PMD

PMD is the simplest software that helps to analyze program codes and find inefficient sections or those that are duplicated. It is an excellent assistant for programmers who set a goal to optimize a project without spending too much time on it. In fact, this toolkit is written in Java. The package includes six tools, but only three of them have a graphical shell, and the command line is used to run the rest. The full-fledged graphical user interface has:

• Duplicate Code Detector. It is intended for detecting duplicate blocks;
• AST Viewer. The software is used to view finite labeled oriented trees (AST), which help programmers to view the structure of conditions and attributes being executed more clearly;
• Rule Designer. This is a rule editor that will be indispensable for those working with the jQuery library.

A bit about languages

Depending on which tool is used, the list of available languages is adjusted. According to the developers, the software works in jаvascript, Java, XML and XSL, but in theory, the program can be used by programmers regardless of what language they use. Each new version brings its own adjustments to the software in the form of new features. A recent upgrade gave the utility the ability to detect:

• complex expressions;
• "dead" codes;
• incorrect operators;
• strings that can cause an overflow of the intermediate data storage.

The software has versions for Windows, Mac OS and Unix-systems. Those who use the latter have more advantages as they are the first to get all the upgrades. Regardless of which platform is installed on your PC, PMD is available for download and use without any financial investment.

As a conclusion

• searches for bugs in the source code;
• checks for suboptimal solutions and "dead" blocks;
• possibility to detect repeating blocks and complicated expressions;
• working with such programming languages as Java, jаvascript, XSL, XML and others;
• has an integrated tool that allows you to view a finite labeled oriented tree;
• only three tools out of six have a custom GUI.