research-article

AspectJ code analysis and verification with GASR

Authors:

Coen De Roover,

Carlos Noguera,

Steffen Zschaler,

Viviane JonckersAuthors Info & Claims

Journal of Systems and Software, Volume 117, Issue C

Pages 528 - 544

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2016.04.014

Published: 01 July 2016 Publication History

Abstract

We argue for a general-purpose source code analysis tool that is aware of aspects.We present the logic program querying tool GASR, the first such tool.We discuss its implementation along with its library of logical predicates.We show how it can automatically verify previously published aspectual assumptions. Aspect-oriented programming languages extend existing languages with new features for supporting modularization of crosscutting concerns. These features however make existing source code analysis tools unable to reason over this code. Consequently, all code analysis efforts of aspect-oriented code that we are aware of have either built limited analysis tools or were performed manually. Given the significant complexity of building them or manual analysis, a lot of duplication of effort could have been avoided by using a general-purpose tool. To address this, in this paper we present Gasr: a source code analysis tool that reasons over AspectJ source code, which may contain metadata in the form of annotations. GASR provides multiple kinds of analyses that are general enough such that they are reusable, tailorable and can reason over annotations. We demonstrate the use of GASR in two ways: we first automate the recognition of previously identified aspectual source code assumptions. Second, we turn implicit assumptions into explicit assumptions through annotations and automate their verification. In both uses GASR performs detection and verification of aspect assumptions on two well-known case studies that were manually investigated in earlier work. GASR finds already known aspect assumptions and adds instances that had been previously overlooked.

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Cited By

Wedyan FFreihat RHammad M(2022)Visualization of aspect-oriented programs using city transportation metaphorCluster Computing10.1007/s10586-022-03639-725:6(3993-4008)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10586-022-03639-7
Kaur PKaushal SSangaiah APiccialli F(2018)A Framework for Assessing Reusability Using Package Cohesion Measure in Aspect Oriented SystemsInternational Journal of Parallel Programming10.1007/s10766-017-0501-646:3(543-564)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10766-017-0501-6

AspectJ code analysis and verification with GASR
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software creation and management

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Published In

cover image Journal of Systems and Software

Journal of Systems and Software Volume 117, Issue C

July 2016

658 pages

ISSN:0164-1212

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Copyright © Elsevier Inc.

Publisher

Elsevier Science Inc.

United States

Publication History

Published: 01 July 2016

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Cited By

Wedyan FFreihat RHammad M(2022)Visualization of aspect-oriented programs using city transportation metaphorCluster Computing10.1007/s10586-022-03639-725:6(3993-4008)Online publication date: 1-Dec-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10586-022-03639-7
Kaur PKaushal SSangaiah APiccialli F(2018)A Framework for Assessing Reusability Using Package Cohesion Measure in Aspect Oriented SystemsInternational Journal of Parallel Programming10.1007/s10766-017-0501-646:3(543-564)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10766-017-0501-6

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