Testing Functional Black-Box Programs Without a Specification

In this chapter we examine the problem of testing functional black-box programs that do not require sequential inputs. We specifically focus on the case where there is no existing specification from which to derive tests. Research into this problem dates back over three decades, and has produced a variety of techniques, all of which employ various types of data mining and machine learning algorithms to examine test executions and to inform the selection of new tests. Here we provide an overview of these techniques and examine their limitations and opportunities for future research.