Tool to delete unneeded methods/enums, etc.

[Julek]

Hi,
is there a tool which parses cpp and h files, finds unused things, and
deletes them from code? For example unused methods, enums, enum
values, defines... It doesn't have to be sophisticated (it doesn't
have to check, that ClassA::funX is used somewhere, but ClassB::funX
is not used anywhere, so we can delete only ClassB::funX).

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jerry Coffin]

Hi,
is there a tool which parses cpp and h files, finds unused things, and
deletes them from code?

Yes. It's called an "optimizing compiler".

For example unused methods, enums, enum
values, defines... It doesn't have to be sophisticated (it doesn't
have to check, that ClassA::funX is used somewhere, but ClassB::funX
is not used anywhere, so we can delete only ClassB::funX).

Realistically, getting something like this to work correctly would be
quite difficult -- little short of a full-blown compiler could really do
the job correctly.

 

[James Kanze]

Yes. It's called an "optimizing compiler".

Realistically, getting something like this to work correctly would be
quite difficult -- little short of a full-blown compiler could really do
the job correctly.

FWIW: one Fortran compiler I used (around 1978) did output a
message when it suppressed a line because it couldn't be
reached, or otherwise did something which had no effect. This
could actually be very helpful---in one case, I remember getting
messages to the effect:
line x: removed, because variable YO is never used.
line y: variable Y0 used without being set.
I'm not sure about the relative utility of such a thing in C++,
however. The preprocessor makes it a bit awkward: what if I
don't use the enum E (defined in some header); maybe some other
code in another application does use it.