Graph grammar extraction from source code

Abstract

We present an approach for the extraction of Graph Grammars (GGs) from Java source code. A GG consists of an initial graph, describing the initial state of a system, and a set of rules, modeling the possible changes of state. We generate a GG based on execution traces collected from annotated code, following the main ideas from an existing approach for extracting Labelled Transition Systems (LTS) based on context information (combination of block of code, values of attributes, and evaluated path conditions). Since GGs are data-driven, in contrast to the action-based formalism of LTS, we have adapted the existing technique to focus on data information. The approach is partially supported by a tool and the generated GGs can serve as input to existing analysis tools. We illustrate the approach with a case study and compare the resulting GG with a GG manually created by an expert for the same system.