Robust Programming

Robust Programming

1. Unwanted Inputs

   • If a program receives unexpected inputs it needs to be able to deal with them appropriately so that it can continue to function
   • Input Sanitisation: Where data entered is cleaned of any unwanted characters that the user may enter
   • Input Validation: when a system will check that the input meets certain criteria, so to ensure that the data is in an acceptable form

2. Authentication

   • ensures that systems have some form of authentication
   • having passwords to only allow certain users and potentially limiting access of the various parts of the system
   • Security can be increased further by ensuring that users update their password regularly, have complex passwords and limit login attempts

3. Testing

   • Iterative Testing: Testing should be ongoing throughout the development process. You code an aspect of your program and test it before moving on
   • Final Testing: At the end of the development, when the program is complete, the program should be tested again (as a whole) against the requirements of the customer to ensure their needs have been met

4. Testing Plans

   • These are used to ensure that a system is fully tested to document the outcomes
   • Test plans are made up of: The test data The reason for test The expected outcome The actual result