Clone region descriptors: Representing and tracking duplication in source code

n the concept of abstract clone region descriptors (CRDs), which describe clone regions using a combination of their syntactic, structural, and lexical information. We present our definition of CRDs, and describe a clone tracking system capable of producing CRDs from the output of different clone detection tools, notifying developers of modifications to clone regions, and supporting updates to the documented clone relationships. We evaluated the performance and usefulness of our approach across three clone detection tools and five subject systems, and the results indicate that CRDs are a practical and robust representation for tracking code clones in evolving software. Categories and Subject Descriptors: D.2.7 [Software Engineering]: Distribution, Maintenance, and Enhancement General Terms: Design, Experimentation Additional Key Words and Phrases: Source code duplication, code clones, clone detection, refactoring, clone management ACM Reference Format: Duala-Ekoko, E. and Robillard,...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: TOSEM
• Authors: Ekwa Duala-Ekoko, Martin P. Robillard
• Keywords: Clone Detection Tools, Clone Region, CRDs, TOSEM 2010