IntegerLikeValue

Joins this value and the given value.

Join is called whenever an instruction is evaluated more than once and, hence, the values found on the paths need to be joined. This method is, however, only called if the two values are two different objects ((this ne value) === true), but both values have the same computational type.

This basically implements the join operator of complete lattices.

Example

For example, joining a DomainValue that represents the integer value 0 with a DomainValue that represents the integer value 1 may return a new DomainValue that precisely captures the range [0..1] or that captures all positive integer values or just some integer value.

Contract

this value is always the value that was previously used to perform subsequent computations/analyses. Hence, if this value subsumes the given value, the result has to be either NoUpdate or a MetaInformationUpdate. In case that the given value subsumes this value, the result has to be a StructuralUpdate with the given value as the new value. Hence, this join operation is not commutative. If a new (more abstract) abstract value is created that represents both values the result always has to be a StructuralUpdate. If the result is a StructuralUpdate the framework will continue with the interpretation.

The termination of the abstract interpretation directly depends on the fact that at some point all (abstract) values are fixed and don't change anymore. Hence, it is important that the type of the update is only a org.opalj.ai.StructuralUpdate if the value has changed in a way relevant for future computations/analyses involving this value. In other words, when two values are joined it has to be ensured that no fall back to a previous value occurs. E.g., if you join the existing integer value 0 and the given value 1 and the result would be 1, then it must be ensured that a subsequent join with the value 0 will not result in the value 0 again.

Conceptually, the join of an object with itself has to return the object itself. Note, that this is a conceptual requirement as such a call (this.doJoin(..,this)) will not be performed by the abstract interpretation framework; this case is handled by the join method. However, if the join object is also used by the implementation of the domain itself, it may be necessary to explicitly handle self-joins.

Performance

In general, the domain should try to minimize the number of objects that it uses to represent values. That is, two values that are conceptually equal should – whenever possible – use only one object. This has a significant impact on functions such as join.

Creates a summary of this value.

In general, creating a summary of a value may be useful/required for values that are potentially returned by a called method and which will then be used by the calling method. For example, it may be useful to precisely track the flow of values within a method to be able to distinguish between all sources of a value (E.g., to be able to distinguish between a NullPointerException created by instruction A and another one created by instruction B (A != B).) However, from the caller perspective it may be absolutely irrelevant where/how the value was created in the called method and, hence, keeping all information would just waste memory and a summary may be sufficient.

Returns true iff the abstract state represented by this value abstracts over the state of the given value. In other words if every possible runtime value represented by the given value is also represented by this value.

The abstract state generally encompasses every information that would be considered during a join of this value and the other value and that could lead to an Update.

This method is reflexive, I.e., every value abstracts over itself.

TheIllegalValue only abstracts over itself.

Adapts this value to the given domain (default: throws a domain exception that adaptation is not supported). This method needs to be overridden by concrete Value classes to support the adaptation for a specific domain.

Supporting the adapt method is primarily necessary when you want to analyze a method that is called by the currently analyzed method and you need to adapt this domain's values (the actual parameters of the method) to the domain used for analyzing the called method.

Additionally, the adapt method is OPAL's main mechanism to enable dynamic domain-adaptation. I.e., to make it possible to change the abstract domain at runtime if the analysis time takes too long using a (more) precise domain.

The computational type of the value.

The precise computational type is needed by the framework to calculate the effect of generic stack manipulation instructions (e.g., DUP_... and SWAP) on the stack as well as to calculate the jump targets of RET instructions and to determine which values are actually copied by, e.g., the dup_XX instructions.

Returns true iff the abstract state represented by this value is strictly more precise than the state of the given value. In other words if every possible runtime value represented by this value is also represented by the given value, but both are not equal; in other words, this method is irreflexive.

The considered abstract state generally encompasses every information that would be considered during a join of this value and the other value and that could lead to a StructuralUpdate.

True in case of a value with primitive type; undefined if the type is unknown.

True if the value has a reference type; undefined if the type is unknown.

Returns true if no type information is available.

Checks that the given value and this value are compatible with regard to its computational type and – if so – calls doJoin.

See doJoin(PC,DomainValue) for details.