Delta debugging

Delta Debugging ( DD for short ) is an approach to an automated method of searching for the causes of errors using the trial-and-error principle. A DD algorithm tries to find the defective parts by isolating the code step by step.

This method was developed by Andreas Zeller at the chair for software technology at Saarland University.

method

By dividing the code, it is determined whether the error is in part A or part B. By repeatedly dividing the faulty part, the fault is "circled" until the smallest possible indication of the fault location can be made. You can find errors caused by inputs, changes or the status of variables.

software

• Igor - command line tool
• Integration in Eclipse (plug-ins)
  • DDinput - for input that creates errors
  • DDchange - for changes that cause errors
  • DDstate - for error-generating variable contents

Web links

• Delta Debugging project at Software Engineering Chair, Saarland University
• Seminar: Quality assurance in software development, University of Münster
• Interview with Andreas Zeller about Delta Debugging