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720 lines
28 KiB
720 lines
28 KiB
---
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title: "AST Language (AL)"
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description: "Declarative linting framework over the Clang AST."
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---
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Declarative linting framework over the Clang AST.
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**\*\*\*DEPRECATED\*\*\*** On end-of-life support, may be removed in the future.
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Activate with `--linters`.
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Supported languages:
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- C/C++/ObjC: Yes
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- Java: No
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For C/C++ and Objective-C languages, we provide a linters framework. These are
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checks about the syntax of the program; it could be about a property, or about
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code inside one method, or that a class or method have certain properties. We
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provide [a few checks by default](#list-of-issue-types) and we have developed a domain
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specific language (DSL) to make it easier to write checks.
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## AL: A declarative language for writing linters in Infer
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One of the major advantage of Infer when compared with other static analyzers is
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the fact it performs sophisticated inter-procedural/inter-file analysis. That
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is, Infer can detect bugs which involve tracking values through many procedure
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calls and the procedures may live in different files. These may be very subtle
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bugs and designing static analyses to do that is quite involved and normally
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requires deep static analysis expertise.
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However, there are many important software bugs that are confined in the code of
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a single procedure (called intra-procedural). To detect these bugs simpler
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analyses may suffice which do not require deep technical expertise in static
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analysis. Often these bugs can be expressed by referring to the syntax of the
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program, or the types of certain expressions. We have defined a new language to
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easily design checkers which identify these kind of bugs. The language is called
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AL (AST Language) and its main feature is the ability to reason about the
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Abstract Syntax Tree of a program in a concise declarative way. AL's checkers
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are interpreted by Infer to analyze programs. Thus, to detect new kind of bugs
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in Infer one can just write a check in AL. We will see in more detail later,
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that for writing AL formulas we also need predicates: simple functions that
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check a property of the AST. Predicates are written in OCaml inside Infer, thus
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it requires a bit of OCaml knowledge and getting familiar with the OCaml data
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structure for the clang AST.
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## Getting the clang AST
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When you write a linter that traverses the AST of some programs to check some
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property, you probably need to understand what the AST looks like. You can get
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the AST of programs using clang directly, or using Infer.
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If you have a clang command `clang <clang arguments> File.m` then you can get
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the AST with
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```bash
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clang <clang arguments> -Xclang -ast-dump -fsyntax-only File.m
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```
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You can also get the AST using Infer. One advantage of this is that you don't
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need to know the speicifc clang command, just the general build command.
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Moreover, what you get here is exactly the form of the AST that Infer has as
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input.
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For this you need to install an OCaml package `biniou` with
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`opam install biniou`. See [the opam website](https://opam.ocaml.org/) for
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instructions on how to install opam.
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Then, the AST can be created by Infer in debug mode. Call Infer with
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```bash
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infer --debug -- <build command>
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```
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This will, among other things, generate a file `/path/to/File.m.ast.sh` for
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every file `/path/to/File.m` that is being analyzed. Run this script with
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`bash File.m.ast.sh` and a file `/path/to/File.m.ast.bdump` will be generated,
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that contains the AST of the program in `bdump` format (similar to json). If you
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get an error about `bdump` not being found you may need to run
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`eval $(opam env)` to get the `bdump` executable (provided by the biniou opam
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package) into your `PATH`.
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For general info on the clang AST, you can check out
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[clang's website](http://clang.llvm.org/docs/IntroductionToTheClangAST.html).
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## Using AL to write linters
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Let's start with an example. Suppose we want to write the following
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Objective-C's linter:
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_"a property containing the word 'delegate', but not containing the word 'queue'
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should not be declared strong"_.
