Understand (software)
{{Infobox software
| name = Understand
| logo = Understand_logo.png
| developer = Scientific Toolworks, Inc.
| latest release version = 6.5{{cite web | url=https://support.scitools.com/support/solutions/articles/70000663127-understand-6-5-release | title=Announcements }}
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|2024|04|25}}
| operating system = Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
| language = Ada, Assembly, C#, FORTRAN, Java, Jovial, Pascal, Python, VHDL, Objective C, Objective C++, Visual Basic[.NET], HTML, PHP, JavaScript, XML
| genre = Static program analysis
| website = {{URL|scitools.com}}
| licence = Proprietary commercial software
}}
Understand is a customizable integrated development environment (IDE) that enables static code analysis through an array of visuals, documentation, and metric tools.{{cite web |url=http://www.softpedia.com/get/Programming/Coding-languages-Compilers/Understand.shtml |title=Understand |last=Dragomir |first=Mircea |date=1 December 2015 |website=Softpedia.com |publisher=Softpedia |access-date=7 December 2015 }} It was built to help software developers comprehend, maintain, and document their source code.{{cite journal |title=Analysing Software Repositories to Understand Software Evolution |first1=Marco |last1=D'Ambros |date=2008 |journal=Software Evolution |pages=37–67 |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-76440-3_3|isbn=978-3-540-76439-7 |url=https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/9109/10/gall_se2008V.pdf }} It enables code comprehension by providing flow charts of relationships and building a dictionary of variables and procedures from a provided source code.{{cite magazine |last=Martin |first=George |date=March 2011 |title=The Project-Ready Designer |url=http://www.cc-webshop.com/Circuit-Cellar-Issue-248-March-2011-PDF-FI-2011-248.htm |issue=248 |page=57 |publisher=Circuit Cellar |access-date=8 December 2015 }}{{cite web |url=https://owasp.org/www-community/Source_Code_Analysis_Tools |title=Source Code Analysis Tools |access-date=30 August 2022 }}
Features
In addition to functioning as an integrated development environment, Understand provides tools for metrics and reports, standards testing, documentation, searching, graphing, and code knowledge. It is capable of analyzing projects with millions of lines of code and works with code bases written in multiple languages.{{cite web |url=http://insurehub.org/sites/default/files/reports/FinalReport_MachineAssistedSemanticUnderstanding_Adkins_Jones.pdf |title=Machine Assisted Semantic Understanding |last1=Adkins |first1=Francis |last2=Jones |first2=Luke |date=24 April 2015 |website=INSuRE |publisher=Northeastern University |access-date=4 December 2015 }} Developed originally for Ada, it now supports development in several common programming languages.{{cite web |url=http://www.flurry.com/2013/05/24/source-code-analyzers-as-a-development-tool#.VmXTpuODFHw |title=Source Code Analyzers as a Development Tool |last=Richard |first=Brett |date=24 May 2013 |website=Flurry.com |publisher=Yahoo Developer Tools |access-date=7 December 2015 }}
Applications
Understand has been used globally for government, commercial, and academic use. It is used in many different industries to both analyze and develop software. Specific uses include a variety of applications: code validation for embedded systems, software litigation consulting,{{cite web |url=http://www.fclr.org/fclr/articles/html/2010/Loren_Laird%20-%20Publication.pdf |title=Computer Software-Related Litigation |last1=Loren |first1=Lydia |last2=Johnson-Laird |first2=Andy |website=FCLR.org |publisher=Federal Courts Law Review |access-date=7 December 2015 }} reverse engineering and documentation,{{cite web |url=http://flightsoftware.jhuapl.edu/files/2013/talks/FSW-13-TALKS/SW_Design_Pattern_Discoveries.pdf |title=Spacecraft Flight Software Design Pattern Discovery |last1=Phillips |first1=Michael |last2=Mok |first2=Amy |website=Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory |publisher=Lockheed Martin Corporation |access-date=7 December 2015 }} and source code change analysis.{{cite web |url=http://www.aviationsystemsdivision.arc.nasa.gov/publications/atd1/tech-transfer/07_TMA_Documents/7.09%20ATD1-SourceCodeAnalysis-201406-Rev2+SAAM.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210181950/http://www.aviationsystemsdivision.arc.nasa.gov/publications/atd1/tech-transfer/07_TMA_Documents/7.09%20ATD1-SourceCodeAnalysis-201406-Rev2+SAAM.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 December 2015 |title=RTMA Source Code Change Analysis |last=Eshow |first=Michelle |date=1 June 2014 |website=Aviation Systems Division |publisher=NASA |access-date=7 December 2015 }}
References
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