A dynamic analysis for revealing object ownership and sharing

ABSTRACT

We present a dynamic analysis for inferring object ownership and sharing, defined in terms of the write control graph. We render the results in an interactive hierarchical matrix visualizer.The purpose of the analysis and visualization is to reveal object ownership and sharing relations in the program, to facilitate program understanding and modification tasks.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.2 Design Tools and Techniques
          Subjects: Object-oriented design methods

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.2 Design Tools and Techniques
          Subjects: Modules and interfaces
      D.2.3 Coding Tools and Techniques
          Subjects: Object-oriented programming
      D.2.5 Testing and Debugging
          Subjects: Diagnostics; Debugging aids

General Terms:
Design, Documentation, Languages

Keywords:
design extraction, dynamic analysis, ownership inference, software visualization