Multi-task collaborative method based on manifold optimization for automated test case generation based on path coverage

Automated test case generation based on path coverage is not only a large-scale black-box optimization problem, but also a key scientific problem in software automatic testing technology. Evolutionary algorithms and other search-based algorithms are representative methods for this problem. However, existing research mainly focuses on the multi-function case, where generating test cases for multiple functions is difficult due to the combinatorial explosion of the path number. In this paper, we propose a multi-task collaborative method based on manifold optimization by considering the topological manifold relationship between the test case space (decision space) and the program path space (target space). This method achieves the goal of collaborative optimization for different function coverage tasks by coordinating the allocation of computing resources and knowledge transfer mechanisms among them. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we compare it with general solution methods for single-function automated test case generation based on path coverage, such as the manifold-inspired search-based algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the compared single-function optimization algorithms especially on programs with strong coding similarities. This study verifies the feasibility of collaborative optimization methods for solving large-scale black-box optimization problems, such as the automated test case generation based on path coverage, and expands their application scenarios.