It is costly and cumbersome affair for any offshore software development company to fish out errors in its software programs once it has been holistically coded. An easier way to grapple with the above problem is to trap as many errors as possible during the compilation stage of the software and development using Static Code Analysis.
Definition of static code analysis
Static code analysis is the analysis of computer software for errors and loop holes during compilation of the program, without actually executing the codes built from that software.
Basic errors a static code analysis counters
Owing to the vulnerability of the human faculties, the committed errors are in a galore and are very evasive to track but for the purpose of static code analysis in any online software company categorize them into two flavors:
- Syntax errors ' when there is an aberration from the grammar of the programming language.
- Semantic errors ' when commands put together fail to make a meaningful instruction.
Keeping these basics in mind, a custom software company accordingly devises techniques that go far beyond finding conventional errors to nail down any specification related discrepancies in products.
The techniques for any software product development are many but there are subtle common traits shared by them called formal techniques.
Formal techniques of a Static code analysis
- Model checking ' an automated tool works on the compiled version of the code to construct an abstract model of the program. This model when mapped on the source code purges all the related errors.
- Data flow analysis- a mathematical approach to deduce what possible values a variable, may assume during the execution of the program thereby notifying conflicting data types.
- Abstract interpretation- again a mathematical step to ensure that the software in way of development identifies with the actual properties of the true version.
In the end, it is noteworthy that the static analysis is not only a means to decipher the correctness of the codes beforehand but also a vital step towards program optimization in an online software development environment.
About the Author:
I am the webmaster at www.synapsewebsolutions.co.uk ' a custom software company offering quality and cost-efficient offshore website design and development solutions.
