Automated type-3 clone oracle using Levenshtein metric

Abstract

Clone detection techniques quality and performance evaluation require a system along with its clone oracle, that is a reference database of all accepted clones in the investigated system. Many challenges, including finding an adequate clone definition and scalability to industrial size systems, must be overcome to create good oracles. This paper presents an original method to construct clone oracles based on the Levenshtein metric. Although other oracles exist, this is the largest known oracle for type-3 clones that was created by an automated process on massive data sets. The method behind the creation of the oracle as well as actual oracles characteristics are presented. Discussion of the results in relation to other ways of building oracles is also provided along with future research possibilities.