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Reverse Engineering Using Graph Queries

  • Chapter
Graph Transformations and Model-Driven Engineering

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 5765))

Abstract

Software Reverse Engineering is the process of extracting (usually more abstract) information from software artifacts. Graph-based engineering tools work on fact repositories that keep all artifacts as graphs. Hence, information extraction can be viewed as querying this repository. This paper describes the graph query language GReQL and its use in reverse engineering tools.

GReQL is an expression language based on set theory and predicate logics including regular path expressions (RPEs) as first class values. The GReQL evaluator is described in some detail with an emphasis on the efficient evaluation of RPEs for reachability and path-finding queries. Applications for reverse engineering Java software are added as sample use cases.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany

    Jürgen Ebert & Daniel Bildhauer

Authors
  1. Jürgen Ebert
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  2. Daniel Bildhauer
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fakultät für Elektrotechnik, Informatik und Mathematik, University of Paderborn, Institut für Informatik Warburger Str. 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany

    Gregor Engels

  2. Software Systems Engineering Research Group, Brandenburg Technical University at Cottbus, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 1, 03046, Cottbus, Germany

    Claus Lewerentz

  3. Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Paderborn, Warburger Str. 100, 33098, Paderborn, Germany

    Wilhelm Schäfer

  4. Fachgebiet Echtzeitsysteme, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Merckstraße 25, 64283, Darmstadt, Germany

    Andy Schürr

  5. Angewandte Informatik I, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany

    Bernhard Westfechtel

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Ebert, J., Bildhauer, D. (2010). Reverse Engineering Using Graph Queries. In: Engels, G., Lewerentz, C., Schäfer, W., Schürr, A., Westfechtel, B. (eds) Graph Transformations and Model-Driven Engineering. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 5765. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17322-6_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17322-6_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-17321-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-17322-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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