Detecting Collaborative Patterns in Programs

Software similarity patterns in the programs called collaborative patterns are detected that have not been addressed in the research on software clones so far: Definition: Collaborative pattern is defined as a recurring configuration of program entities (e.g., classes or methods) inter-related by means of calling relationships (method calls or message passing). In these configurations, the corresponding entities should be similar to each other based on some selected similarity metrics. The selected similarity metrics may be based on the textual, functional, structural, or logical similarities among program entities.