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We can write this property in the following way:
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```bash
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DEFINE-CHECKER STRONG_DELEGATE_WARNING = {
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LET name_contains_delegate =
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declaration_has_name(REGEXP("[dD]elegate"));
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LET name_does_not_contain_queue =
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NOT declaration_has_name(REGEXP("[qQ]ueue"));
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SET report_when =
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WHEN
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name_contains_delegate
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AND name_does_not_contain_queue
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AND is_strong_property()
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HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCPropertyDecl;
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SET message = "Property or ivar %decl_name% declared strong";
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SET suggestion = "In general delegates should be declared weak or assign";
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SET severity = "WARNING"
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};
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```
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The linter definition starts with the keyword `DEFINE-CHECKER` followed by the
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checker's name. The first `LET` clause defines the _formula variable_
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`name_contains_delegate` using the predicate `declaration_has_name` which return
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true/false depending whether the property's name contains a word in the language
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of the regular expression `[dD]elegate`. In general a predicate is a simple
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atomic formula evaluated on an AST node. The list of available predicates is in
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the module
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[`cPredicates.mli`](https://github.com/facebook/infer/blob/master/infer/src/clang/cPredicates.mli)
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(this list is continuously growing and if you need a new predicate you can add
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it in ocaml). Formula variables can be used to simplify other definitions. The
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`SET report_when` is mandatory and defines a formula that, when evaluates to
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true, will tell Infer to report an error. In the case above, the formula is
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saying that we should report when visiting an `ObjCPropertyDecl` (that is the
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AST node declaring a property in Objective-C) where it holds that: the name
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contains "delegate/Delegate" (`name_contains_delegate`) and the name doesn't
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contain "queue/Queue" (`name_does_not_contain_queue`) and the node is defining a
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"strong" property (`is_strong_property()`).
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The `SET message` clause defines the error message that will be displayed to the
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user. Notice that the message can include placeholders like `%decl_name%`.
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Placeholders are evaluated by Infer and substituted by their current value when
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the error message is reported. In this case the name of the declaration. The
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`SET suggestion` clause define an optional hint to give to programmer on how to
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fix the problem.
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The general structure of a checker is the following:
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```bash
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DEFINE-CHECKER id_of_the_checker = {
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LET formula = <formula definition>;
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LET ….
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SET report_when = <formula definition>;
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SET name = <optional name>;
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SET message = <error message to show the user>;
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SET suggestion = <optional suggestion to the user>;
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SET doc_url = <optional URL to documentation of the issue>;
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SET severity = INFO | LIKE | ADVICE | WARNING | ERROR;
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SET mode = ON | OFF
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SET whitelist_path = {path1, path2, ..., pathn };
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SET blacklist_path = {path1, path2, ..., pathn };
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};
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```
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The default severity is `WARNING` and the default mode is `ON`, so these are
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optional. If the check is `OFF` it will only be available in debug mode (flags
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`--debug` or `--linters-developer-mode`). `INFOs` are generally also not
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reported, except with some specialzed flags. `name` and `doc_url` are used only
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for CI comments at the moment (in Phabricator).
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## Defining Paths
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`whitelist_path` and `blacklist_path` are optional, by default the rule is
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enabled everywhere. For specifying paths, one can use either string constants
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(`"File.m"`) or regexes (`REGEXP("path/to/.*")`) or variables. The variables
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stand for a list of paths, and are defined in a separate block:
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```bash
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GLOBAL-PATHS {
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path1 = {"A.m", REGEXP("path/to/.*")};
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};
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```
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## Defining Macros
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It is possible to define macros that can be used in several checkers. This is
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done in the following way:
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```bash
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GLOBAL-MACROS {
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LET is_subclass_of(x) =
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is_class(x) HOLDS-IN-SOME-SUPERCLASS-OF ObjCInterfaceDecl;
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};
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```
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`GLOBAL-MACROS` is the section of an AL specification where one can define a
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list of global macros. In the example we are defining the macro `is_subclass(x)`
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which can now be used in checkers instead of its complex definition.
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It is possible to import a library of macros and paths with the following
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command:
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```
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#IMPORT <library.al>
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```
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In an AL file, the command above import and make available all the macros and
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paths defined in the `library.al` file.
