Calibrating program slicing metrics for practical use.
David Bowes, Steve Counsell, Tracy Hall · 2009
Program slicing metrics are an important addition to the range of static code measures available to software developers and researchers alike. However, slicing metrics still remain under-utilized due partly to the difficulty in calibrating such metrics for practical use; previous use of slicing metrics reveals a variety of calibration approaches. This paper reports on the effect of including different variables in the calibration (and collection) of slicing metrics. Findings suggest a variety of different results depending on the level of abstraction at which the metrics are collected (system or file), the inclusion or exclusion of ‘printf ’ statements, formal ‘ins’, ‘outs ’ and global variables in the metrics ’ calculation.. 1.