Bo Zhang

• Conditional Compilation (CC) is frequently used as a variation mechanism in software product lines (SPLs). However, as a SPL evolves the variable code realized by CC erodes in the sense that it becomes overly complex and difficult to understand and maintain. As a result, the SPL productivity goes down and puts expected advantages more and more at risk. To investigate the variability erosion and keep the productivity above a sufficiently good level, in this paper we 1) investigate several erosion symptoms in an industrial SPL; 2) present a variability improvement process that includes two major improvement strategies. While one strategy is to optimize variable code within the scope of CC, the other strategy is to transition CC to a new variation mechanism called Parameterized Inclusion. Both of these two improvement strategies can be conducted automatically, and the result of CC optimization is provided. Related issues such as applicability and cost of the improvement are also discussed.