PAWA: a program analysis tool for Web based intranet applications

Web based intranet applications are increasingly becoming popular in organizations for in-house functions. These applications are different from Web sites as they offer substantially greater opportunities for users in terms of modifying the site status and they are different from traditional software applications due to their WWW platform. Unlike traditional Web applications they are smaller in size and closer to traditional software than Web sites. Usually such applications are developed in a short time and no documentation is available. Due to emerging technologies and organizational needs these applications need to be modified, tested and enhanced frequently. Existing tools are not helpful in analyzing the programs of such applications. The paper presents a tool for program analysis of Web based intranet applications. The information recovered by the tool helps in comprehending such applications and facilitates their maintenance, testing and evolution. A case study is carried out with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of the tool.