Method and system for function call and variable access based relaxed backward slicing

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to the field of program slicing, and, more particularly, to a method and system for function call and variable access based relaxed backward slicing. The method discloses a slicing criterion which focuses only on functions called from an entry function. The slicing criteria uses control and data flow information to slice the given entry function with respect to functions called from the body of the entry function and eventually remove all functions not called directly or indirectly from the entry function. The variables modified by calls in the entry function are considered through side-effect while identifying control and data dependence chain within body of entry function. The proposed technique identifies partitions of functions based on the variables accessible in and functions called from the entry function. Thus, unrelated sets of functions with respect to the entry function are computed and divided into different partitions.