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## AL Predicates
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The simplest formulas we can write are predicates. They are defined inside
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Infer. We provide a
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[library](https://github.com/facebook/infer/blob/master/infer/src/clang/cPredicates.mli),
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but if the predicate that you require is not available, you will need to extend
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the library. Here are the some of the currently defined predicates:
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```
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call_class_method ("class_name", "method_name")
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call_function ("method_name")
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call_instance_method ("class_name", "method_name")
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call_method ("method_name")
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captures_cxx_references ()
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context_in_synchronized_block ()
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declaration_has_name ("decl_name")
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declaration_ref_name ("decl_ref_name")
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decl_unavailable_in_supported_ios_sdk ()
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has_cast_kind("cast_kind") // useful in a cast node
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has_type ("type") // only builtin types, pointers and Objective-C classes available at the moment
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isa ("class_name")
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is_assign_property ()
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is_binop_with_kind ("kind")
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is_class ("class_name")
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is_const_var ()
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is_global_var ()
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is_ivar_atomic ()
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is_method_property_accessor_of_ivar ()
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is_node ("node_name")
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is_objc_constructor ()
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is_objc_dealloc ()
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is_objc_extension ()
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is_objc_interface_named ("name")
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is_property_pointer_type ()
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is_strong_property ()
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is_weak_property ()
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is_unop_with_kind ("kind")
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method_return_type ("type") // only builtin type, pointers, and Objective-C classes available at the moment
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objc_method_has_nth_parameter_of_type("type")
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using_namespace("namespace")
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within_responds_to_selector_block ()
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```
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In general, the parameters of predicates can be constants, or variables, or
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regular expressions. Variables are used in macros, see below. The syntax for
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using regexes is `REGEX("your_reg_exp_here")`.
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**NOTE:** The predicates that expect types, such as `has_type` or
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`method_return_type` or `objc_method_has_nth_parameter_of_type` also accept
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regexes, but the syntax is a bit different: `REGEX('your_reg_exp_here')`, and
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this regex can be embedded inside another string, for example:
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`has_type("REGEXP('NS.+')*" )` which stands for pointer to a class of name
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starting with NS.
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If you need to add a new predicate, write the predicate in
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[cPredicates.ml](https://github.com/facebook/infer/blob/master/infer/src/clang/cPredicates.ml)
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and then register it in
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[CTL.ml](https://github.com/facebook/infer/blob/master/infer/src/clang/cTL.ml#L728).
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## AL Formulas
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Formulas are defined using a variation of the
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[_CTL temporal logic_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computation_tree_logic).
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CTL is a logic expressing properties of a tree model. In the case of AL, the
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tree is the AST of the program. Formulas are defined according to the following
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grammar:
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```
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formula ::= predicate
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| NOT formula
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| formula1 OR formula2
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| formula1 AND formula2
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| formula1 IMPLIES formula2
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| formula1 HOLDS-UNTIL formula2
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| formula1 HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-UNTIL formula2
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| formula HOLDS-EVENTUALLY
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| formula HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-EVENTUALLY
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| formula HOLDS-NEXT
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| formula HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-NEXT
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| formula HOLDS-ALWAYS
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| formula HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-ALWAYS
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| WHEN formula HOLDS-IN-NODE node-name-list
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| IN-NODE node-name-list WITH-TRANSITION transition-name
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formula HOLDS-EVENTUALLY
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```
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The first four cases (`NOT`, `OR`, `AND`, `IMPLIES`) are classic boolean
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operators with the usual semantics. The others are temporal operators describing
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how the truth-value of a formula is evaluated in a tree. Let's consider case by
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case.
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| Formula | Semantic meaning |
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| ------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
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| F1 _HOLDS-UNTIL_ F2 | from the current node, there exists a path where F1 holds at every node until F2 becomes true |
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An example is depicted in the following tree. When `F1` or `F2` hold in a node
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this is indicated between square brackets. The formula `F1 HOLDS-UNTIL F2` holds
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in the green nodes.
