through increased length of code coverage.
To run this test, you either use the Selenium framework or any other automated framework.
What is Test Coverage?
This is a test type to ensure the functional quality of a product involving software requirement specifications and other required documents. So, test coverage is something beyond codes, rather it is concentrated on user requirements or purpose-built for expected functionality.
Ways You Can Perform Code Coverage
There are different ways you can run code coverage. You can focus on the following subtypes.
Branch coverage:
Referred to as decision coverage, it makes use of logical branches to be assessed in your code for decision-making with every existing branch. For example, if you use some variables for cross browsing compatibility testing, it is critical to ensuring you use all of the variables using adequate inputs.
Statement coverage:
This includes corner or boundary cases. These codes are the smallest units to be executable only once.
Function coverage:
It refers to a number of functions that are susceptible to be tested, for say exported functions/APIs.
Line coverage:
This is simple. It means a number of lines your code coverage has evaluated.
Ways To Perform Test Coverage
Like code coverage, Test coverage also includes several testing mechanisms. However, which test coverage is important is based upon business propositions.
Unit Testing:
This is referred to as unit testing since it is carried out at a module or unit level. This aims at assessing bug encounters which may differ from the mechanism executed during the integration level.
Functional Testing:
This metric is undertaken to comply with the Functional Requirement Specifications (FRS).
Integration Testing:
Also referred to as a system testing for software is tested on a system level. During the integration of all the necessary modules, this testing is executed.
Acceptance Testing
This is what confirms the acceptability of the final product by end-users. Acceptance testing is kind of a green signal for developers that accelerates the product launch prior to making the final code changes.
Other than these subtypes, some important test coverage is Features Coverage, Risks Coverage, and Requirement Coverage.
Pros of Code Coverage
It improves the effectiveness of test code and provides you ways to enhance the performance of coverage
Regardless of what tool is being used (open-source or something else), implementing the code coverage tool takes less time
Detects bugs in the program flow, thus improving the code quality
Pros Of Test Coverage
Part of black-box testing techniques, it does not interact much with code itself. Yet, it tests software features and maintains compliance with the requirement specifications of the product results. Hence, the isolation between tests and codes offers a straightforward testing approach.
It measures software performance and capability, thus fitting well into acceptance tests.
Characterized by black-box, it does not require much expertise to execute.
Shortcomings of Test Coverage
It is a manual approach rather than being an automated methodology. It takes time and effort to assess and build test cases.
No concrete tool is available to measure its coverage. It is a manual task that requires testing coverage against the number of tests. Hence, it is vulnerable to judgmental errors.
Shortcomings of Code Coverage
Tools used in this methodology apply to Unit test only. It necessitates checking with every test type.
No easy availability of improved code coverage tools
It is tough to comply with the available tool with your project even it is a good coverage tool
Conclusion
Software development looks for a systematic approach these days to ensure the viability and accessibility of the product. This ensures testing completeness and effectiveness of the product in the release stage.
And here test coverage and code coverage seem to be valuable for organizations. With code coverage being a white-box approach while test code being a black-box approach, you need to determine your testing requirement depending on your product specifications. Before you assign with any of the testing methodologies, forget not to decide upon your resources and tentative deadline. After all, it is indeed crucial how you can maximize your effort and resources while achieving a higher level of product satisfaction.