Repository navigation
Pascal/Delphi: parameterless method calls without () produce no calls edge (callers/impact miss most call sites) #2514
Description
Summary
Pascal/Delphi: method calls written without parentheses produce no calls edge. In Delphi, a parameterless method or function is normally called without (). Because of this, callers, callees, and impact miss most call sites in real Delphi code.
A related gap: when a method is assigned to an event (method-pointer) property, nothing links the handler to the event, so calls through the event are also invisible.
Environment
- codegraph 1.6.2 (npm), Windows 11, Node 24
- Language: pascal (
.pas)
Minimal reproduction
UnitA.pas:
unit UnitA;
interface
type
TGetIntEvent = function: Integer of object;
TProvider = class
public
function Value: Integer;
function ValueParens(): Integer;
end;
TConsumer = class
private
FProvider: TProvider;
FOnGet: TGetIntEvent;
public
function UseNoParens: Integer;
function UseParens: Integer;
function UseEvent: Integer;
procedure Wire;
property OnGet: TGetIntEvent read FOnGet write FOnGet;
end;
implementation
function TProvider.Value: Integer;
begin
Result := 1;
end;
function TProvider.ValueParens(): Integer;
begin
Result := 2;
end;
function TConsumer.UseNoParens: Integer;
begin
Result := FProvider.Value + 1;
end;
function TConsumer.UseParens: Integer;
begin
Result := FProvider.ValueParens() + 1;
end;
procedure TConsumer.Wire;
begin
OnGet := FProvider.Value;
end;
function TConsumer.UseEvent: Integer;
begin
Result := FOnGet;
end;
end.codegraph init
codegraph callers Value -> 0 callers
codegraph callers ValueParens -> 1 caller (UseParens)
codegraph callees UseNoParens -> 0 callees
codegraph callees UseParens -> 1 callee (ValueParens)
Expected
callers ValueincludesUseNoParens.FProvider.Valueresolves to the methodTProvider.Value, not to a field, so it is a call.- Optionally:
Wirehas areferencesedge toTProvider.Value(method-pointer assignment), so thatimpact Valuereaches the code that calls throughFOnGet/OnGet.
Impact on a real project
On a ~260-unit VCL project, codegraph callers ActiveModelSeries returns 1 caller. A text search finds about 10 call sites in 3 units, all in the form FProjectPanel.ActiveModelSeries.Visible / .BeginUpdate. So impact can report a change as safe when it is not.
Possible approach
When a member-access or bare identifier in an expression resolves (through the receiver's declared type) to a method/function node with no required parameters, emit a calls edge, the same as for the () form. Properties with a getter method could get the same treatment.
Side note
XRayCalcVisualControls.dpk (a standard Delphi package file) reports "parse produced no symbols (tree has errors)". I can provide a sample if useful.
Activity
fix(pascal): calls inside a Delphi `for var x in` loop are indexed (#…
colbymchenry commentedon Oct 22, 2026
#2797 is merged to
mainand fixes this.A routine called without parentheses now counts as a call. That covers forms like
Before;,if Ready then,Result := FProvider.Value + 1, or a chain likeFProjectPanel.ActiveModelSeries.Visible. A method assigned to an event, likeOnGet := FProvider.Value, is a reference to it.A name is linked only to a method or function its code can reach: the class and its ancestors, its unit, then the units it uses. It is never linked to a field, property or variable of that name.
On your
UnitA.pas,callers Valuenow listsUseNoParensandWire, andUseEventhas no callees sinceFOnGetis a field. The.dpkwarning from your side note isn't covered here. Thanks for the report, and thanks @drakeo338 and you for the pull requests that guided this. It ships in the next release.fix(pascal): Delphi calls written without parentheses link to the rou…
fix(pascal): Delphi calls to compiler intrinsics and plain data no lo…
colbymchenry commentedon Oct 22, 2026
A follow-up, #2803, is also merged to
main. It removes the other wrong Delphi call links we found while validating this: compiler intrinsics likeTypeInfo,SizeOfandLength(S)in any case, and calls that landed on a field or property that doesn't hold a routine.In the five Delphi projects we test with, we sampled the links in each category and checked them by hand: