Glossary of the Lecture 1 «What is bug (defect)» for the software testing courses

Actual result – an observed or generated behavior of a component or a system during testing.

Bug (issue) – a defect, an error in the program that causes its incorrect and (or) unpredictable work.

(Defect, error, failure.)

Banner – a graphic image of an advertising nature, similar to an advertising module in the press. It can have animated elements (up to video and interactive objects). As a rule, it contains a hyperlink to the advertiser's website or to the page with the additional information.

Button – an interface element with a defined border, clicking on which leads to a certain action.

Browser – an application software for viewing the web pages, the contents of web documents, computer files and their directories; web application management, as well as to solve other problems. On a global network, browsers are used to request, process, manipulate and display websites’ contents.

(Web Browser, Internet Browser)

Bug tracking system – a software product that allows to register, store, view, modify and track the progress of solving each error (bug) identified by the tester until the problem is resolved.

(Issue-tracker, error accounting system, bug tracking system (BTS), bug tracker)

Checkbox – a multiple-choice button. A graphical interface element that allows the user to control a parameter with two states – ☑ on and ☐ off. In the |«On» mode, a check mark (✓), or a cross (×)) is displayed inside the checkbox. A sign is displayed next to the flag, usually it is a signature, sometimes an icon.

(Flag button, multiple selections, multiple selection button, checkmark)

Defect Lifecycle – a sequence of stages that the bug goes through from the moment of its creation to the final closure. It is shown in the form of a diagram with possible statuses and actions.

Drop-down list – an interface element that allows you to select mutually exclusive parameters from the list. The drop-down list looks like a regular button, clicking on which a list of values available for the selection is displayed.

Expected result – a component or system behavior that is determined by the specification or other sources and can be performed under specific conditions.

Login – a unique set of letters and/or numbers that is necessary to access a site or a service. As a part of the access to private data, the login is almost always accompanied by a password. They can be used to access the content management system, email and other resources.

(Username, nickname, account name)

Password – a conditional word or set of signs designed to confirm identity or authority. Passwords are often used to protect the information from an unauthorized access.

Priority – a bug report attribute that determines the order of fixing defects. It is established by the development and business (by the order of implementation of the various components of the product, importance for the image of the company and customer’s requirements). The higher the priority is, the sooner the defect needs to be fixed.

Profile – a personal account of a user who is registered on the website. A profile contains basic information/data about the user.

(Personal account, account, personal page)

Radio button – an interface element that allows the user to select one option (item) from the predefined set (list). Radio buttons are arranged in groups of two or more items and are displayed on the screen as a circle with a dot inside (selected option) or an empty circle (not selected option).

(Switch, selection button)

Site – a set of logically interconnected web pages, as well as the location of the server content. Generally, a website on the Internet is an array of related data that has a unique address and is perceived by the user as a whole (with the same domain name and IP address).

(Web site, resource, web resource, online service, web service, Internet service, portal)

Severity – an attribute that characterizes the effect of the defect on the operability of the application.

Site menu – a grouped set of links with the names of sections (menu items), which facilitate the transition to other pages. The visitor uses the menu as a site navigation tool.

(Navigation menu, main menu, navigation)

Status – the main attribute that determines the current status of the bug. It reflects the life cycle of the bug from the initial state to the closure.

Slider – a web design element, which is a block of a certain width, in which it is possible to scroll the content (text, graphics and media) automatically by timer or by clicking on the switch buttons.

(Slide show, carousel)

Tester (an QA Engineer) – an experienced specialist who takes part in testing the component or system. Their responsibility is to search for the probable errors and failures in the functioning of the test object (product, program, etc.). The tester simulates various situations that may arise in the process of using the object tested, so that developers can correct the detected errors.

(Tester, QA specialist, testing specialist, QA engineer)

Ticket (or a Bug report) – a virtual card that describes the error needs to be fixed, or a card with a request or task.

(Bug report, error report, defect report)

Web page address (URL – Uniform Resource Locator) – a unique address of the web page or any other resource (image, file, video content) in the Internet. 

(Link, page path, page URL, web address)