C++/C#: Add combineOverlap() predicate

Author: Dave Bartolomeo

cpp/ql/src/semmle/code/cpp/ir/internal/Overlap.qll

@@ -8,6 +8,16 @@ private newtype TOverlap =
  */
 abstract class Overlap extends TOverlap {
   abstract string toString();
+
+  /**
+   * Gets a value representing how precise this overlap is. The higher the value, the more precise
+   * the overlap. The precision values are ordered as
+   * follows, from most to least precise:
+   * `MustExactlyOverlap`
+   * `MustTotallyOverlap`
+   * `MayPartiallyOverlap`
+   */
+  abstract int getPrecision();
 }
 
 /**
@@ -16,6 +26,8 @@ abstract class Overlap extends TOverlap {
  */
 class MayPartiallyOverlap extends Overlap, TMayPartiallyOverlap {
   final override string toString() { result = "MayPartiallyOverlap" }
+
+  final override int getPrecision() { result = 0 }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -24,6 +36,8 @@ class MayPartiallyOverlap extends Overlap, TMayPartiallyOverlap {
  */
 class MustTotallyOverlap extends Overlap, TMustTotallyOverlap {
   final override string toString() { result = "MustTotallyOverlap" }
+
+  final override int getPrecision() { result = 1 }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -32,4 +46,25 @@ class MustTotallyOverlap extends Overlap, TMustTotallyOverlap {
  */
 class MustExactlyOverlap extends Overlap, TMustExactlyOverlap {
   final override string toString() { result = "MustExactlyOverlap" }
+
+  final override int getPrecision() { result = 2 }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets the `Overlap` that best represents the relationship between two memory locations `a` and
+ * `c`, where `getOverlap(a, b) = previousOverlap` and `getOverlap(b, c) = newOverlap`, for some
+ * intermediate memory location `b`.
+ */
+Overlap combineOverlap(Overlap previousOverlap, Overlap newOverlap) {
+  // Note that it's possible that two less precise overlaps could combine to result in a more
+  // precise overlap. For example, both `previousOverlap` and `newOverlap` could be
+  // `MustTotallyOverlap` even though the actual relationship between `a` and `c` is
+  // `MustExactlyOverlap`. We will still return `MustTotallyOverlap` as the best conservative
+  // approximation we can make without additional input information.
+  result =
+    min(Overlap overlap |
+      overlap = [previousOverlap, newOverlap]
+    |
+      overlap order by overlap.getPrecision()
+    )
 }

csharp/ql/src/experimental/ir/internal/Overlap.qll

@@ -8,6 +8,16 @@ private newtype TOverlap =
  */
 abstract class Overlap extends TOverlap {
   abstract string toString();
+
+  /**
+   * Gets a value representing how precise this overlap is. The higher the value, the more precise
+   * the overlap. The precision values are ordered as
+   * follows, from most to least precise:
+   * `MustExactlyOverlap`
+   * `MustTotallyOverlap`
+   * `MayPartiallyOverlap`
+   */
+  abstract int getPrecision();
 }
 
 /**
@@ -16,6 +26,8 @@ abstract class Overlap extends TOverlap {
  */
 class MayPartiallyOverlap extends Overlap, TMayPartiallyOverlap {
   final override string toString() { result = "MayPartiallyOverlap" }
+
+  final override int getPrecision() { result = 0 }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -24,6 +36,8 @@ class MayPartiallyOverlap extends Overlap, TMayPartiallyOverlap {
  */
 class MustTotallyOverlap extends Overlap, TMustTotallyOverlap {
   final override string toString() { result = "MustTotallyOverlap" }
+
+  final override int getPrecision() { result = 1 }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -32,4 +46,25 @@ class MustTotallyOverlap extends Overlap, TMustTotallyOverlap {
  */
 class MustExactlyOverlap extends Overlap, TMustExactlyOverlap {
   final override string toString() { result = "MustExactlyOverlap" }
+
+  final override int getPrecision() { result = 2 }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets the `Overlap` that best represents the relationship between two memory locations `a` and
+ * `c`, where `getOverlap(a, b) = previousOverlap` and `getOverlap(b, c) = newOverlap`, for some
+ * intermediate memory location `b`.
+ */
+Overlap combineOverlap(Overlap previousOverlap, Overlap newOverlap) {
+  // Note that it's possible that two less precise overlaps could combine to result in a more
+  // precise overlap. For example, both `previousOverlap` and `newOverlap` could be
+  // `MustTotallyOverlap` even though the actual relationship between `a` and `c` is
+  // `MustExactlyOverlap`. We will still return `MustTotallyOverlap` as the best conservative
+  // approximation we can make without additional input information.
+  result =
+    min(Overlap overlap |
+      overlap = [previousOverlap, newOverlap]
+    |
+      overlap order by overlap.getPrecision()
+    )
 }