Passcoverage

Passcoverage refers to a metric used in software development to measure the extent to which source code is executed during the execution of a set of tests. It is a type of code coverage analysis, specifically focusing on the lines of code that are "passed over" or executed by the test suite. When a test suite runs, a tool tracks which lines of the program's source code are actually run. Passcoverage is typically expressed as a percentage, indicating the proportion of executable lines of code that were executed at least once.

Higher passcoverage is generally considered desirable, as it suggests that more of the codebase has been exercised by tests. This can increase confidence in the correctness of the software, as it implies that a larger portion of the code has been verified. However, passcoverage alone does not guarantee the absence of bugs. Code can be executed without revealing underlying defects if the tests do not adequately check the output or behavior for those specific code paths.

Tools that calculate passcoverage work by instrumenting the code before execution or by analyzing execution traces. This instrumentation allows the tool to record which lines of code are hit. Passcoverage is a component of broader code coverage metrics, which might also include branch coverage, statement coverage, and function coverage, each offering a different perspective on the thoroughness of testing.