Many regulatory authorities now require structural coverage analysis to prove that code has been adequately tested, and to measure software test effectiveness. For safety-critical software development, certification bodies need reports that detail the extent of code coverage. And as always, commercial pressures demand that coverage information is collated efficiently, with as little impact on development as possible.

For simple projects, manual- or in-house techniques may be feasible. But to collate the coverage data described above, automating the process is likely to be quicker, more efficient, and more cost effective.

LDRA dynamic analysis tools for embedded systems include:

• TBrun with the TBextreme module provides automated unit testing, test case generation and execution, and code coverage analysis
• The TBobjectbox module adds object code verification
• The Tool Qualification Support Pack (TQSP) provides qualification guidance and artefacts to help developer to meet certification requirements
• LDRAcover is a code coverage stand-alone tool to help meet structural coverage analysis objectives
• LDRAunit is a stand-alone tool for automated unit test generation and management

LDRA tools automatically generate test cases, execute those test cases, and visually report levels of coverage analysis, such as statement, branch/decision, procedure/function call, LCSAJ (JJ-path), MC/DC, dynamic data flow, and more.

LDRA tools support C, C++, Java, Ada, and Assemblers, running on a broad range of target platforms—from powerful 64-bit microprocessors to highly constrained 8- or 16-bit microcontrollers. The TBrun component of the LDRA tool suite can automatically generate test cases that provide 50-80% of coverage. And its intuitive test case building environment lets developers quickly augment those test cases to increase their coverage if necessary.