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A practical interprocedural data flow analysis algorithm

Author:

Jeffrey M. BarthAuthors Info & Claims

Communications of the ACM, Volume 21, Issue 9

Pages 724 - 736

https://doi.org/10.1145/359588.359596

Published: 01 September 1978 Publication History

Abstract

A new interprocedural data flow analysis algorithm is presented and analyzed. The algorithm associates with each procedure in a program information about which variables may be modified, which may be used, and which are possibly preserved by a call on the procedure, and all of its subcalls. The algorithm is sufficiently powerful to be used on recursive programs and to deal with the sharing of variables which arises through reference parameters. The algorithm is unique in that it can compute all of this information in a single pass, not requiring a prepass to compute calling relationships or sharing patterns. The algorithm is asymptotically optimal in time complexity. It has been implemented and is practical even on programs which are quite large.

References

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Allen, F.E. Interprocedural data flow analysis. Information Processing 74, North-Holland Pub. Co., Amsterdam, 1974, pp. 398--402.

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Allen, F.E., and Schwartz, J.T. Determining the data relationships in a collection of procedures (unpublished detailed summary).

[3]

Ammann, U. Compiler for PASCAL 6000--3.4. ETH, Institut fiir Informatik, Zurich, Switzerland, 1974.

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Barth, J.M. An interprocedural data flow analysis algorithm. Conf. Rec. Fourth ACM Symp, Principles of Programming Languages, Los Angeles, Calif., Jan. 1977, pp. 119-13 I.

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Barth, J.M. A practical interprocedural data flow analysis algorithm and its applications. Ph.D. Diss., Comptr. Sci. Tech. Rep. No. 770520, U. of California, Berkeley, May 1977.

Digital Library

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Graham, S.L., and Wegrnan, M. A fast and usually linear algorithm for global flow analysis. J. ACM 23, I (Jan. 1976), 172-202.

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Hecht, M.S., and Shaffer, J.B. Ideas on the design of a "quad improver" for SIMPL-T, Pt. I: Overview and intersegment analysis. Comptr. Sci. Tech, Rcp. TR-405, U. of Maryland, CoUege Park, Md., Aug. 1975. This report is superceded by {8}, but contains some information not in the latter paper.

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Hecht, M.S., and Shaffer, J.B. A modest quad improver for SIMPL-T, Dept. Comptr. Sci., U. of Maryland, CoUegc Park, Md., April 1977.

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Hecht, M.S., and UUman, J.D. A simple algorithm for global flow problems. SIAM J. Comptng. 4, 4 (Dec. 1975), 519-532.

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Jensen, K., Wirth, N. PASCAL User Manual and Report. Leciure Notes in Computer Science No. 18, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1974.

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Lomet, D.B. Data flow analysis in the presence of procedure calls. Res. Rep. RC5728 IBM T.J. Watson Res. Ctr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Nov. 1975.

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Rosen, B.K. Data flow analysis for recursive PL/I programs. Res, Rep. RC5211, IBM T.J. Watson Res. Ctr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Jan. 1975. This report is superceded by {16}.

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Rosen, B.K. High level data flow analysis, Pt. 1 (classical structured programming). Res. Rep. RC5598, IBM, T.J. Watson Res. Ctr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Aug. 1975.

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Rosen, B.K. High level data flow analysis, Pt. 2 (escapes and jumps). Res. Rep. RC5744, IBM T.J. Watson Res. Ctr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Dec. 1975.

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Rosen, B.K. Data flow analysis for procedural languages. T.J. Watson Res. Ctr., Yorktown Heights, N.Y., 1976.

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Spillman, T.C. Exposing side effects in a PL/I optimizing compiler. Proceedings IFIP Conference 1971, North Holland Publishing Company, Amsterdam (1971), 376-381.

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Tarjan, R.E. Solving path problems on directed graphs. Tech. Rep. STAN-CS-75-528, Comptr. Sci. Dept., Stanford U., Stanford, Calif., Nov. 1975.

