Computer Science Canada

Automated Software Bug Detection
Author:  KareemErgawy [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:20 am ]
Post subject:  Automated Software Bug Detection
Hi All,
I want to start a project that can locate and fix or suggest fixes to software bugs. I mean that my idea is to automate software debugging process as much as possible. Actually, I don't know if there is anybody who implemented this idea before or thought about it, but I want to make it as my graduation project in the faculty.

So if there is anybody who can guide me to any useful material, please I need that material so much.

If you can't guide me to any useful scientific material about the subject but you have an effective research mechanism that I can use in my research about this subject, please tell me what you have and I'll be so grateful.

Thanks in advance for any help Smile
Author:  Tony [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 12:04 pm ]
Post subject:  RE:Automated Software Bug Detection
I could be wrong, but I don't think you can do much beyond highlighting syntax mistakes. Which a lot of IDEs already do.

You could offer more verbose error messages returned by a compiler, to include hints, but I don't think you should be forcing your fixes.

As the saying goes: UNIX was not made to prevent doing dumb things, as that would also prevent doing cleaver things.

As for the logic bugs, you're just
code:

loop
end loop

away from getting stuck.

Just write your Specs Wink
Author:  PaulButler [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:58 pm ]
Post subject:  RE:Automated Software Bug Detection
I agree with Tony. It seems to me that to detect bugs, the software would have to be able to figure out the programmer's intentions, which if possible would have much more interesting implications than detecting bugs.
Author:  rizzix [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 4:59 pm ]
Post subject:  RE:Automated Software Bug Detection
Well it does not necessarily have to automatically guess what the programmers intentions were. He simply stated it automatically detects the bugs.

I guess one could develop it such that the programmer describes what kind of bugs (logic oriented) could occur. And the software scans for it. (Something like the Unit Test frameworks?)

Or the software could connect to a repository of common bugs, contributed by programmers around the world and scan the program against this database.

Or the software could simply be a fuzzer that checks to see if the program misbehaves with bad input.

Or the software could check for potential buffer overflows.

I think it's possible. I just would need a lot of work. Razz
Author:  Tony [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:48 pm ]
Post subject:  RE:Automated Software Bug Detection
Ok, so I'm thinking maybe a generator for common Unit tests? There needs to be a better problem definition - bugs is too generic of a term.
Author:  Martin [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Automated Software Bug Detection
You could also look for patterns that are commonly bugs and warn about them, as well as profile for unused code.
Author:  rdrake [ Mon Jul 30, 2007 10:22 pm ]
Post subject:  RE:Automated Software Bug Detection
You could always do what the C# compiler does. It warns on unreachable code if you were, for example, to put code after a return statement.
code:
public int Square(int x)
{
    return x * x;
    Console.WriteLine("I can't be executed!  However, I will not break anything if I'm just left here.");
}


It throws an error when you try doing a comparison with "=" instead of "==". This would vary depending on the language.
code:
int x = 5, y = 3;

if (x = y)
    Console.WriteLine("I'm an errorous block, yay!");


It also throws an error when you try falling through a switch.
code:
string s = "Hello";

switch (s)
{
    case "Hi":
    case "Bonjour":
        Console.WriteLine("Bonjour to you too!");
        break;
    case "Hello":
        Console.WriteLine("Hello.");
    case "Hey":
        Console.WriteLine("Heya!");
        break;
}
You will get an error due to the lack of a break statement in the third case. Obviously you wouldn't want the flow to fall through the third to the fourth case, right?

Various things along those lines.

:


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