Abstracting the template instantiation relation in C++

Abstract

A source code model that supports the static analysis of C++ templates and template metaprograms is presented. Analogous to techniques for object-oriented and procedural software (e.g., the abstraction of call graphs, inheritance hierarchies, etc.), this model provides a basis for maintenance concerns such as program comprehension, fact extraction, and impact analysis of generic code. The source code model is used to derive the template instantiation graph, and potential applications of this model discussed. An application to reverse engineer this model from source code is described.