Static analysis of computer code to determine impact of change to a code component upon a dependent code component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9836390-B2
Application number	US-201514708980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	Sep 28, 2012
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

A method is provided to evaluate impact of a change to code of a depended upon component of a system stored in a computer readable storage device, upon a dependent component of the system, the method comprising: identifying a dependency relationship between a first component stored in a computer readable storage device and a second component stored in the computer readable storage device; in response to a determination that the second component depends upon the first component, configuring a computer system to obtain a first property evaluation corresponding to the first component; and in response to obtaining the first property evaluation corresponding to the first component, configuring the computer system to associate the first property evaluation with the second component, and obtain a second property evaluation corresponding to the second component, wherein the second component is associated with the first property evaluation.

First claim

The invention claim is:

1. A method to evaluate impact of a change to code of a depended upon component of a system stored in a computer readable storage device, upon an unchanged dependent component of the system, comprising:
providing in the computer readable storage device a first property evaluation summary structure of a first component of the system that associates multiple respective property evaluations of one or more dependent components with a first version of the first component of the system;
providing in the computer readable storage device a second property evaluation summary structure of the first component of the system that associates multiple respective property evaluations of the one or more dependent components with a second version of the first component of the system;
detecting, by a processor coupled to the computer readable storage device, whether a mismatch exists between a property evaluation within the first property evaluation summary structure of the first component of the system and a corresponding property evaluation within the second property evaluation summary structure of the first component of the system; and
encoding, by the processor, in response to the detecting that the mismatch exists, an indication of whether a change in the corresponding property evaluation within the second property evaluation summary structure of the first component of the system has an impact upon an unchanged property evaluation within the first property evaluation summary structure of the first component of the system,
wherein the computer readable storage device does not consist of transitory, propagating signals.

2. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective function.

3. The method of claim 2 ,
wherein the first and second functions are different functions.

4. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective function; and
wherein at least one respective property evaluation within each of the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures indicates whether the respective function returns a null pointer.

5. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective function; and
wherein at least one respective property evaluation within each of the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures indicates whether the respective function dereference its argument.

6. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective function; and
wherein at least one respective property evaluation within each of the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures indicates whether the respective function is a result of a memory allocation operation.

7. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective class definition.

8. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective class definition; and
wherein at least one respective property evaluation within each of the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures indicates a size of an instantiated class in bytes.

9. An article of manufacture that includes a computer readable storage device that stores code to configure a computer system to implement a method to evaluate impact of a change to code of a depended upon component of a system stored in the computer readable storage device, upon an unchanged dependent component of the system, comprising:
providing in the computer readable storage device a first property evaluation summary structure of a first depended upon component of the system that associates multiple respective property evaluations of one or more dependent components with a first version of the first depended upon component of the system;
providing in the computer readable storage device a second property evaluation summary structure of the first depended upon component of the system that associates multiple respective property evaluations of the one or more dependent components with a second version of the first depended upon component of the system;
comparing, by a processor coupled to the computer readable storage device, respective property evaluations within the first property evaluation summary structure of the first depended upon component of the system with corresponding property evaluations within the second property evaluation summary structure of the first depended upon component of the system;
detecting, by the processor, whether a mismatch exists between a property evaluation within the first property evaluation summary structure of the first depended upon component of the system and a corresponding property evaluation within the second property evaluation summary structure of the first depended upon component of the system; and
encoding, by the processor, in response to the detecting that the mismatch exists, an indication of whether a change in the corresponding property evaluation within the second property evaluation summary structure of the first depended upon component of the system has an impact upon an unchanged property evaluation within the first property evaluation summary structure of the first depended upon component of the system,
wherein the computer readable storage device does not consist of transitory, propagating signals.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective function.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10 ,
wherein the first and second functions are different functions.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 9 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective function; and
wherein at least one respective property evaluation within each of the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures indicates whether the respective function returns a null pointer.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 9 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective function; and
wherein at least one respective property evaluation within each of the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures indicates whether the respective function dereference its argument.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 9 ,
wherein the respective property evaluations within the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures are associated with the same respective function; and
wherein at least one respective property evaluation within each of the respective first and second property evaluation summary structures indicates whether the respective function is a result of a memory allocation operation.

15.

Assignees

• Synopsys Inc

Inventors

• Boshernitsan Marat
• Kuehlmann Andreas
• Mcpeak Scott
• Chong Philip
• Welp Tobias

Classifications

• G06F11/368

  for test version control, e.g. updating test cases to a new software version · CPC title

• G06F11/3612

  by runtime analysis (performance monitoring G06F11/3466) · CPC title

• G06F8/71

  Version control (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57); Configuration management · CPC title

• G06F11/3688 Primary

  for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites · CPC title