Upgrading fortran source code using automatic refactoring

Abstract

Many of the computer models used in scientific research have been developed in Fortran over many years. This evolutionary process means these models often use deprecated language features and idioms that impede software maintenance, understandability, extension, and verification. To mitigate this, we built CamFort, an open-source automatic refactoring tool for upgrading Fortran source code. We describe functionality in CamFort for removing equivalence statements and common blocks, and for introducing structured data types, and give examples of how these transformations can benefit codebase robustness.