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Chapter 7. Static Analysis > Source Analysis
7.2. Source Analysis
As the name implies, source analysis tools look at your source code, searching for bug patterns. The tool I used in the following code is PMD, an open source tool for Java. PMD offers a command-line version, Ant support, and plug-ins for all major development environments. It looks for problems in the following categories:
Possible bugs
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For example, empty try...catch blocks
Dead code
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Unused local variables, parameters, and private variables
Suboptimal code
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Wasteful string usage
Overcomplicated expressions
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“Reuse” via copy and paste
Duplicate code (supported by an ancillary tool called CPD)
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“Reuse” via copy and paste
