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Basic Walkthrough

In this tutorial, you will build a complete test model for a web application, add constraints to exclude impossible combinations, generate a covering array, and export the results.

Scenario

You need to test a web application that runs on multiple operating systems, browsers, and screen resolutions. Your goal is to create a minimal test suite that covers all pairwise interactions.

What You Will Learn

• Creating parameters and values
• Adding constraints to exclude invalid combinations
• Generating a covering array
• Reading and exporting results

Step 1: Create the Model

1. Launch ProTest and click New (Ctrl+N).

2. On the Parameters tab, add three parameters:

   Parameter	Values
   OS	Windows, Linux, macOS
   Browser	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
   Resolution	1080p, 1440p, 4K

Step 2: Add Constraints

1. Switch to the Constraints tab.

2. Enter these constraints:

   IF [OS] = "Linux" THEN [Browser] <> "Safari";
   IF [OS] = "Linux" THEN [Browser] <> "Edge";
   IF [OS] = "Windows" THEN [Browser] <> "Safari";
   

   These reflect real-world restrictions: Safari doesn't run on Linux or Windows, and Edge doesn't run on Linux.

Step 3: Generate

1. Verify the Order is set to 2 (pairwise) in the left sidebar.

2. Click Generate (Ctrl+G or F5).

3. ProTest switches to the Results tab automatically.

Step 4: Review Results

The Results tab shows your covering array. Notice:

• Far fewer test cases than the 36 exhaustive combinations
• No rows violate your constraints (no Safari on Windows, etc.)
• Every pair of (OS, Browser), (OS, Resolution), and (Browser, Resolution) values appears at least once

Step 5: Export

Click Copy to Clipboard (Ctrl+Shift+C) to copy the results as tab-separated values. Paste into Excel, a test management tool, or your test plan.

Next Steps

• Add seeds to ensure critical configurations are always tested
• Try SIPO to see if it produces fewer test cases for your model
• Add sub-models for different coverage strengths