
Static code analysis tool supports native 64-bit environments and ISO C++ 2011 features
The provider of static analysis tools has announces a major upgrade to QA·C++. Version 3.1 is a new release of this leading static analysis tool for C++ environments that incorporates native 64-bit support for Windows, Linux and Solaris along with support for ISO C++ 2011. QA·C++ 3.1 offers full support of native 64-bit hardware environments to satisfy the growing demand from Windows, and in particular the UNIX-like community where 32-bit libraries are no longer being shipped with 64-bit versions of the OS.
Continued extensions and improvements to the Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) dataflow engine combined with the hi-fidelity semantic information from the in-house parser enable QA·C++ to not only detect issues but also provide detailed information on the run-time state under which the issue would become apparent.
“We have seen a significant increase in the number of requests from developers for 64-bit implementations. QA·C++ 3.1 not only delivers full support for the leading 64-bit platforms but also greatly improved issue detection.” said Fergus Bolger, Chief Technical Officer at PRQA. “We hold a pre-eminent position in compliance to coding standards and defect prevention. Our focus on precise source code analysis also allows us to deliver uniquely high grade bug-detection in both language-use and dataflow categories in this latest C++ release. Additionally, two major features of C++ ’11 are included in QA·C++ 3.1, specifically, support for ‘rvalue references’ and ‘variadic templates’, ensuring that QA·C++ remains as the static analysis tool of choice for all versions of the C++ language."
QA·C++ 3.1 also includes enhanced language support for users in Japan with UTF-8 locales, especially for Linux. This release also benefits from a new cross platform GUI, with a tight integration to Eclipse and Visual Studio Development Environments and accommodates multi-language processing.
Automotive application sees 50% reduction in code rework
PRQA | Programming Research has also announced that KPIT Cummins, a leading product engineering and IT consulting partner to manufacturing corporations, has achieved a 50% reduction in code rework through fully integrating QA∙C into the development process and using it ‘early and often’ throughout the coding phase.
Developers are inevitably required to rework code after quality issues are identified during testing at the end of the development phase. This retrospective work can be challenging and time-consuming. In Professional Services organisations the process can be further complicated if the key developers have been assigned to the next project and need to be moved back to complete the rework.
KPIT Cummins’ Automotive and Engineering business unit is a leading developer of chassis and safety systems serving 125+ OEMs, Tier 1s and their supply chains. The company needed a static code analysis solution to meet the requirements of customers who mandated that their software must adhere to the Motor Industry Software Reliability Association (MISRA) coding standard.
Initially KPIT Cummins used QA∙C to automate the process of compliance testing by the V&V (QA) teams. “We quickly realised how good QA∙C was at identifying coding issues”, stated KPIT Cummins’ Head of Productivity and Functional Excellence, Samir Kulkarni, “and the accuracy of the tool reduced our delivery overhead significantly.”
However, it was apparent that bigger benefits could be realised if the development teams analysed the code as they wrote it, preventing defects rather than relying on testing to find them later in the process. According to Samir, “QA∙C provides our developers with immediate feedback and they now fix most defects as they are injected. Consequently our code rework after V&V has been reduced by 50%! This not only saved us money, but has also significantly improved our delivery times.”
KPIT Cummins has been using QA·C for ten years. Originally this was a tactical decision, and used by the test teams to verify MISRA compliance. However, this subsequently metamorphosed into a key strategic element in the company’s pursuit of continuous improvement, with KPIT Cummins now looking to extend adoption beyond automotive into other safety-critical areas such as medical equipment.
Further details on the use of QA∙C by KPIT Cummins is available in a case study available at;
PRQA; www.programmingresearch.com
