An improved method of selecting regression tests for C++ programs

This paper describes an impact analysis technique that identifies which parts should be retested after a system written in C++ is modified. We are interested in identifying the impacts of changes at the class member-level by using dependency relations between class members. We try to find out which member functions need unit-level retesting and which interactions between them need integration-level retesting. To get precise analysis results, we adopt a technique that classifies types of changes and analyze the impact for each type. Primitive changes, changes which are associated with C++ features, are first defined and their ripple effects are computed in order to construct a firewall for each type of changes systematically. We have applied our prototype tool to a real system with small size. This case study shows some evidence that our approach gives reasonable efficiency and precision as well as being practical for analyzing change impacts of C++ programs.