Source Code Documentation Generation Using Program Execution
Automated source code documentation approaches often describe methods in abstract terms, using the words contained in the static source code or code excerpts from repositories. In this paper, we describe DynamiDoc: a simple automated documentation generator based on dynamic analysis. Our representat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2017-11-01
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| Series: | Information |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/8/4/148 |
| _version_ | 1819085899298766848 |
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| author | Matúš Sulír Jaroslav Porubän |
| author_facet | Matúš Sulír Jaroslav Porubän |
| author_sort | Matúš Sulír |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Automated source code documentation approaches often describe methods in abstract terms, using the words contained in the static source code or code excerpts from repositories. In this paper, we describe DynamiDoc: a simple automated documentation generator based on dynamic analysis. Our representation-based approach traces the program being executed and records string representations of concrete argument values, a return value and a target object state before and after each method execution. Then, for each method, it generates documentation sentences with examples, such as “When called on [3, 1.2] with element = 3, the object changed to [1.2]”. Advantages and shortcomings of the approach are listed. We also found out that the generated sentences are substantially shorter than the methods they describe. According to our small-scale study, the majority of objects in the generated documentation have their string representations overridden, which further confirms the potential usefulness of our approach. Finally, we propose an alternative, variable-based approach that describes the values of individual member variables, rather than the state of an object as a whole. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T21:11:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-72f48cfc91ec4fbfb727cbd53e80d9f2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2078-2489 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T21:11:41Z |
| publishDate | 2017-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Information |
| spelling | doaj.art-72f48cfc91ec4fbfb727cbd53e80d9f22022-12-21T18:50:08ZengMDPI AGInformation2078-24892017-11-018414810.3390/info8040148info8040148Source Code Documentation Generation Using Program ExecutionMatúš Sulír0Jaroslav Porubän1Department of Computers and Informatics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, SlovakiaDepartment of Computers and Informatics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Technical University of Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, SlovakiaAutomated source code documentation approaches often describe methods in abstract terms, using the words contained in the static source code or code excerpts from repositories. In this paper, we describe DynamiDoc: a simple automated documentation generator based on dynamic analysis. Our representation-based approach traces the program being executed and records string representations of concrete argument values, a return value and a target object state before and after each method execution. Then, for each method, it generates documentation sentences with examples, such as “When called on [3, 1.2] with element = 3, the object changed to [1.2]”. Advantages and shortcomings of the approach are listed. We also found out that the generated sentences are substantially shorter than the methods they describe. According to our small-scale study, the majority of objects in the generated documentation have their string representations overridden, which further confirms the potential usefulness of our approach. Finally, we propose an alternative, variable-based approach that describes the values of individual member variables, rather than the state of an object as a whole.https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/8/4/148documentation generationsource code summarizationmethod documentationdynamic analysisexamples |
| spellingShingle | Matúš Sulír Jaroslav Porubän Source Code Documentation Generation Using Program Execution Information documentation generation source code summarization method documentation dynamic analysis examples |
| title | Source Code Documentation Generation Using Program Execution |
| title_full | Source Code Documentation Generation Using Program Execution |
| title_fullStr | Source Code Documentation Generation Using Program Execution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Source Code Documentation Generation Using Program Execution |
| title_short | Source Code Documentation Generation Using Program Execution |
| title_sort | source code documentation generation using program execution |
| topic | documentation generation source code summarization method documentation dynamic analysis examples |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2078-2489/8/4/148 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT matussulir sourcecodedocumentationgenerationusingprogramexecution AT jaroslavporuban sourcecodedocumentationgenerationusingprogramexecution |