Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [57]-61). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [57]-61). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Computer Science, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-46).

Is it possible to achieve some of the benefits of formal testing within the informal programming conventions of the spreadsheet paradigm? We investigate an approach that attempts to do so via the development of a testing methodology for this paradigm. The "What You See Is What You Test" (WYSIWYT) methodology for testing spreadsheets supplements the automatic immediate visual feedback about values with automatic immediate visual feedback about "testedness". In this thesis, we present empirical data about the methodology's effectiveness resulting from two controlled experiments. The first experiment provided interesting but inconclusive results which spurred us to consider ways to improve the design of our experiment. We used the Cognitive Walkthrough method to evaluate and improve our design and readministered the experiment. Our results from the redesigned experiment show that the use of the methodology was associated with significant improvement in testing effectiveness and efficiency, even with no training on the theory of testing or test adequacy that the model implements. / Graduation date: 2000

Previous work has developed the What You See Is What You Test (WYSIWYT) methodology for testing spreadsheets. This methodology has been shown to help end users test, debug, and modify spreadsheets. To date, however, this system has provided no support for creating, reusing, and managing test cases, a process that can be tedious and time-consuming. To alleviate this, we have developed automated test case generation and test reuse methodologies for the WYSIWYT methodology. For test case generation, we have prototyped two techniques, and performed a study to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of these techniques. The results of this study show that we can efficiently exercise a large percentage of a spreadsheet under test. We also implemented a test reuse methodology and performed a study that shows that we are able to find a relatively small subset of test cases to reuse after a modification to a spreadsheet, and that these test cases re-establish much of the coverage lost by modifications made to the spreadsheet. / Graduation date: 2003

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-137).

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2001. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-67). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-131). Also available on microfiche.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Fred T. Hofstetter, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

Although there has been research into ways to design spreadsheet systems to improve the processes of creating new spreadsheets and of understanding existing ones, little attention has been given to helping users of these environments test their spreadsheets. To help address this need, we introduce two visual approaches to testing large grids in spreadsheet systems. The first approach is a straightforward extension of a visual testing methodology we previously developed for individual cells (and hence is termed the Straightforward approach), and serves as a useful baseline with which to compare the second approach. The second approach, termed the Region Representative approach, contributes scalability by overcoming the inefficiency of the Straightforward approach. Prototypes of both approaches have been tightly integrated into Forms/3, a research spreadsheet language, and communication with the user happens solely through the use of checkbox devices and coloring mechanisms. The intent of this work is to bring to end users at least some of the benefits of formalized notions of testing, without requiring knowledge of testing beyond a naive level. / Graduation date: 2000