Polyspace is a static code analysis tool for large-scale analysis by
abstract interpretation
In computer science, abstract interpretation is a theory of sound approximation of the semantics of computer programs, based on monotonic functions over ordered sets, especially lattices. It can be viewed as a partial execution of a computer pro ...
to detect, or prove the absence of, certain run-time errors in source code for the
C,
C++, and
Ada
Ada may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov
Film and television
* Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor''
* '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...
programming languages. The tool also checks source code for adherence to appropriate code standards.
History
Polyspace was originally developed by the French company ''PolySpace Technologies'', which was acquired by MathWorks in 2007. The product was subsequently integrated into MATLAB.
Common uses
Polyspace examines the source code to determine where potential run-time errors such as
arithmetic overflow
In computer programming, an integer overflow occurs when an arithmetic operation on integers attempts to create a numeric value that is outside of the range that can be represented with a given number of digits – either higher than the maximu ...
,
buffer overrun,
division by zero
In mathematics, division by zero, division (mathematics), division where the divisor (denominator) is 0, zero, is a unique and problematic special case. Using fraction notation, the general example can be written as \tfrac a0, where a is the di ...
, and others could occur. Software developers and quality assurance managers use this information to identify which parts of the code are faulty or proven to be reliable. Other parts of the code are marked for unproven checks and deserve individual review.
Code standards or guidelines such as
MISRA C
MISRA C is a set of software development guidelines for the C (programming language), C programming language developed by Motor Industry Software Reliability Association, The MISRA Consortium. Its aims are to facilitate code safety, Computer secur ...
attempt to address code quality, portability, and reliability. The product checks C and C++ source code for conformance to a subset of rules in these coding standards.
Capabilities
The product family consists of Polyspace Code Prover and Polyspace Bug Finder. The Code Prover module annotates source code with a color-coding scheme to indicate the status of each element in the code. It uses
formal methods
In computer science, formal methods are mathematics, mathematically rigorous techniques for the formal specification, specification, development, Program analysis, analysis, and formal verification, verification of software and computer hardware, ...
-based static code analysis to verify program execution at the language level.
The tool checks each code instruction by taking into account all possible values of every variable at every point in the code, providing a formal diagnostic for each operation in the code under both normal and abnormal usage conditions.
The Bug Finder module identifies software bugs by performing static program analysis on source code. It finds defects such as numerical computation, programming, memory, and other errors. It also produces software metrics such as Comment density of a source file, Cyclomatic complexity, Number of lines, parameters, call levels, etc. in a function, Identified run-time errors in the software.
See also
*
List of tools for static code analysis
This is a list of notable tools for static program analysis (program analysis is a synonym for code analysis).
Static code analysis tools
Languages
Ada
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
C, C++
*
* Axivion Suite (Bauhaus)
*
*
* ...
References
External links
* {{Official website
Static program analysis tools
Software testing tools
Abstract interpretation