Critical Slice-Based Fault Localization for Any Type of Error

Takao SHIMOMURA

Critical Slice-Based Fault Localization for Any Type of Error

Takao SHIMOMURA

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Existing algorithmic debugging methods which can locate faults under the guidance of a system have a number of shortcomings. For example, some cannot be applied to imperative languages with side effects; some can locate a faulty function but cannot locate a faulty statement; and some cannot detect faults related to missing statements. This paper presents an algorithmic critical slice-based fault-locating method for imperative languages. Program faults are first classified into two categories: wrong-value faults and missing-assignment faults. The critical slice with respect to a variable-value error is a set of statements such that (1) a wrong-value fault contained in any instruction in the critical slice may have caused that variable-value error, and (2) a wrong-value fault contained in any instruction outside the critical slice could never have caused that variable-value error. The paper also classifies errors found during program testing into three categories: wrong-output errors, missing-output errors, and infinite-loop errors with no output. It finally shows that it is possible to algorithmically locate any fault, including missing statements, for each type of error.

Publication: IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information Vol.E76-D No.6 pp.656-667

Publication Date: 1993/06/25

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Type of Manuscript: PAPER

Category: Software Systems

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Takao SHIMOMURA, "Critical Slice-Based Fault Localization for Any Type of Error" in IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information, vol. E76-D, no. 6, pp. 656-667, June 1993, doi: .
Abstract: Existing algorithmic debugging methods which can locate faults under the guidance of a system have a number of shortcomings. For example, some cannot be applied to imperative languages with side effects; some can locate a faulty function but cannot locate a faulty statement; and some cannot detect faults related to missing statements. This paper presents an algorithmic critical slice-based fault-locating method for imperative languages. Program faults are first classified into two categories: wrong-value faults and missing-assignment faults. The critical slice with respect to a variable-value error is a set of statements such that (1) a wrong-value fault contained in any instruction in the critical slice may have caused that variable-value error, and (2) a wrong-value fault contained in any instruction outside the critical slice could never have caused that variable-value error. The paper also classifies errors found during program testing into three categories: wrong-output errors, missing-output errors, and infinite-loop errors with no output. It finally shows that it is possible to algorithmically locate any fault, including missing statements, for each type of error.
URL: https://global.ieice.org/en_transactions/information/10.1587/e76-d_6_656/_p

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@ARTICLE{e76-d_6_656,
author={Takao SHIMOMURA, },
journal={IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information},
title={Critical Slice-Based Fault Localization for Any Type of Error},
year={1993},
volume={E76-D},
number={6},
pages={656-667},
abstract={Existing algorithmic debugging methods which can locate faults under the guidance of a system have a number of shortcomings. For example, some cannot be applied to imperative languages with side effects; some can locate a faulty function but cannot locate a faulty statement; and some cannot detect faults related to missing statements. This paper presents an algorithmic critical slice-based fault-locating method for imperative languages. Program faults are first classified into two categories: wrong-value faults and missing-assignment faults. The critical slice with respect to a variable-value error is a set of statements such that (1) a wrong-value fault contained in any instruction in the critical slice may have caused that variable-value error, and (2) a wrong-value fault contained in any instruction outside the critical slice could never have caused that variable-value error. The paper also classifies errors found during program testing into three categories: wrong-output errors, missing-output errors, and infinite-loop errors with no output. It finally shows that it is possible to algorithmically locate any fault, including missing statements, for each type of error.},
keywords={},
doi={},
ISSN={},
month={June},}

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TY - JOUR
TI - Critical Slice-Based Fault Localization for Any Type of Error
T2 - IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information
SP - 656
EP - 667
AU - Takao SHIMOMURA
PY - 1993
DO -
JO - IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information
SN -
VL - E76-D
IS - 6
JA - IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information
Y1 - June 1993
AB - Existing algorithmic debugging methods which can locate faults under the guidance of a system have a number of shortcomings. For example, some cannot be applied to imperative languages with side effects; some can locate a faulty function but cannot locate a faulty statement; and some cannot detect faults related to missing statements. This paper presents an algorithmic critical slice-based fault-locating method for imperative languages. Program faults are first classified into two categories: wrong-value faults and missing-assignment faults. The critical slice with respect to a variable-value error is a set of statements such that (1) a wrong-value fault contained in any instruction in the critical slice may have caused that variable-value error, and (2) a wrong-value fault contained in any instruction outside the critical slice could never have caused that variable-value error. The paper also classifies errors found during program testing into three categories: wrong-output errors, missing-output errors, and infinite-loop errors with no output. It finally shows that it is possible to algorithmically locate any fault, including missing statements, for each type of error.
ER -