Control-flow analysis: Difference between revisions

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In [[computer science]], '''control flow analysis''' is a [[static code analysis]] technique for determining the [[control flow]] of a program. The control flow is expressed as a [[control flow graph]] (CFG). TheFor termboth "control[[functional flowprogramming analysis"language]]s was introduced independently byand [[Neilobject-oriented D.programming Joneslanguage]]<ref>s, the term CFA, and elaborations such as ''k''-CFA, refer to specific algorithms that compute control flow.{{citationdubious}}

| author = Neil D. Jones

| title = Flow analysis of lambda expressions

| journal = Automata, Languages and Programming

| year = 1981

| doi = 10.1007/3-540-10843-2_10

| pages = 114–128

}}</ref> and [[Olin Shivers]].<ref>{{citation

| last = Shivers

| first = Olin

| title = Control-flow analysis in Scheme

| pages = 164–174

| journal = Proceedings of the ACM SIGPLAN'88 Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation (PLDI)

| series = SIGPLAN Notices, Vol.23, No.7

| year = 1988

| doi = 10.1145/53990.54007

}}</ref>{{primary source inline}} For both [[functional programming language]]s and [[object-oriented programming language]]s, the term CFA, and elaborations such as ''k''-CFA, refer to specific algorithms that compute control flow.{{dubious}}

For many [[imperative programming language]]s, the control flow{{which}} of a program is explicit in a program's source code.{{dubious}} As a result, [[interprocedural analysis|interprocedural]] control-flow analysis implicitly usually refers to a [[static analysis]] technique for determining the receiver(s) of function or method calls in computer programs written in a [[higher-order programming language]].{{dubious}} For example, in a programming language with [[higher-order functions]] like [[Scheme (programming language)|Scheme]], the target of a function call may not be explicit: in the isolated expression