Challenges of the Dynamic Detection of Functionally Similar Code Fragments

TL;DR

This paper explores the challenges of dynamically detecting functionally similar code fragments in Java systems using random testing, highlighting limitations and providing insights for future research.

Contribution

It presents an analysis of the limitations of dynamic detection methods for functionally similar code, offering insights to guide future research in this area.

Findings

Dynamic detection faces significant limitations in diverse Java systems.

Random testing approaches struggle with independent code fragments.

Insights support the development of improved detection strategies.

Abstract

Classic clone detection approaches are hardly capable of finding redundant code that has been developed independently, i.e., is not the result of copy&paste. To automatically detect such functionally similar code of independent origin, we experimented with a dynamic detection approach that applies random testing to selected chunks of code similar to Jiang&Su's approach. We found that such an approach faces several limitations in its application to diverse Java systems. This paper details on our insights regarding these challenges of dynamic detection of functionally similar code fragments. Our findings support a substantiated discussion on detection approaches and serve as a starting point for future research.