State Transition Testing is a black-box test technique used to test systems or applications with different states or modes of operation. As a test engineer, here's what you need to know about State Transition Testing:
Definition: State Transition Testing is a technique that tests the transitions between different states or modes of operation of a system or application. The shifts are typically triggered by events or actions that cause the system or application to change from one state to another.
Objective: The main aim of State Transition Testing is to identify and test all possible state transitions and the events or actions that trigger them and to ensure that the system or application behaves as expected for each transition.
Process: State Transition Testing involves identifying the different states or modes of operation of the system or application, the events or actions that trigger state transitions, and the expected behaviour of the system or application for each transition. Test cases are then created to test each state transition and ensure that the system or application behaves as expected.
Advantages: State Transition Testing can help identify errors and defects due to incorrect handling of state transitions or wrong behaviour of the system or application in different states or modes of operation.
Limitations: State Transition Testing may not be effective for systems or applications with clearly defined states or modes of operation or for systems or applications where events or actions do not trigger state transitions.
Examples: Examples of State Transition Testing include testing a vending machine that changes state when money is inserted, or a product is selected, testing a website that changes state when a user logs in or logs out and testing a mobile phone that changes shape when a call is received, or a message is sent.
In conclusion, State Transition Testing is a useful test technique that can help test engineers identify errors and defects due to incorrect handling of state transitions or wrong behaviour of the system or application in different states or modes of operation. It is important to understand its advantages and limitations and to use it appropriately depending on the specific requirements and context of the testing project.