This is a good explanation -- I stole it from Wikipedia:
White-box and black-box testing
In the terminology of testing professionals (software and some hardware)
the phrases "white box"
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_box_testing>, or "glass box", and
"black box" <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box_testing> testing
refer to whether the test case developer has access to the source code
of the software under test, and whether the testing is done through
(simulated) user interfaces or through the application programming
interfaces either exposed by (published) or internal to the target.
In white box testing the test developer has access to the source code
and can write code that links into the libraries which are linked into
the target software. This is typical of unit tests, which only test
parts of a software system. They ensure that components used in the
construction are functional and robust to some degree.
In black box testing the test engineer only accesses the software
through the same interfaces that the customer or user would, or possibly
through remotely controllable, automation interfaces that connect
another computer or another process into the target of the test. For
example a test harness might push virtual keystrokes and mouse or other
pointer operations into a program through any inter-process
communications mechanism, with the assurance that these events are
routed through the same code paths as real keystrokes and mouse clicks.
In recent years the term grey (or gray in the United States) box testing
has come into common usage. The typical grey box tester is permitted to
set up or manipulate the testing environment, like seeding a database,
and can view the state of the product after their actions, like
performing a SQL query on the database to be certain of the values of
columns. It is used almost exclusively of client-server testers or
others who use a database as a repository of information, but can also
apply to a tester who has to manipulate XML files (DTD or an actual XML
file) or configuration files directly. It can also be used of testers
who know the internal workings or algorithm of the software under test
and can write tests specifically for the anticipated results.
>QA = quality assurance, I assume, but what is the significance of
>"whitebox"?
>
>
>
>
The php_mysql group is dedicated to learn more about the PHP/MySQL web database
possibilities through group learning.
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/php_mysql/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
