A systematic mapping study of clone visualization

Abstract

Knowing code clones (similar code fragments) is helpful in software maintenance and re-engineering. As clone detectors return huge numbers of clones, visualization techniques have been proposed to make cloning information more comprehensible and useful for programmers. We present a mapping study of clone visualization techniques, classifying visualizations in respect to the user goals to be achieved by means of clone visualizations and relevant clone-related information needs. Our mapping study will aid tool users in selecting clone visualization tools suitable for the task at hand, tool vendors in improving capabilities of their tools, and researchers in identifying open problems in clone visualization research.