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![](/img/AL/holds_until.jpeg)
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---
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| Formula | Semantic meaning |
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| -------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
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| F _HOLDS-EVENTUALLY_ | from the current node there exists a path where at some point F becomes true |
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In the picture below, as `F` holds in `n10`, then `F HOLDS-EVENTUALLY` holds in
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the green nodes `n1`, `n7`, `n10`. This is because from these nodes there is a
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path reaching `n10` where `F` holds. Note that it holds for `n10` as well
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because there exists a trivial path of length 0 from `n1` to itself.
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![](/img/AL/holds_eventually.jpeg)
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---
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| Formula | Semantic meaning |
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| ----------------------------- | :-----------------------------------------------------------------------: |
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| F HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-EVENTUALLY | in every path starting from the current node at some point F becomes true |
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For example, in the tree below, the formula holds in every green node because
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every paths starting from each of them eventually reaches a node where F holds.
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![](/img/AL/holds_everywhere_eventually.jpeg)
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---
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| Formula | Semantic meaning |
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| ------------ | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
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| F HOLDS-NEXT | from the current node (we are visiting) there exists a child where F is true |
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In the tree below, the formula `F HOLDS-NEXT` it is true only in n1 as it's the
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only node with a child where `F` holds (node n3). In AL, `NEXT` is synonym of
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child as, in terms of a path in the tree, a child is the next node.
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![](/img/AL/holds_next.jpeg)
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---
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| Formula | Semantic meaning |
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| ----------------------- | :-----------------------------------------------------: |
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| F HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-NEXT | from the current node in every existing child F is true |
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In the tree below, the formula `F HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-NEXT` it is true in n1 as
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it's the only node for which in every child `F` holds (node n2, n3, and n7).
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![](/img/AL/holds_everywhere_next.jpeg)
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---
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| Formula | Semantic meaning |
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| -------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------: |
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| F HOLDS-ALWAYS | from the current node there exists a path where F holds at every node |
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In the tree below `F HOLDS-ALWAYS` holds in `n1`, `n2`, `n8` because for each of
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these nodes there exists a path where `F` holds at each node in the path.
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![](/img/AL/always_holds.jpeg)
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---
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| Formula | Semantic meaning |
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| ------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------: |
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| F HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-ALWAYS | from the current node, in every path F holds at every node |
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`F HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-ALWAYS` holds in `n2`, `n4`, `n5`, and `n8` because when we
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visit those nodes in every path that start from them `F` holds in every node.
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![](/img/AL/always_holds_everywhere.jpeg)
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---
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| Formula | Semantic meaning |
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| ---------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------: |
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| WHEN F HOLDS-IN-NODE node1,…,nodeK | we are in a node among node1,…,nodeK and F holds |
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`WHEN F HOLDS-IN-NODE` `n2`, `n7`, `n6` holds only in node `n2` as it is the
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only node in the list `n2`, `n7`, `n6` where F holds.
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![](/img/AL/holds_in_node.jpeg)
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Let's consider an example of checker using formula
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`WHEN F HOLDS-IN-NODE node1,…,nodeK` for checking that a property with pointer
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type should not be declared _"assign"_:
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```
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DEFINE-CHECKER ASSIGN_POINTER_WARNING = {
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SET report_when =
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WHEN
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is_assign_property() AND is_property_pointer_type()
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HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCPropertyDecl;
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SET message = "Property `%decl_name%` is a pointer type marked with the `assign` attribute";
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SET suggestion = "Use a different attribute like `strong` or `weak`.";
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SET severity = "WARNING";
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};
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```
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The checker uses two predefined predicates `is_assign_property()` and
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`is_property_pointer_type()` which are true if the property being declared is
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assign and has a pointer type respectively. We want to check both conditions
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only on nodes declaring properties, i.e., `ObjCPropertyDecl`.