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Cited By

Dutta ASrivastava SGodboley SMohapatra D(2021)Combi-FL: Neural network and SBFL based fault localization using mutation analysisJournal of Computer Languages10.1016/j.cola.2021.10106466(101064)Online publication date: Oct-2021
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cola.2021.101064
Yan QLi YWu YZhou J(2021) DFlow : A Data Flow Analysis Tool for C/C++ IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering10.1002/tee.2346716:12(1635-1641)Online publication date: 3-Aug-2021
https://doi.org/10.1002/tee.23467
Yadegari BDebray S(2017)Control Dependencies in Interpretive SystemsRuntime Verification10.1007/978-3-319-67531-2_19(312-329)Online publication date: 6-Sep-2017
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67531-2_19
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Index Terms

A practical interprocedural data flow analysis algorithm
1. Mathematics of computing
  1. Mathematical analysis
    1. Mathematical optimization
  2. Mathematical software
2. Theory of computation
  1. Design and analysis of algorithms
    1. Mathematical optimization

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Published In

cover image Communications of the ACM

Communications of the ACM Volume 21, Issue 9

Sept. 1978

82 pages

ISSN:0001-0782

EISSN:1557-7317

DOI:10.1145/359588

Editor:
Robert L. Ashenhurst
The Univ. of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © 1978 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 September 1978

Published in CACM Volume 21, Issue 9

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Cited By

Dutta ASrivastava SGodboley SMohapatra D(2021)Combi-FL: Neural network and SBFL based fault localization using mutation analysisJournal of Computer Languages10.1016/j.cola.2021.10106466(101064)Online publication date: Oct-2021
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cola.2021.101064
Yan QLi YWu YZhou J(2021) DFlow : A Data Flow Analysis Tool for C/C++ IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering10.1002/tee.2346716:12(1635-1641)Online publication date: 3-Aug-2021
https://doi.org/10.1002/tee.23467
Yadegari BDebray S(2017)Control Dependencies in Interpretive SystemsRuntime Verification10.1007/978-3-319-67531-2_19(312-329)Online publication date: 6-Sep-2017
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67531-2_19
Kirchmayr WMoser MNocke LPichler JTober R(2016)Integration of Static and Dynamic Code Analysis for Understanding Legacy Source Code2016 IEEE International Conference on Software Maintenance and Evolution (ICSME)10.1109/ICSME.2016.70(543-552)Online publication date: Oct-2016
https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSME.2016.70
Du YTang YXie X(2013)A new parallel recomputing code design methodology for fast failure recoveryComputers & Electrical Engineering10.1016/j.compeleceng.2013.01.01039:4(1095-1113)Online publication date: May-2013
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compeleceng.2013.01.010
Son YLee Y(2011)The Semantic Analysis Using Tree Transformation on the Objective-C CompilerMultimedia, Computer Graphics and Broadcasting10.1007/978-3-642-27204-2_8(60-68)Online publication date: 2011
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27204-2_8
Son YLee Y(2011)Design and Implementation of an Objective-C Compiler for the Virtual Machine on Smart PhoneMultimedia, Computer Graphics and Broadcasting10.1007/978-3-642-27204-2_7(52-59)Online publication date: 2011
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27204-2_7
Khedker USanyal ASathe B(2010)ReferencesData Flow Analysis10.1201/9780849332517.bmatt(371-378)Online publication date: 13-Jan-2010
https://doi.org/10.1201/9780849332517.bmatt
Gil JItai A(2006)The complexity of type analysis of object oriented programsECOOP’98 — Object-Oriented Programming10.1007/BFb0054109(601-634)Online publication date: 25-May-2006
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Chatterjee RRyder BLandi W(2006)Complexity of concrete type-inference in the presence of exceptionsProgramming Languages and Systems10.1007/BFb0053563(57-74)Online publication date: 23-May-2006
https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0053563
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