The distinction between chaining and stacking is maybe too subtle but I think of them differently when planning tests. “Chaining” is what I call it when a test repeatedly invokes a single feature in a single call flow.
For example, consider call transfer. This is what I call the “Hot Potato” test:
- A calls B, A-B talk.
- B transfers A to C, A-C talk.
- C transfers A to D, A-D talk.
- D transfers A to B, A-B talk.
- Repeat as many times as desired, without B hanging up during the test.
Chaining tests are useful to run on your call generator overnight or over a weekend as longevity tests, probing to see if we can detect a resource leak or similar failure.
The Hot Potato test is real-world too, as I’m sure you’ve experienced calls like this to certain customer “service” hotlines.
Bonus points for chaining and stacking at the same time. When you have built up a good script library, new combinations of features aren’t hard to mash together in a new script.
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