Abstract: In order to improve the efficiency of coverage table generation in combination test, an improved whale optimization algorithm based on the discreteness of coverage table generation is proposed. Firstly, it uses the idea of encoding transformation to change the continuous motion mode of individual whale to the discrete mode of coverage table generation. Secondly, an iterative evolution operator is added to further improve the search ability in the development and search phase of the algorithm. Finally, aiming at the limitation problem of the algorithm itself in coverage table generation, it introduces the average hamming distance to jump out of the local optimum. Constraint handing mechanism is added by constraint solver and penalty function method, so as to improve the practical application ability of the algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has better advantages than he other existing algorithms in the scale of coverage table generation.

Key words: combinatorial test, whale optimization, coverage table generation, constraint handing