Performance Trade-offs Implementing Refactoring Support for Objective-C

When we started implementing a refactoring tool for real-world C programs, we recognized that preprocessing and parsing in straightforward and accurate ways would result in unacceptably slow analysis times and an overly-complex parsing system. Instead, we traded some accuracy so we could parse, analyze, and change large, real programs while still making the refactoring experience feel interactive and fast. Our tradeoffs fell into three categories: using different levels of accuracy in different parts of the analysis, recognizing that the collected wisdom about C programs didn't hold for Objective-C programs, and finding ways to exploit delays in typical interaction with the tool.

• Software Engineering