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---
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| Formula | Semantic meaning |
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| ----------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
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| IN-NODE node1,…, nodeK WITH-TRANSITION t F HOLDS-EVENTUALLY | from the current node there exists a path which eventually reaches a node among “node1,…,nodeK” with a transition t reaching a child where F holds |
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The following tree explain the concept:
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![](/img/AL/in_node_with_transition.jpeg)
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The concept of transition is needed because of the special structure of the
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clang AST. Certain kind of nodes, for example statements, have a list of
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children that are statements as well. In this case there is no special tag
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attached to the edge between the node and the children. Other nodes have
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records, where some of the fields point to other nodes. For example a node
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representing a function declaration will have a record where one of the fields
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is body. This is pointing to a statement representing the function's body. For
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records, sometimes we need to specify that we need a particular node reachable
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via a particular field (i.e., a transition).
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**Hint** A good way to learn how to write checkers is looking at existing
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checkers in the file
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[linters.al](https://github.com/facebook/infer/blob/master/infer/lib/linter_rules/linters.al).
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## Example checks
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In the following we show a few examples of simple checks you may wish to write
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and the corresponding formulas:
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- A check for flagging a Objective-C class that inherits from a class that
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shouldn't be subclassed.
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```
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DEFINE-CHECKER SUBCLASSING_TEST_EXAMPLE = {
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SET report_when = is_class("A") HOLDS-IN-SOME-SUPERCLASS-OF ObjCInterfaceDecl;
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SET message = "This is subclassing A. Class A should not be subclassed.";
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};
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```
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- A check for flagging an Objective-C instance method call:
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```
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DEFINE-CHECKER CALL_INSTANCE_METHOD = {
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SET report_when = call_instance_method("A", "foo:");
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SET message = "Do not call this method";
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};
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```
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- A check for flagging an Objective-C instance method call of any method of a
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class:
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```
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DEFINE-CHECKER CALL_ANY_INSTANCE_METHODS = {
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|
SET report_when = call_instance_method(A, REGEXP("*"));
|
|
SET message = "Do not call any method of class A";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging an Objective-C class method call:
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER CALL_CLASS_METHOD = {
|
|
SET report_when = call_class_method("A", "foo:");
|
|
SET message = "Do not call this method";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging an Objective-C method call of a method with int return
|
|
type:
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER TEST_RETURN_METHOD = {
|
|
SET report_when = WHEN method_return_type("int")
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCMethodDecl;
|
|
SET message = "Method return int";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging a variable declaration with type long
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER TEST_VAR_TYPE_CHECK = {
|
|
SET report_when = WHEN has_type("long")
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE VarDecl;
|
|
SET message = "Var %name% has type long";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging a method that has a parameter of type A\*
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER TEST_PARAM_TYPE_CHECK = {
|
|
LET method_has_a_parameter_with_type(x) =
|
|
WHEN HOLDS-NEXT WITH-TRANSITION Parameters (has_type(x))
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCMethodDecl;
|
|
SET report_when =
|
|
method_has_a_parameter_with_type("A*" );
|
|
SET message = "Found a method with a parameter of type A";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging a method that has all the parameters of type A\* (and at
|
|
least one)
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER TEST_PARAM_TYPE_CHECK2 = {
|
|
LET method_has_at_least_a_parameter =
|
|
WHEN HOLDS-NEXT WITH-TRANSITION Parameters (TRUE)
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCMethodDecl;
|
|
|
|
LET method_has_all_parameter_with_type(x) =
|
|
WHEN HOLDS-EVERYWHERE-NEXT WITH-TRANSITION Parameters (has_type(x))
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCMethodDecl;
|
|
|
|
SET report_when = method_has_at_least_a_parameter AND
|
|
method_has_all_parameter_with_type("int");
|
|
SET message = "All the parameters of the method have type int";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging a method that has the 2nd parameter of type A\*
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER TEST_NTH_PARAM_TYPE_CHECK = {
|
|
SET report_when =
|
|
WHEN objc_method_has_nth_parameter_of_type("2", "A*")
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCMethodDecl;
|
|
SET message = "Found a method with the 2nd parameter of type A*";
|
|
SET severity = "LIKE";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging a protocol that inherits from a given protocol.
|
|
`HOLDS-EVENTUALLY WITH-TRANSITION Protocol` means follow the `Protocol` branch
|
|
in the AST until the condition holds.
