C++ Memory Checker

A Visual Studio Code extension designed to help C++ developers detect potential memory leaks through both static and runtime analysis.

Features

• Static Analysis: Integrates cppcheck to scan your code without executing it, identifying potential memory leaks and other common programming errors.
• Runtime Analysis: Utilizes the powerful AddressSanitizer (ASan) from GCC/Clang to detect memory leaks accurately when you run or debug your program.

Prerequisites

Before using this extension, please ensure you have the following tools installed and available in your system's PATH:

1. A C++ Compiler: g++ or clang++ that supports AddressSanitizer.

2. cppcheck: The static analysis tool.

   # On Debian/Ubuntu
   sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y g++ cppcheck
   

How to Use

1. Static Analysis

This feature checks your currently open file for potential issues.

1. Open any C or C++ file (.c, .cpp).
2. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac).
3. Type and select C++ Memory Check: Analyze Current File.
4. Any potential issues found by cppcheck will appear with squiggly lines in your code and will be listed in the Problems panel (Ctrl+Shift+M).

2. Runtime Analysis

This feature configures your project for compilation and debugging with AddressSanitizer to find actual leaks at runtime.

Step A: One-Time Configuration

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P).
2. Type and select C++ Memory Check: Configure for Runtime Analysis.
3. This will automatically create or update tasks.json and launch.json inside your project's .vscode folder.

Step B: Running the Analysis

1. Open the C++ file you want to test (e.g., test.cpp).
2. Go to the Run and Debug view from the side bar.
3. From the configuration dropdown at the top, select C++: Run with AddressSanitizer.
4. Press the green play button (or F5) to start debugging.
5. Once your program finishes, check the Debug Console panel for a detailed memory leak report from AddressSanitizer.

How It Works

• Static Analysis: The extension runs the cppcheck command-line tool on the active file. It uses a custom output template to reliably parse the results and transform them into VS Code Diagnostics.

• Runtime Analysis: The extension automates the setup process by:

  1. Creating a build task in tasks.json that compiles your code using g++ with the -g and -fsanitize=address flags.
  2. Creating a launch configuration in launch.json that specifies the instrumented executable and links it to the build task.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.