# PExReport: Automatic Creation of Pruned Executable Cross-Project Failure Reports

**Authors:** Sunzhou Huang, Xiaoyin Wang  
**arXiv:** [2305.06669](https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.06669)  
**Date:** 2023-05-11  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/2305.06669v1/

## Key points

- Modern software development relies on existing libraries from various developer teams
- Interdependence can lead to cross-project failures (CPFs)
- Stand-alone executable failure report is crucial for effective communication in CPF scenarios
- PExReport automates the creation of stand-alone executable CPF reports by trimming down source code and dependencies
- PExReport analyzes the build process to establish a pruned build environment for accurate reproduction of CPFs
- Evaluation on 74 software project issues showed that PExReport successfully generated executable CPF reports for 184 out of 198 test failures
- PExReport achieved an average reduction of 72.97% in both source classes and internal JAR classes
- PExReport offers a promising solution to creating actionable and informative failure reports in complex software development environments, enhancing developers' ability to address issues effectively across diverse products and dependencies

## Summary

In the realm of modern software development, it has become common practice to rely on existing libraries authored by various developer teams. However, this interdependence can lead to complex scenarios where the execution trace of a software product traverses multiple boundaries, potentially resulting in cross-project failures (CPFs). Research indicates that providing a stand-alone executable failure report is crucial for effective communication in such situations. To address this issue, a solution known as PExReport has been developed. This tool automates the creation of stand-alone executable CPF reports by leveraging build tools to trim down source code and dependencies. Additionally, PExReport analyzes the build process to establish a pruned build environment conducive to reproducing CPFs accurately. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted on 74 software project issues encompassing 198 CPFs. The results demonstrated that PExReport successfully generated executable CPF reports for 184 out of 198 test failures in the dataset. Notably, it achieved an average reduction of 72.97% in both source classes and internal JAR classes. This innovative approach presented by PExReport offers a promising solution to the challenge of creating actionable and informative failure reports in complex software development environments. By streamlining the process of isolating and analyzing cross-project failures, developers can enhance their ability to identify and address issues effectively across diverse software products and dependencies.