Automated Debugging Using Path-Based Weakest Preconditions

Abstract

Software debugging is the activity of locating and correcting erroneous statements in programs. Automated tools to locate and correct the erroneous statements in a program can significantly reduce the cost of software development. In this paper, we present a new approach to locate and correct an erroneous statement in a function. We assume the correct specification of the erroneous function is available in the form of preconditions and postconditions of the function. Our approach combines ideas from software testing and weakest preconditions used in correctness proof methods to locate a likely erroneous statement. We have implemented our approach and conducted experiments with several small programs. In our experiments, our approach was able to locate the erroneous statements in a large number of cases. Our preliminary experimental results show that our approach has potential for development of an automated bug location and correction tool. Keywords: Fault location, software testing, weakest precondition, postcondition. © Springer-Verlag 2004.