Case study: A Tool “Dr. simple #include checker”

Abstract

We designed and implemented a novel tool for checking #include correctness in C programs called “Dr. simple #include checker.” We experimentally applied the tool to 158 small sample code in our textbook and found many #include bugs in 58 files. This paper reports our experiences obtained; our tool is quite effective for detecting #include bugs, the result supports the idea of “disposable tools”, and the number of #include bugs are more than expected.