Extracting Properties from Test Cases by Refactoring

A QuickCheck property is a logical statement of aspects of the behaviour of a system. We report on how similar test cases in a test suite written in Erlang can be identified and then refactored into properties, giving a generalisation of the specification implicit in the test suite. Properties give more concise, easier to maintain test suites and better test coverage. A preliminary evaluation of the techniques in industry demonstrates feasibility as well as potential benefits.A QuickCheck property is a logical statement of aspects of the behaviour of a system. We report on how similar test cases in a test suite written in Erlang can be identified and then refactored into properties, giving a generalisation of the specification implicit in the test suite. Properties give more concise, easier to maintain test suites and better test coverage. A preliminary evaluation of the techniques in industry demonstrates feasibility as well as potential benefits