Configuring Parasoft C++Test, dotTest and Jtest

A commonly used option for checking for Abstract Interpretation and Security violations are the Parasoft xTest tools.

Basic configuration

Configuring timeout values

The timeout in seconds can optionally be configured as a configuration property either on SERVER or PROJECT level. If this property is not configured in the SERVER or PROJECTS.txt, the TICS default value of 12 hours is used. The example sets the timeout for CppTest to 3600 seconds, Dottest to 1800 seconds, and Jtest to 7200 seconds. Note the capitalization; this is to match the internals of TICS.

'TOOLS' => {
  'CppTest' => {
    'TIMEOUT' => 3600,
  },
  'Dottest' => {
    'TIMEOUT' => 1800,
  },
  'Jtest' => {
    'TIMEOUT' => 7200,
  },
}

Note as well that this timeout is specified for a _single invocation_ of the tool. In the case that the tool works on the solution level (Dottest) or per buildfile (Jtest), then each invocation of these tools will get the specified timeout. For instance, in the case of a C# project, you may have multiple solution files contained in the project. Dottest is run once per solution file, since it analyzes everything in its solution context. Therefore, configuring a timeout for Dottest will mean that this timeout holds for each one of these runs on a single solution file.

Configuring rule checkers in detail

For each one of these tools, a configuration file should exist in the TICS configuration directory:

• cpptest.properties
• dottest.properties
• jtest.properties

Configuring parameterization via the .properties file

Parameterization of a rule can be done as follows in the .properties file. For instance, this block will run the checker BD-API-BADPARAM with the options reportUnvalidatedViolations and aggressiveMode:

BD-API-BADPARAM=true
BD-API-BADPARAM-reportUnvalidatedViolations=true
BD-API-BADPARAM-aggressiveMode=true

Configuring parameterization via the IMPL.txt

The same can also be done via the TICS internal mechanism of the IMPL.txt file. To do parameterization in the IMPL.txt file, the following rules are used:

• a = separates the implementation ID from parameters
• a ; separates different parameters
• a : separates the parameter from its value

In practice, this looks like the following (for the same example as in the previous case):

BD-API-BADPARAM   CppTest   BD-API-BADPARAM=reportUnvalidatedViolations:true;aggressiveMode:true

Notes on the priorities of rule parameterization

• Rules will not be run unless they are in RULES/IMPL.txt, no matter what is in the .properties file.
• A rule can be disabled from running by removing it from RULES/IMPL.txt
• In the case that there is a conflict between the parameterization as given in the .properties file and the IMPL.txt, then priority will be given to the parameterization as used in the IMPL.txt file.

For more details on these, refer to the section on IMPL.txt.