Understanding Code Review Reports and Error Detection

Master the art of reading and interpreting FixVion's automated code analysis reports

Introduction

After FixVion analyzes your code, you'll receive a comprehensive report detailing all findings. This tutorial will help you understand every aspect of these reports, from severity levels to specific error types.

Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes

Report Structure Overview

Every FixVion analysis report is organized into clear sections:

Report Sections
  • Summary Dashboard: High-level overview of your code quality metrics
  • Issues List: Detailed list of all detected issues, organized by severity
  • File-by-File View: Issues grouped by source file for easy navigation
  • Security Scan Results: Dedicated section for security vulnerabilities
  • Performance Insights: Performance bottlenecks and optimization opportunities
  • Code Quality Metrics: Overall quality scores and ratings
  • Recommendations: Actionable suggestions for improvement

Understanding Severity Levels

FixVion categorizes issues by severity to help you prioritize fixes:

Critical (🔴 Red)
  • Definition: Issues that will cause runtime errors, security vulnerabilities, or data loss
  • Examples: SQL injection vulnerabilities, null pointer exceptions, memory leaks, syntax errors
  • Action Required: Fix immediately before deploying to production
  • Impact: High - Can break functionality or compromise security
High (🟠 Orange)
  • Definition: Issues that may cause problems in production or indicate poor code quality
  • Examples: Potential race conditions, inefficient algorithms, missing error handling
  • Action Required: Fix soon, preferably before next release
  • Impact: Medium-High - May cause issues under certain conditions
Medium (🟡 Yellow)
  • Definition: Code quality issues that don't break functionality but should be addressed
  • Examples: Code duplication, long functions, magic numbers, unused variables
  • Action Required: Address during code refactoring cycles
  • Impact: Medium - Affects maintainability and code quality
Low (đŸ”ĩ Blue)
  • Definition: Minor issues and suggestions for code improvement
  • Examples: Naming conventions, code style suggestions, documentation improvements
  • Action Required: Optional improvements for better code quality
  • Impact: Low - Primarily aesthetic or style-related
Info (ℹī¸ Gray)
  • Definition: Informational messages and best practice suggestions
  • Examples: Performance tips, optimization opportunities, architectural suggestions
  • Action Required: Consider for future improvements
  • Impact: Informational - No immediate action needed

Error Categories

Issues are organized into categories for easier navigation:

Security Vulnerabilities
  • SQL injection risks
  • Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities
  • Insecure authentication
  • Hardcoded secrets and credentials
  • Insecure data storage
  • Missing input validation
Syntax and Logic Errors
  • Syntax errors that prevent compilation
  • Type mismatches
  • Undefined variables or functions
  • Logic errors in conditionals
  • Incorrect function calls
Performance Issues
  • Inefficient algorithms
  • Memory leaks
  • Slow database queries
  • Unnecessary computations
  • Bottlenecks in loops
Code Quality Issues
  • Code duplication
  • Long functions or classes
  • High cyclomatic complexity
  • Poor naming conventions
  • Missing documentation
Best Practice Violations
  • Not following language-specific conventions
  • Missing error handling
  • Improper resource management
  • Inconsistent coding style

Reading Individual Issue Reports

Each issue in the report contains detailed information:

Issue Details Include
  • File Path: Exact location of the issue in your codebase
  • Line Number: Specific line where the issue occurs
  • Column Number: Precise position within the line
  • Issue Title: Brief description of the problem
  • Detailed Description: Explanation of why this is an issue
  • Code Snippet: Relevant code section highlighting the problem
  • Suggested Fix: Recommended solution or fix approach
  • Related Issues: Links to similar or related problems
Example Issue Report
🔴 Critical: SQL Injection Vulnerability
File: src/api/users.js
Line: 45, Column: 12

Description:
User input is directly concatenated into SQL query without 
sanitization, creating a SQL injection vulnerability.

Code:
const query = `SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ${userId}`;

Suggested Fix:
Use parameterized queries or prepared statements to safely 
handle user input.

Code Quality Metrics

FixVion provides overall quality scores to help you assess your codebase:

Quality Scores
  • Overall Quality Score: 0-100 rating of your code quality
  • Security Score: Security vulnerability assessment
  • Performance Score: Performance optimization rating
  • Maintainability Score: How easy your code is to maintain
  • Test Coverage: Percentage of code covered by tests (if available)
Understanding Scores
  • 90-100: Excellent - Production-ready code
  • 75-89: Good - Minor improvements recommended
  • 60-74: Fair - Several issues need attention
  • 40-59: Poor - Significant improvements required
  • 0-39: Critical - Major refactoring needed

Filtering and Sorting Reports

Use filters to focus on what matters most:

Available Filters
  • By Severity: Show only critical, high, medium, or low priority issues
  • By Category: Filter by security, performance, quality, etc.
  • By File: View issues for specific files only
  • By Issue Type: Show only specific types of issues
  • By Status: Filter by fixed, pending, or ignored issues
Sorting Options
  • Sort by severity (most critical first)
  • Sort by file name (alphabetical)
  • Sort by line number (sequential)
  • Sort by category
  • Sort by date detected

Exporting and Sharing Reports

Share your analysis results with your team:

Export Formats
  • PDF: Formatted report suitable for documentation
  • JSON: Machine-readable format for integration
  • CSV: Spreadsheet format for data analysis
  • HTML: Interactive report that can be viewed offline
Sharing Options
  • Generate shareable links for team members
  • Email reports directly from FixVion
  • Export to project management tools
  • Integrate with CI/CD pipelines

Next Steps

Now that you understand the reports, learn how to fix the issues: