{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,1]],"date-time":"2026-03-01T14:19:06Z","timestamp":1772374746989,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2006,10,30]],"date-time":"2006-10-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1162166400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":5508,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Softw Pract Exp"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1991,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to present a method for testing computer programs with iteration loops. Given such programs, we have shown that for classes of program paths, identified as<jats:italic>sequences of simple loop paths<\/jats:italic>, there is a characterizing function called a<jats:italic>simple loop pattern<\/jats:italic>. The key idea of simple loop patterns is that these special functions form a base set which can represent any path computation in the given program. A software tool called SILOP has been developed to automatically generate these simple loop patterns, and each corresponding sequence of simple loop paths can be considered as a test case. The tester uses each test case, and with knowledge of the application program, can generate corresponding test data. This paper also presents a method for selecting the specific paths and test data to determine the simple loop pattern reliably. The tester can use this selection method to predict the number of tests required. In order to apply this selection method, the given program must be a<jats:italic>linear computer program<\/jats:italic>. The SILOP tool and this test selection method have been applied to commercial software; in this paper, this computational experience is reported and several examples are given to demonstrate the approach.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/spe.4380211007","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2006,11,18]],"date-time":"2006-11-18T01:06:22Z","timestamp":1163811982000},"page":"1075-1102","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Path testing of computer programs with loops using a tool for simple loop patterns"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Lee J.","family":"White","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bogdan","family":"Wiszniewski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2006,10,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_1_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/T-C.1975.224259"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TSE.1978.231514"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_4_2","volume-title":"Software System Testing","author":"Beizer B.","year":"1990"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TSE.1976.233816"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"L. J.WhiteandB.Wiszniewski Complexity of testing iterated borders for structured programs Proc. of the 2nd Workshop on Software Testing Verification and Analysis Banff Alberta July1988 pp.231\u2013237.","DOI":"10.1109\/WST.1988.5379"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_7_2","unstructured":"L. J.WhiteandB.Wiszniewski Simple loop patterns to provide a stopping criterion for path testing of computer programs: theory and experience Technical Report CES\u201090\u201305 Case Western Reserve University Department of Computer Engineering and Science April1990."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_8_2","unstructured":"Faten H.AfifiandL. J.White Testing for linear errors in nonlinear computer programs Technical Report CES\u201090\u201303 Case Western Reserve University Department of Computer Engineering and Science June1990."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TSE.1980.234486"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_10_2","volume-title":"Flow Analysis of Computer Programs","author":"Hecht M. S.","year":"1977"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_11_2","volume-title":"Software Engineering: A Practitioners Approach","author":"Pressman R. S.","year":"1987"},{"key":"e_1_2_1_12_2","unstructured":"S.RappsandE. J.Weyuker Data flow analysis techniques for program test data selection Proc. of the 6th International Conference on Software Engineering Tokyo Japan September1982 pp.272\u2013278."},{"key":"e_1_2_1_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TSE.1983.236871"}],"container-title":["Software: Practice and Experience"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/api.wiley.com\/onlinelibrary\/tdm\/v1\/articles\/10.1002%2Fspe.4380211007","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/spe.4380211007","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,12]],"date-time":"2025-01-12T00:02:20Z","timestamp":1736640140000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/spe.4380211007"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[1991,10]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-print":{"date-parts":[[1991,10]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1002\/spe.4380211007"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/spe.4380211007","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0038-0644","1097-024X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0038-0644","type":"print"},{"value":"1097-024X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[1991,10]]}}}