Tcl is a scripting language that can be used to tackle real test tasks. This talk will show simple and advanced ways to apply Tcl to testing software.

Key Points

• Tcl can be used to make new test tools
• Tcl can be used to test Web applications via HTTP
• Tcl can be used to express a state-machine model and generate tests

Abstract...

Tcl can be used to make new test tools
If you have a C/C++ API to exercise product functionality, Tcl can create scripts that automate functional and stress testing.

Tcl can be used to test Web applications via HTTP
Need to test a web page and CGI or Servlet? Tcl can bypass the browser to send HTTP requests to the web page for reliable testing. This can also be used for multi-user testing.

Tcl can be used to express a state-machine model and generate tests
This one is a more complex Tcl program. With a state-machine model of a portion of the system under test, and code for each event in the model, the script can find unreachable states and generate tests to cover the model.

More information on TCL

For more information on TCL, visit the Scriptics web site, or the Tcl Advocacy page for a comparison of TCL to Perl, Python, Java Script and Visual Basic, and a history of TCL.

About the Author

Alan Myrvold is the product verification manager for Entrust/PKI, and has the joy of leading one of the best test teams in the software industry.

Entrust Technologies, http://www.entrust.com, is a global leader in solutions that bring trust to e-business. Entrust is committed to securing e-business transactions and communications over wireless networks, intranets, extranets and the Internet.