The Dialyzer is a static analysis tool that identifies software
discrepancies such as definite type errors, code which has become
dead or unreachable due to some programming error, unnecessary
tests, etc. in single Erlang modules or entire (sets of)
applications. Dialyzer starts its analysis from either
debug-compiled BEAM bytecode or from Erlang source code. The file
and line number of a discrepancy is reported along with an
indication of what the discrepancy is about. Dialyzer bases its
analysis on the concept of success typings which allows for sound
warnings (no false positives).
Read more about Dialyzer and about how to use it from the GUI
in Dialyzer User's
Guide.
Using the Dialyzer from the command line
Dialyzer also has a command line version for automated use. Below is a
brief description of the list of its options. The same information can
be obtained by writing
in a shell. Please refer to the GUI description for more details on
the operation of Dialyzer.
The exit status of the command line version is:
Usage:
Options:
(for backwards compatibility also
as:
- Use Dialyzer from the command line to detect defects in the
specified files or directories containing or
files, depending on the type of the
analysis.
- Same as the previous but the specified directories are searched
recursively for subdirectories containing or
files in them, depending on the type of
analysis.
- Option typically used when building or modifying a plt as in:
(or
)
- When using Dialyzer from the command line, send the analysis
results to the specified outfile rather than to stdout.
- When using Dialyzer from the command line, output the raw analysis
results (Erlang terms) instead of the formatted result. The raw format
is easier to post-process (for instance, to filter warnings or to
output HTML pages).
- Override the default, which is to analyze BEAM files, and
analyze starting from Erlang source code instead.
(or )
- When analyzing from source, pass the define to Dialyzer. (**)
- When analyzing from source, pass the
to Dialyzer. (**)
- Include in the path for Erlang (useful when
analyzing files that have
directives).
- Store the plt at the specified file after building it.
- Use the specified plt as the initial plt (if the plt was built
during setup the files will be checked for consistency).
- Merge the specified plts to create the initial plt -- requires
that the plts are disjoint (i.e., do not have any module
appearing in more than one plt).
The plts are created in the usual way:
- A family of options which selectively turn on/off warnings
(for help on the names of warnings use
).
- Do not disable the Erlang shell while running the GUI.
(or )
- Print the Dialyzer version and some more information and
exit.
(or )
- Print this message and exit.
(or )
- Make Dialyzer a bit more quiet.
- Make Dialyzer a bit more verbose.
- The analysis starts from an empty plt and creates a new one from
the files specified with and
. Only works for beam files. Use
or to
override the default plt location.
- The plt is extended to also include the files specified with
and . Use
to specify which plt to start from,
and to specify where to put the plt.
Note that the analysis might include files from the plt if they depend
on the new files. This option only works with beam files.
- The information from the files specified with
and is removed
from the plt. Note that this may cause a re-analysis of the remaining
dependent files.
- Check the plt for consistency and rebuild it if it is not
up-to-date.
- Skip the plt check when running Dialyzer. Useful when working with
installed plts that never change.
- Make Dialyzer print information about the plt and then quit. The
plt can be specified with .
- Make Dialyzer emit warnings even when manipulating the plt.
Warnings are only emitted for files that are actually analyzed.
- Dump the call graph into the specified file whose format is
determined by the file name extension. Supported extensions are: raw,
dot, and ps. If something else is used as file name extension, default
format '.raw' will be used.
(or )
- Bypass the native code compilation of some key files that Dialyzer
heuristically performs when dialyzing many files; this avoids the
compilation time but it may result in (much) longer analysis
time.
- Display the full path names of files for which warnings are emitted.
- Use the gs-based GUI.
- Use the wx-based GUI.
* denotes that multiple occurrences of these options are possible.
** options and work both from command-line and in the Dialyzer GUI;
the syntax of defines and includes is the same as that used by .
Warning options:
- Suppress warnings for functions that will never return a
value.
- Suppress warnings for unused functions.
- Suppress warnings for construction of improper lists.
- Suppress warnings for using tuples instead of funs.
- Suppress warnings for fun applications that will fail.
- Suppress warnings for patterns that are unused or cannot
match.
- Suppress warnings for violations of opaqueness of data types.
***
- Include warnings for function calls which ignore a structured return
value or do not match against one of many possible return
value(s).
***
- Include warnings for functions that only return by means of an
exception.
***
- Include warnings for possible race conditions.
***
- Include warnings about behaviour callbacks which drift from the
published recommended interfaces.
***
- Warn about underspecified functions
(the -spec is strictly more allowing than the success typing).
The following options are also available but their use is not
recommended: (they are mostly for Dialyzer developers and internal
debugging)
***
- Warn about overspecified functions
(the -spec is strictly less allowing than the success typing).
***
- Warn when the -spec is different than the success typing.
*** Identifies options that turn on warnings rather than
turning them off.