Source code element signatures

A system comprising:

• one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
• receiving a plurality of source code elements extracted from a code base, wherein each source code element of the plurality of source code elements occurs in a respective compilation unit of a plurality of compilation units, and wherein one or more of the compilation units are source code files and one or more of the compilation units are compiled compilation units;
• generating a respective unique signature for each source code element of the plurality of source code elements, including:
• determining whether the source code element occurs in a compiled compilation unit or occurs in a source code file,
• whenever the source code element occurs in a compiled compilation unit, determining whether the compiled compilation unit is associated with a signature previously generated using an initial source code file used to generate the compiled compilation unit,
• whenever the compiled compilation unit is associated with a signature previously generated using the initial source code file used to generate the compiled compilation unit, reusing the previously generated signature as the signature for the source code element,
• whenever the source code element occurs in a source code file, generating a new signature for the source code element, including:
• obtaining a name of the source code element,
• obtaining a location of the source code file containing the source code element, contents of the source code file containing the source code element, or both, and
• generating the signature including combining (i) a first representation of the name of the source code element and (ii) a second representation of the location of the source code file containing the source code element, a third representation of the contents of the source code file containing the source code element, or both,
• wherein at least two of the plurality of source code elements have a same name and different respective signatures;
• generating one or more respective properties for each source code element uniquely identified by a respective signature;
• and
• storing the one or more respective properties for each source code element in association with the signature for the source code element.

A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

• receiving a plurality of source code elements extracted from a code base, wherein each source code element of the plurality of source code elements occurs in a respective compilation unit of a plurality of compilation units, and wherein one or more of the compilation units are source code files and one or more of the compilation units are compiled compilation units;
• generating a respective unique signature for each source code element of the plurality of source code elements, including:
• determining whether the source code element occurs in a compiled compilation unit or occurs in a source code file,
• whenever the source code element occurs in a compiled compilation unit, determining whether the compiled compilation unit is associated with a signature previously generated using an initial source code file used to generate the compiled compilation unit,
• whenever the compiled compilation unit is associated with a signature previously generated using the initial source code file used to generate the compiled compilation unit, reusing the previously generated signature as the signature for the source code element,
• whenever the source code element occurs in a source code file, generating a new signature for the source code element, including:
• obtaining a name of the source code element,
• obtaining a location of the source code file containing the source code element, contents of the source code file containing the source code element, or both, and
• generating the signature including combining (i) a first representation of the name of the source code element and (ii) a second representation of the location of the source code file containing the source code element, a third representation of the contents of the source code file containing the source code element, or both,
• wherein at least two of the plurality of source code elements have a same name and different respective signatures;
• generating one or more respective properties for each source code element uniquely identified by a respective signature;
• and
• storing the one or more respective properties for each source code element in association with the signature for the source code element.