User manual

STice features UM0036
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Figure 208. Data coverage and profiling analysis: source view
The green spot in the margin identifies the lines of code that are executed. The left-hand
side of the window displays the Functions/Instructions View. You can resize this part of
the window or make it disappear completely by clicking on the partition and dragging it to a
new position.
Note: The Source View tab is not present at the bottom of the Coverage and Profiling Analysis
window until you have displayed source code for the first time.
9.2.4 Typical examples of use
This section explains how to use the coverage and profiling feature to improve the efficiency
and speed of execution of applications that you develop with STVD for ST microcontrollers.
Coverage and profiling analysis is an iterative process, where at each new iteration, you can
identify and measure the performance gains obtained from your successive code
optimizations.
Coverage information has the following practical purposes:
● Detection of holes in the validation test plan by showing that some events are not
processed, see Detecting holes in the validation plan on page 277
● Detection of dead code by showing that some areas of code are never executed and
never can be, see Detecting dead code on page 279
● Detection of global variables that are never used, see Optimizing variables on
page 280
● Detection of global variables that are read but never written to, see Optimizing variables
on page 280
● Checking that non-handled interrupts are never called, see Processing interrupts more
efficiently on page 280.