gtpp1m08 | Program Development Support Reference |
You should extensively test every application program
before it is integrated with the online system. Each application
program must:
- Perform its function effectively without disrupting existing program
relationships
- Be able to interface with the TPF 4.1 system and other application
programs.
Program development support programs enable you to:
- Check for logic violations
- Specify or change data for each test
- Interrupt, modify, resume, or end testing
- Start online debugging tools
- Batch test runs
- Customize data for each test
- Maintain a uniform database
- Restore the database between tests
- Produce various diagnostic reports.
There are inherent problems involved when testing application programs for
a multiple program system. The programming effort is large.
Each time a new function is added to the system, logic complexity is
affected. Clearly, all conditions cannot be tested. Symptoms of
some errors can be propagated through the system before the error is
detected. When the symptoms do appear, it can be difficult to determine
the condition that caused the error or to duplicate the condition.
The following utilities were developed to help you control the test
environment and progressively test each application program under various
conditions until a high level of confidence is established.
- Utility Name
- Program Description
- Program Test Vehicle (PTV)
- PTV runs in a user-defined test environment. When used with offline
and online test tools, PTV enables you to create and control the environment,
activity, and reporting of each test unit.
- System Test Compiler (STC)
- STC is an offline utility that generates the data records for program test
vehicle (PTV) input and system installation.
- Real-Time Trace (RTT)
- RTT monitors programs according to parameters specified with the
activating command. RTT counts or traces the use of selected macros and
related data (data blocks, blocks, registers, and ECBs associated with the
macro execution) according to options that you select.
- Selective File Dump and Trace (SFDT)
- SFDT are utilities that dump either the content of specified files or the
records that were updated during the trace period to a real-time
tape. You specify the trace and dump options with the activating
commands.
- Diagnostic Output Formatter (DOF)
- The DOF formats and prints diagnostic data. The type of output
produced depends on the system activity (test, trace, error dump) that
recorded the data.
This book describes each of these programs in the chapters that
follow. Emphasis is given to the function performed rather than the
programming that produces the result.