Towards Generating Executable Metamorphic Relations Using Large Language Models

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Shin, Seung Yeob, Pastore, Fabrizio, Bianculli, Domenico, Baicoianu, Alexandra
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Shin, Seung Yeob
Pastore, Fabrizio
Bianculli, Domenico
Baicoianu, Alexandra
author_facet Shin, Seung Yeob
Pastore, Fabrizio
Bianculli, Domenico
Baicoianu, Alexandra
contents Metamorphic testing (MT) has proven to be a successful solution to automating testing and addressing the oracle problem. However, it entails manually deriving metamorphic relations (MRs) and converting them into an executable form; these steps are time-consuming and may prevent the adoption of MT. In this paper, we propose an approach for automatically deriving executable MRs (EMRs) from requirements using large language models (LLMs). Instead of merely asking the LLM to produce EMRs, our approach relies on a few-shot prompting strategy to instruct the LLM to perform activities in the MT process, by providing requirements and API specifications, as one would do with software engineers. To assess the feasibility of our approach, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey in collaboration with Siemens Industry Software, a worldwide leader in providing industry software and services, focusing on four of their software applications. Additionally, we evaluated the accuracy of the generated EMRs for a Web application. The outcomes of our study are highly promising, as they demonstrate the capability of our approach to generate MRs and EMRs that are both comprehensible and pertinent for testing purposes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_17019
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Towards Generating Executable Metamorphic Relations Using Large Language Models
Shin, Seung Yeob
Pastore, Fabrizio
Bianculli, Domenico
Baicoianu, Alexandra
Software Engineering
Metamorphic testing (MT) has proven to be a successful solution to automating testing and addressing the oracle problem. However, it entails manually deriving metamorphic relations (MRs) and converting them into an executable form; these steps are time-consuming and may prevent the adoption of MT. In this paper, we propose an approach for automatically deriving executable MRs (EMRs) from requirements using large language models (LLMs). Instead of merely asking the LLM to produce EMRs, our approach relies on a few-shot prompting strategy to instruct the LLM to perform activities in the MT process, by providing requirements and API specifications, as one would do with software engineers. To assess the feasibility of our approach, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey in collaboration with Siemens Industry Software, a worldwide leader in providing industry software and services, focusing on four of their software applications. Additionally, we evaluated the accuracy of the generated EMRs for a Web application. The outcomes of our study are highly promising, as they demonstrate the capability of our approach to generate MRs and EMRs that are both comprehensible and pertinent for testing purposes.
title Towards Generating Executable Metamorphic Relations Using Large Language Models
topic Software Engineering
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.17019