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER TEST_PROTOCOL_DEF_INHERITANCE = {
|
|
LET is_subprotocol_of(x) = declaration_has_name(x) HOLDS-EVENTUALLY WITH-TRANSITION Protocol;
|
|
SET report_when =
|
|
WHEN is_subprotocol_of("P")
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCProtocolDecl;
|
|
SET message = "Do not inherit from Protocol P";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging when a constructor is defined with a parameter of a type
|
|
that implements a given protocol (or that inherits from it).
|
|
`HOLDS-NEXT WITH-TRANSITION Parameters` means, starting in the
|
|
`ObjCMethodDecl` node, follow the `Parameters` branch in the AST and check
|
|
that the condition holds there.
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER TEST_PROTOCOL_TYPE_INHERITANCE = {
|
|
|
|
LET method_has_parameter_subprotocol_of(x) =
|
|
WHEN
|
|
HOLDS-NEXT WITH-TRANSITION Parameters
|
|
(has_type_subprotocol_of(x))
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCMethodDecl;
|
|
|
|
SET report_when =
|
|
WHEN
|
|
declaration_has_name(REGEXP("^newWith.*:$")) AND
|
|
method_has_parameter_subprotocol_of("P")
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE ObjCMethodDecl;
|
|
|
|
SET message = "Do not define parameters of type P.";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging a variable declaration of type NSArray applied to A.
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER TEST_GENERICS_TYPE = {
|
|
SET report_when =
|
|
WHEN has_type("NSArray<A>*")
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE VarDecl;
|
|
SET message = "Do not create arrays of type A";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging using a property or variable that is not available in the
|
|
supported API. decl_unavailable_in_supported_ios_sdk is a predicate that works
|
|
on a declaration, checks the available attribute from the declaration and
|
|
compares it with the supported iOS SDK. Notice that we flag the occurrence of
|
|
the variable or property, but the attribute is in the declaration, so we need
|
|
the transition `PointerToDecl` that follows the pointer from the usage to the
|
|
declaration.
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER UNAVAILABLE_API_IN_SUPPORTED_IOS_SDK = {
|
|
SET report_when =
|
|
WHEN HOLDS-NEXT WITH-TRANSITION PointerToDecl
|
|
(decl_unavailable_in_supported_ios_sdk() AND
|
|
HOLDS-IN-NODE DeclRefExpr;
|
|
SET message = "%name% is not available in the required iOS SDK version";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging using a given namespace
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER TEST_USING_NAMESPACE = {
|
|
SET report_when = using_namespace("N");
|
|
SET message = "Do not use namespace N";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
- A check for flagging the use of given enum constants
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
DEFINE-CHECKER ENUM_CONSTANTS = {
|
|
SET report_when = is_enum_constant(REGEXP("MyName.*"));
|
|
SET message = "Do not use the enum MyName";
|
|
};
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## AST info in messages
|
|
|
|
When you write the message of your rule, you may want to specify which
|
|
particular AST items were involved in the issue, such as a type or a variable
|
|
name. We have a mechanism for that, we specified a few placeholders that can be
|
|
used in rules with the syntax `%placeholder%` and it will be substituted by the
|
|
correct AST info. At the moment we have `%type%`, `%child_type%` and `%name%`
|
|
that print the type of the node, the type of the node's child, and a string
|
|
representation of the node, respectively. As with predicates, we can add more as
|
|
needed.
|
|
|
|
## Testing your rule
|
|
|
|
To test your rule you need to run it with Infer. If you are adding a new linter
|
|
you can test it in a separate al file that you can pass to Infer with the option
|
|
`--linters-def-file file.al`. Pass the option
|
|
`--linters-developer-mode --linter <LINTER_NAME>` to Infer to print debug
|
|
information and only run the linter you are developing, so it will be faster and
|
|
the debug info will be only about your linter.
