Detecting Redundant Code

We recently launched pathvIEw - a new Code Coverage testing tool for Gen, and since using a product yourself is the best way of gathering ideas for enhancements and improvements (as well as testing it of course), we have been using pathvIEw as part of our testing to ensure that we have covered all of the paths through the logic.

When you find that some branch of the code has not been executed during the testing, this could be because your testing has not been thorough, but it could also mean that you cannot get to these statements, i.e. it is code that can never be executed and hence can be removed.

Whilst testing some new functions in pathvIEw recently, there was a block of code that had never been executed, and when I looked at the path through the logic to this code, it became apparent that it was never going to be executed, and hence could be removed.