Detection of near-miss clones using metrics and Abstract Syntax Trees

Reusing code segments via copying and pasting is quite common practice in the process of software development. The pasted segment may include minor differences from the original segment. As a result of copying and pasting, several code sections may be similar to each other. Such sections are referred to as code clones. This paper presents an approach for detection of these code clones. The reason for detecting them is that they generate problem at the time of software maintenance. The method adopted in this paper involves the use of metrics and Abstract Syntax Trees.