Viva64 FAQ

1. I want to check my Visual C++ project for 64-bit platform portability with the help of Viva64, I select “Check current project” and see the message «You can run Viva64 analysis only for x64 builds. Select "x64" as active platform». Why?
   The analyzer Viva64 must accomplish preprocessing of the file for the correct analysis. It is necessary because all the macros should be substituted properly and the corresponding code branches selected. You should add x64-architecture support into the project, make sure that the project is compiled completely correctly and only then launch the analysis of the project.


2. There is x64 architecture in my project, but while calling Viva64 there is a message shown «You must install "X64 Compilers and Tools" from Visual Studio Setup before using Viva64». Why?
   There is no 64-bit code compiler installed in your version of Visual Studio. You should install this compiler for working with Viva64. Keep in mind that such a compiler may be installed even on the 32-bit system..


3. Why cannot /Wp64 in Visual C++ satisfy us? What for do we need Viva64 analyzer?
   The static analyzer Viva64 completes Visual C++ diagnosis and it allows to increase the quality and safety of the code. This question is observed in detail in Andrey Karpov's article "64-bits for C++ Developers: from /Wp64 to Viva64" (articles)..


4. I do not understand why should we discuss problems in bad code? It's better to write good code and not invent crutches.
   We agree that one should write high-quality and portable code at once. But the problem is that there is a large size of previous code which should be supported on new platforms. And there is no possibility to refuse this code. The code could have been written for many years with the use of different programming paradigms, some part of the code could have been sold by exterior developers; low-qualified enthusiasts were participating in the project, there was lack of time etc: There may be many reasons for the low quality of the code but one should go on developing the program with this code. In such cases different tools may be demanded to automatize the process of refactoring, searching errors, documenting the code and debugging. They are also demanded while porting applications on 64-bit systems to simplify and speed up the porting process. The static analyzer Viva64 is such a tool. Yes, all these tools are crutches. But if we refuse them we'll have just to throw away the whole code and start writing from the very beginning. Many programmers want to do so rather often, but their managers do not. And developers have nothing to do but discuss problems of bad code and ways to improve it..


5. Tell me please what else can other static code analyzers do? And where can I read about it?
   In links section you may look through the list of articles devoted to static analyzers..