Code-Change Impact Analysis using Counterfactuals: Theory and Implementation

This article shows a novel program analysis framework based on Lewis' theory of counterfactuals. Using this framework we are capable of performing change-impact static analysis on a program's source code. In other words, we are able to prove the properties induced by changes to a given program before applying these changes. Our contribution is two-fold; we show how to use Lewis' logic of counterfactuals to prove that proposed changes to a program preserve its correctness. We report the development of an automated tool based on resolution and theorem proving for performing code change-impact analysis.

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