Synopsis M3 common source code model represent facts extracted from source code for use in downstream metrics or other analyses.
Usage
import analysis::m3::Core;
Details containment declarations documentation emptyM3 Language M3 messages modifiers names types uses
Description The m3 core defines basic concepts such as:
- qualified names: we use Locations to model qualified names for each programming language
- containment: which artifacts are contained in which other artifacts
- declarations: where artifacts are defined
- uses: where declared artifacts are used
- types: which artifacts has which types
From this core, m3 is supposed to be extended with features specific for a programming language. See for example lang/java/m3.
Benefits
- Qualified names in the shape of Locations are a uniform and generic way of identifying source code artifacts, that can be extended across languages, projects, and versions.
- M3 helps standardizing the shape of facts we extract from source code for all different languages, limiting the element of surprise.
- When we use M3 for many languages, common IDE features are made reusable (such as clicking from an extracted fact to the code that generated it).
- Some downstream analyses may be reusable between different languages if they all map to M3.
Pitfalls
- Even though different languages may map to the same M3 model, this does not mean that the semantics is the same. Downstream metrics or other analysis tools should still take semantic differences between programming languages into account.