Question 1

How do I use dupl to find clones in my Go test files?

Accepted Answer

You can specify test files using patterns like 'dupl $(find app/ -name '*_test.go')' or pipe file names with 'find app/ -name '*_test.go' | dupl -files', as shown in the README examples. This allows targeted analysis of test code for duplicate logic.

Question 2

What's the difference between dupl and general code analysis tools?

Accepted Answer

Dupl is specialized for Go and focuses on structural clone detection via ASTs, ignoring literals, whereas general tools might support multiple languages or exact matches. It's optimized for finding refactoring opportunities in Go codebases, not broad code metrics.

Question 3

Can dupl detect clones across different Go packages or directories?

Accepted Answer

Yes, dupl accepts directories as input and recursively searches for *.go files, so it can analyze clones across packages. Use commands like 'dupl /path/to/directory' to scan multiple files and folders for structural similarities.

Question 4

What does the token threshold setting mean in dupl?

Accepted Answer

The token threshold (-t flag) sets the minimum sequence size for clones, defaulting to 100 tokens. Higher values filter out smaller, less significant matches, helping focus on substantial duplicates that warrant refactoring, as explained in the usage section.

Question 5

How can I integrate dupl into a CI/CD pipeline?

Accepted Answer

Use the plumbing output flag (-plumbing) for easy-to-parse results that scripts can consume. For example, run 'dupl -plumbing' in your pipeline and process the output to fail builds if clones exceed a certain threshold, automating code quality checks.

Question 6

How do I handle false positives when using dupl?

Accepted Answer

Review the HTML output with code fragments to visually inspect matches and manually verify if they are true clones. Adjust the token threshold to reduce noise, and consider that false positives are inherent to the AST method, requiring developer judgment for validation.

dupl

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