How to generate class file from Jimple file?

[JialeTomTian]

I understand using SootClass.print() to get the Jimple representation of a class. But how could I convert a Jimple file to a class file in Sootup.

[kadirayk]

This is not possible at the moment. But it would be nice to have a bytecode backend.

[imcsq]

Will it be possible soon? I see a task in your todo list to support outputting the class file. The feature is wanted in order to realize the usefulness of body interceptors & class mutation.

I tried the alternative solution of running the printed jimple file with the soot, but it failed. Many features in the jimple files generated with sootup (latest develop version so far) cannot be handled by the soot jimpler parser, e.g., the [SUPER] class modifier and [varargs] method modifier. Sometimes I also get the error "No method source set for method <...mymethod...>".

Thanks!

[swissiety]

Generating binaries from Jimple is not a planned for the near future on our side. But you are welcome to contribute :)
(Sidenote: a BodyInterceptors purpose is not necessarily optimizing execution at runtime but already improving the generated Jimple from Bytecode)

[imcsq]

Thanks for the quick reply. Then is it possible to execute the jimple code? Or is there a method to perform profiling/instrumenting with sootup?

[JialeTomTian]

Hi, to follow up. In that case, if I have a Jimple file. Is there a way of going about loading that Jimple file and executing it at the moment?

[kadirayk]

This is also not possible at the moment.

[swissiety]

If it helps there exists a repo of a Jimple interpreter from a hackathon(?) but its not maintained and I'm not sure how much functionality is implemented.