How to programatically find if the code is recursive or iterative

[zinat]

Is there any way to programatically find if the given code is taking recursive
approach or iterative apporaoch using concept of files in C programming.

[kbw]

If a function calls itself (directly or indirectly) it's recursive.

[zinat]

That i know but is there a way to find it through code..

[kbw]

is there a way to find it through code.

What do you mean? What code?

[zinat]

#include <stdio.h>
int sum(int n);
int main(){
    int num,add;
    printf("Enter a positive integer:\n");
    scanf("%d",&num);
    add=sum(num);
    printf("sum=%d",add);
}
int sum(int n){
    if(n==0)
       return n;
    else
       return n+sum(n-1);    /*self call  to function sum() */
}

I know this code is using recursive approach..

But are there programs or tools that could find if the program submitted in .txt file is using recursive approach or iterative approach.

[kbw]

I thought you wanted to write tool to detect recursion, I guess that is not the case.

are there programs or tools that could find if the program ... is using recursive approach or iterative approach.

Probably, I don't think that on it's own is particularly useful. There may be some tool that does this as part of some larger analysis. But I don't know of any.

[zinat]

Yes thats d case i wanna detect whether the program is using recursive approach or not, i guess we need to create call graphs for it.

[LB]

You could use static code analyzers to find out. Check out clang's static analyzers.

[SeiZa]

Or you could create a stack call...

Like list the functions you already know and have already been called
And if one function is being re-called

Then it's a recursive.

With this approach you might also know how many times a functions has been called within a stack.

[zinat]

So is there any program already wriiten for above solution

[keskiverto]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_graph