TICS is a sophisticated tool for the automatic verification of coding standards that exploits the latest in compiler technology to provide high rule coverage and high performance. TICS (for TIOBE Coding Standards Framework) is offered by our subsidiary company TIOBE Software. SYNtacTICS is the solution that combines this tool with our expertise in software processes and quality assurance.
Compared to common static analysis tools, TICS provides you with an enhanced static code analysis solution delivering:
Higher rule coverage (50% more)
Superior performance (factor of 10)
Source code repository integration
Database for quality monitoring
Automatic code beautification
Advanced compiler technology
TICS is integrated as a plug-in into software development environments such as Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 and .NET. It can also be executed from the command line in a DOS window. It analyses C, C++, C#, Java, MFC/COM and IDL files, and can be easily extended to parse any other language. TICS takes advantage of existing technology by hosting and driving other code checking tools (e.g. Parasoft CodeWizard).
Supported systems: Windows NT/2000/XP and shortly Linux.
Advantages of using TICS
Capable of checking many more rules than common static analysis tools.
Capable of checking a mixture of languages or file types (e.g. C, C++, C#, Java, MFC/COM, IDL and resource files).
Capable of checking complex context sensitive rules.
Can analyse rules after and before pre-processing (increases rule coverage, allows to have rules for macros, removes unwanted or false violation).
Shows excellent performance in analysing code. Actually, it is probably the fastest static code analysis tool available on the marketplace.
Only gives error messages for the file being checked. Include files may be checked separately.
Orders violations and filters out duplicates.
Output of can be customised and adapted to your needs.
Severity levels makes it possible to distinguish between important and less important rules.
One can exclude whole modules and components from being checked. This holds for instance for external software or test software.
It is possible to apply different sets of rules for different kind of files.
Using TICS in your Software Development Environment (SDE)
The following image shows an example of TICS integrated in Microsoft Visual Studio. For the developer, calling TICS is as simple as the click of a button. The developer need not worry about rule definition and configuration (although he may have its own rules if needed). The list of rule violations found for the current file is displayed in your SDE (tool). Clicking on one of these violation messages takes you to the place in your code where the violation occurs.
At the end of each run, TICS gives:
An overview indicating the frequency of occurrence of each rule violation and for each level,
An indication of change with respect to the previous run,
An alarm indication if the occurrence of a rule violation has increased by a certain level.
This information can be used by the configuration manager to allow a file for checking in the code repository.
Rule configuration
Rule configuration allows to enable/disable rules from the set of rules being checked, and to define the severity level threshold that sets the disabling level of the less severe rules. There is a minimum value for this threshold that only entitled persons can change. Then it is impossible to move the slider lower than this minimum level.
The quality database
A quality database tracks all violations issued from each code analysis, and allows QA managers to monitor via Intranet the quality of the system as a whole and compare quality between modules. Plots of the number of violations over time provide insight in changes in code quality during the course of a project.
The automatic code beautification
Automated code beautification will help you make a smooth introduction of coding standards in your company if you already have an installed base. With TICS, it becomes possible to automatically check new files, and even to automatically correct some violations. Code beautification can solve on a typical project more than 90% of the violations that occur.
TICS provides a complete solution for:
Developers
Project managers
Configuration managers
QA managers
Please contact us to find out more about how SYNtacTICS can integrate code checking into your development practices.
About TICS
The advanced compiler technology used by TICS is the product of an extensive research and development project led by Philips Research and funded in part by the Dutch government. TIOBE Software, a spin-off of Philips Research, has been given the opportunity to offer this technology for the commercial market. TICS is the tool of choice for Philips Medical Systems including the Magnetic Resonance Imaging,Cardio Vascular devices, and the Common Components groups. For these 3 groups alone TICS checks about 35 million lines of C++ code everyday and has 300 engineers as end users.
