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A static analyzer for finding dynamic programming errors
Author(s) -
Bush William R.,
Pincus Jonathan D.,
Sielaff David J.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
software: practice and experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1097-024X
pISSN - 0038-0644
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-024x(200006)30:7<775::aid-spe309>3.0.co;2-h
Subject(s) - computer science , programmer , compiler , spectrum analyzer , programming language , compile time , code (set theory) , source code , static analysis , dynamic program analysis , program analysis , telecommunications , set (abstract data type)
There are important classes of programming errors that are hard to diagnose, both manually and automatically, because they involve a program's dynamic behavior. This article describes a compile‐time analyzer that detects these dynamic errors in large, real‐world programs. The analyzer traces execution paths through the source code, modeling memory and reporting inconsistencies. In addition to avoiding false paths through the program, this approach provides valuable contextual information to the programmer who needs to understand and repair the defects. Automatically‐created models, abstracting the behavior of individual functions, allow inter‐procedural defects to be detected efficiently. A product built on these techniques has been used effectively on several large commercial programs. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.