Software Quality Assurance Questions Medium
Path coverage is a metric used in software quality assurance to measure the extent to which all possible paths through a program have been tested. It is a structural testing technique that aims to ensure that every possible path, or sequence of statements, in a program has been executed at least once during testing.
In software development, a program can have multiple paths, which are determined by the conditional statements, loops, and branches within the code. Path coverage ensures that each of these paths is tested to uncover any potential errors or bugs that may occur.
To achieve path coverage, testers need to create test cases that exercise all possible paths through the program. This can be done by identifying the different paths and designing test cases that cover each path individually or in combination. Testers may use techniques such as control flow graphs or decision tables to analyze the program's structure and identify the various paths.
Path coverage is considered a more thorough testing technique compared to other coverage metrics, such as statement coverage or branch coverage, as it ensures that all possible paths are tested. However, achieving 100% path coverage is often impractical or even impossible for complex programs, so a balance needs to be struck between the level of coverage and the available resources.
Overall, path coverage is an important aspect of software quality assurance as it helps identify potential defects and ensures that the program behaves as expected under different scenarios and conditions.