Automated Program Repair Method

An Automated Program Repair Method is a software repair method that can be implemented by an automated program repair system to generate program patches.

• AKA: Automatic Program Repair Technique, APR Method, Code Repair Algorithm.
• Context:
  • It can typically analyze Buggy Code to identify repair locations.
  • It can typically generate Candidate Patches using repair strategys.
  • It can typically validate Patch Correctness through test execution.
  • It can often utilize Code Patterns for repair generation.
  • It can often employ Search Algorithms to explore solution spaces.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Generate-and-Validate Method to being a Semantics-Based Method, depending on its repair approach.
  • It can range from being a Heuristic-Based Method to being a Learning-Based Method, depending on its knowledge source.
  • It can range from being a Single-Edit Method to being a Multi-Edit Method, depending on its repair granularity.
  • It can range from being a Domain-Specific Method to being a General-Purpose Method, depending on its application scope.
  • ...
  • It can be evaluated using Repair Benchmarks.
  • It can produce Patch Rankings based on correctness likelihood.
  • It can leverage Program Analysis Techniques for fault understanding.
  • It can integrate with Continuous Integration Systems.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Template-Based Repair Methods using fix patterns.
  • Genetic Programming Methods using evolutionary search.
  • Constraint-Based Repair Methods using SMT solvers.
  • Neural Repair Methods using deep learning.
  • Large Language Model-Based Automated Program Repair Methods using LLMs.
  • Symbolic Execution Methods using path constraints.
  • Contract-Based Repair Methods using specifications.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Manual Debugging Method, which requires human intervention.
  • Static Analysis Method, which detects but does not repair defects.
  • Code Generation Method, which creates new code rather than fixing existing code.
• See: Software Repair Method, Program Analysis Method, Software Testing Method, Machine Learning Method.

---