Re: Suggestions for C malloc debugging tool

f81@ix.urz.uni-heidelberg.de (Joerg Schoen ) writes:
|> Now suggest a debugging tool as follows: A "preprocessor" that
|> processes C to C and inserts a validity check prior to every memory
|> access in the code.


I think you can stop your work and try to do something more productive...


|> However, some questions of usefulness remain. First of all, does
|> something like that already exist? I know "Purify",


A tool exactly like you describe (modifying C and C++ source) has been
existing for quite some time, it is called "insure++" (formerly
"insight") and works quite well, see http://www.parasoft.com/


Purify only modifies the produced native code, so it is not as
portable, and detects less errors, but is easier to use, and very
robust (and doesnt slow down the compilation process).


if you write:
x = malloc(4);
x = malloc(5);
insure++ will stop *before* the second line, warning you that you are
going to loose a ref to a malloced block. With purify you will see that
there is a leak at the end of program execution.


Other "similar" (less powerful) tools exist in public domain in the
linux community (checker, electric fence...). There may be other
commercial products, but I dont have first-hand experience with them.


--
Colas Nahaboo, Koala/Dyade/Bull @ INRIA Sophia, http://www.inria.fr/koala/colas
--

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