Java Inspection Checklist
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Java Inspection Checklist

Java Inspection

• Variable, Attribute, and Constant Declaration Defects (VC)

• Are descriptive variable and constant names used in accord with naming conventions?

• Are there variables or attributes with confusingly similar names?

• Is every variable and attribute correctly typed?

• Is every variable and attribute properly initialized?

• Could any non-local variables be made local?

• Are all for-loop control variables declared in the loop header?

• Are there literal constants that should be named constants?

• Are there variables or attributes that should be constants?

• Are there attributes that should be local variables?

• Do all attributes have appropriate access modifiers (private, protected, public)?

• Are there static attributes that should be non-static or vice-versa?

• Method Definition Defects (FD)

• Are descriptive method names used in accord with naming conventions?

• Is every method parameter value checked before being used?

• For every method: Does it return the correct value at every method return point?

• Do all methods have appropriate access modifiers (private, protected, public)? 

• Are there static methods that should be non-static or vice-versa?

• Class Definition Defects (CD)

• Does each class have appropriate constructors and destructors?

• Do any subclasses have common members that should be in the superclass?

• Can the class inheritance hierarchy be simplified?

• Data Reference Defects (DR)

• For every array reference: Is each subscript value within the defined bounds?

• For every object or array reference: Is the value certain to be non-null?

• Are there any computations with mixed data types?

• Computation/Numeric Defects (CN)

• Is overflow or underflow possible during a computation?

• For each expressions with more than one operator: Are the assumptions about order of evaluation and precedence correct?

• Are parentheses used to avoid ambiguity?

• Comparison/Relational Defects (CR)

• For every boolean test: Is the correct condition checked?

• Are the comparison operators correct?

• Has each boolean expression been simplified by driving negations inward?

• Is each boolean expression correct?

• Are there improper and unnoticed side-effects of a comparison?

• Has an "&" inadvertently been interchanged with a "&&" or a "|" for a "||"?

• Control Flow Defects (CF)

• For each loop: Is the best choice of looping constructs used?

• Will all loops terminate?

• When there are multiple exits from a loop, is each exit necessary and handled properly?

• Does each switch statement have a default case?

• Are missing switch case break statements correct and marked with a comment?

• Do named break statements send control to the right place?

• Is the nesting of loops and branches too deep, and is it correct?

• Can any nested if statements be converted into a switch statement?

• Are null bodied control structures correct and marked with braces or comments?

• Are all exceptions handled appropriately?

• Does every method terminate?

• Input-Output Defects (IO)

• Have all files been opened before use?

• Are the attributes of the input object consistent with the use of the file?

• Have all files been closed after use?

• Are there spelling or grammatical errors in any text printed or displayed?

• Are all I/O exceptions handled in a reasonable way?

• Module Interface Defects (MI)

• Are the number, order, types, and values of parameters in every method call in agreement with the called method\'s declaration?

• Do the values in units agree (e.g., inches versus yards)? 

• If an object or array is passed, does it get changed, and changed correctly by the called method?

• Comment Defects (CM)

• Does every method, class, and file have an appropriate header comment?

• Does every attribute, variable, and constant declaration have a comment?

• Is the underlying behavior of each method and class expressed in plain language?

• Is the header comment for each method and class consistent with the behavior of the method or class?

• Do the comments and code agree?

• Do the comments help in understanding the code?

• Are there enough comments in the code?

• Are there too many comments in the code?

• Layout and Packaging Defects (LP)

• Is a standard indentation and layout format used consistently?

• For each method: Is it no more than about 60 lines long?

• For each compile module: Is no more than about 600 lines long? 

• Modularity Defects (MO)

• Is there a low level of coupling between modules (methods and classes)?

• Is there a high level of cohesion within each module (methods or class)? 

• Is there repetitive code that could be replaced by a call to a method that provides the behavior of the repetitive code?

• Are the Java class libraries used where and when appropriate?

• Storage Usage Defects (SU)

• Are arrays large enough?

• Are object and array references set to null once the object or array is no longer needed?

• Performance Defects (PE)

• Can better data structures or more efficient algorithms be used?

• Are logical tests arranged such that the often successful and inexpensive tests precede the more expensive and less frequently successful tests?

• Can the cost of recomputing a value be reduced by computing it once and storing the results?

• Is every result that is computed and stored actually used?

• Can a computation be moved outside a loop?

• Are there tests within a loop that do not need to be done?

• Can a short loop be unrolled?

• Are there two loops operating on the same data that can be combined into one?

• Are frequently used variables declared register?

• Are short and commonly called methods declared inline?