Screen oriented data flow analysis

• US 9,710,264 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Abadi, Aharon, Ben-Harrush, Idan, Abadi, Moria
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIE, JUE WANG
• Application Number:
  US14/064,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20150121349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/433 Dependency analysis; Data or control flow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/75 Structural analysis for program understanding

Abstract

A method for performing data flow analysis of computer code, comprising: providing computer code of a computer program having a plurality of user interface screens; dividing the computer code to a plurality of portions such that each one of the portions includes code for inducing at least one of loading and using one of the user interface screens; performing a variable usage analysis to detect which variables are at least one of calculated and used in each one of the portions; constructing a data dependence model defining dependencies among the portions based on the variable usage analysis; and identifying, for at least one of the portions and using the data dependence model, at least one unnecessary variable loaded in one of the user interface screens and not used in a respective portion and in a group of portions depending on the respective portion.

Claims

1. A method for performing data flow analysis of computer code, comprising:

providing computer code of a computer program having a plurality of user interface screens;

dividing said computer code to a plurality of portions according to said plurality of user interface screens, wherein each of said plurality of portions is related to another one of said plurality of user interface screens and includes code for inducing at least one of loading and using of said another one of said plurality of user interface screens and wherein an execution flow from each one of said plurality of portions to another one of said plurality of portions is associated with a transition from a respective first user interface screen to a respective second user interface screen;

performing a variable usage analysis to detect which variables are at least one of calculated and used in each one of said plurality of portions;

constructing a data dependence model defining dependencies among said plurality of portions based on said variable usage analysis, wherein said data dependence model includes data variables that are transferred between code implementing said user interface screens of said plurality of portions; and

identifying, for at least one of said plurality of portions and using said data dependence model, at least one unnecessary variable loaded in one of said plurality of user interface screens and not used in a respective said portion and in a group of portions depending on said respective portion, wherein said at least one unnecessary variable appears in said code implementing said user interface screen of said portion.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

removing said at least one unnecessary variable from said computer code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one unnecessary variable is obtained by access to a remote server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer program is a mobile application and each one of said plurality of portions user interface screens is separately presented on a display of a mobile device that runs said mobile application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying is performed using adjusted data-flow equations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said identifying is performed using program slicing method.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said data dependence model is represented as a graph wherein said portions are states of a finite state machine, and wherein said graph includes said data variables that are transferred between said states.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said data variables are transferred between said states according to at least one of touch events and communication-related triggers.

9. A system for performing data flow analysis of computer code, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions executable by the processor, comprising;

instructions to divide a computer code of a computer program, having a plurality of user interface screens, to a plurality of portions according to said plurality of user interface screens, wherein each of said plurality of portions is related to another one of said plurality of user interface screens and includes code for inducing at least one of loading and using of said another one of said plurality of user interface screens and wherein an execution flow from each one of said plurality of portions to another one of said plurality of portions is associated with a transition from a respective first user interface screen to a respective second user interface screen;

instructions to perform an analysis to detect which variables are at least one of calculated and used in each one of said plurality of portions instructions to construct a data dependence model among said plurality of portions based on said variables, wherein said data dependence model includes data variables that are transferred between code implementing said user interface screens of said plurality of portions; and

instructions to identify, using said data dependence model, for at least one of said plurality of portions, at least one unnecessary variable loaded in one of said plurality of user interface screens and not used in a respective said portion and in a group of portions depending on said respective portion, wherein said at least one unnecessary variable appears in said code implementing said user interface screen of said portion.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

instructions to remove said at least one unnecessary variable from said computer code according to said analysis.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said at least one unnecessary variable is obtained by access to a remote server.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said computer program is a mobile application and each one of said plurality of portions user interface screens is separately presented on a display of a mobile device that runs said mobile application.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said instructions to identify comprises instructions to use adjusted data-flow equations.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said instructions to identify comprises instructions to use a program slicing method.

15. A computer program product for performing data flow analysis of computer code, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to divide a computer code of a computer program, having a plurality of user interface screens, to a plurality of portions according to said plurality of user interface screens, wherein each of said plurality of portions is related to another one of said plurality of user interface screens and includes code for inducing at least one of loading and using of said another one of said plurality of user interface screens and wherein an execution flow from each one of said plurality of portions to another one of said plurality of portions is associated with a transition from a respective first user interface screen to a respective second user interface screen;

second program instructions to perform a variable usage analysis to detect which variables are at least one of calculated and used in each one of said plurality of portions;

third program instructions to construct a data dependence model defining dependencies among said plurality of portions based on said variable usage analysis, wherein said data dependence model includes data variables that are transferred between code implementing said user interface screens of said plurality of portions; and

fourth program instructions to identify, for at least one of said plurality of portions and using said data dependence model, at least one unnecessary variable loaded in one of said plurality of user interface screens and not used in a respective said portion and in a group of portions depending on said respective portion, wherein said at least one unnecessary variable appears in said code implementing said user interface screen of said portion;

wherein said first, second, third, and fourth program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage medium.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to removing said at least one unnecessary variable from said computer code according to said analysis.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said at least one unnecessary variable is obtained by access to a remote server.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said computer program is a mobile application and each one of said plurality of portions user interface screens is separately presented on a display of a mobile device that runs said mobile application.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said identifying is performed using adjusted data-flow equations.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein said identifying is performed using program slicing method.