|
|
|
|
To test your code, write a small example that triggers the rule. Then, run your
|
|
code with
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
infer --linters-developer-mode --linters-def-file file.al -- clang -c Test.m
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
the bug should be printed in the screen, like, for instance:
|
|
|
|
```
|
|
infer/tests/codetoanalyze/objcpp/linters/global-var/B.mm:34: warning: GLOBAL_VARIABLE_INITIALIZED_WITH_FUNCTION_OR_METHOD_CALL
|
|
Global variable kLineSize is initialized using a function or method call at line 34, column 1. If the function/method call is expensive,
|
|
it can affect the starting time of the app.
|
|
32. static float kPadding = [A bar] ? 10.0 : 11.0; // Error
|
|
33.
|
|
34. > static const float kLineSize = 1 / [A scale]; // Error
|
|
35.
|
|
36. static const float ok = 37;
|
|
37.
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Moreover, the bug can be found in the file `infer-out/report.json` where
|
|
`infer-out` is the results directory where Infer operates, that is created in
|
|
the current directory. You can specify a different directory with the option
|
|
`-o`.
|
|
|
|
## Debugging
|
|
|
|
If there are syntax errors or other parsing errors with your al file, you will
|
|
get an error message when testing the rule, remember to use
|
|
`linters-developer-mode` when you are developing a rule. If the rule gets parsed
|
|
but still doesn't behave as you expect, you can debug it, by adding the
|
|
following line to a test source file in the line where you want to debug the
|
|
rule: `//INFER_BREAKPOINT`. Then run infer again in linters developer mode, and
|
|
it will stop the execution of the linter on the line of the breakpoint. Then you
|
|
can follow the execution step by step. It shows the current formula that is
|
|
being evaluated, and the current part of the AST that is being checked. A red
|
|
node means that the formula failed, a green node means that it succeeded.
|
|
|
|
## Demo
|
|
|
|
<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Finferstaticanalyzer%2Fvideos%2F810308939133850%2F&show_text=0&width=400" width="500" height="500" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>
|
|
|
|
## Command line options for linters
|
|
|
|
The linters are run by default when you run Infer. However, there is a way of
|
|
running only the linters, which is faster than also running Infer. This is by
|
|
adding the option `--linters` to the analysis command as in this example:
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
infer run --linters -- clang -c Test.m
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
There are a few other command-line options that are useful for using or
|
|
developing new linters in Infer. Read about them in the [`infer capture` manual](/docs/next/man-infer-capture).
|
|
|
|
|
|
## List of Issue Types
|
|
|
|
The following issue types are reported by this checker:
|
|
- [ASSIGN_POINTER_WARNING](/docs/next/all-issue-types#assign_pointer_warning)
|
|
- [BAD_POINTER_COMPARISON](/docs/next/all-issue-types#bad_pointer_comparison)
|
|
- [COMPONENT_WITH_MULTIPLE_FACTORY_METHODS](/docs/next/all-issue-types#component_with_multiple_factory_methods)
|
|
- [CXX_REFERENCE_CAPTURED_IN_OBJC_BLOCK](/docs/next/all-issue-types#cxx_reference_captured_in_objc_block)
|
|
- [DIRECT_ATOMIC_PROPERTY_ACCESS](/docs/next/all-issue-types#direct_atomic_property_access)
|
|
- [DISCOURAGED_WEAK_PROPERTY_CUSTOM_SETTER](/docs/next/all-issue-types#discouraged_weak_property_custom_setter)
|
|
- [GLOBAL_VARIABLE_INITIALIZED_WITH_FUNCTION_OR_METHOD_CALL](/docs/next/all-issue-types#global_variable_initialized_with_function_or_method_call)
|
|
- [MUTABLE_LOCAL_VARIABLE_IN_COMPONENT_FILE](/docs/next/all-issue-types#mutable_local_variable_in_component_file)
|
|
- [POINTER_TO_CONST_OBJC_CLASS](/docs/next/all-issue-types#pointer_to_const_objc_class)
|
|
- [STRONG_DELEGATE_WARNING](/docs/next/all-issue-types#strong_delegate_warning)
|