diff --git a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/DataProcessor.cpp b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/DataProcessor.cpp
index a14e57509..d6b801e3f 100644
--- a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/DataProcessor.cpp
+++ b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/DataProcessor.cpp
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ void DataProcessor::SetupFileWriter(const bool filewriteEnable,
 }
 
 void DataProcessor::CreateFirstFiles(
-    const std::string filePath, const std::string fileNamePrefix,
+    const std::string &filePath, const std::string &fileNamePrefix,
     const uint64_t fileIndex, const bool overWriteEnable, const bool silentMode,
     const int modulePos, const int numUnitsPerReadout,
     const uint32_t udpPortNumber, const uint32_t maxFramesPerFile,
diff --git a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/DataProcessor.h b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/DataProcessor.h
index adab81aac..b62bb9d1f 100644
--- a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/DataProcessor.h
+++ b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/DataProcessor.h
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ class DataProcessor : private virtual slsDetectorDefs, public ThreadObject {
                          const fileFormat fileFormatType,
                          std::mutex *hdf5LibMutex);
 
-    void CreateFirstFiles(const std::string filePath,
-                          const std::string fileNamePrefix,
+    void CreateFirstFiles(const std::string &filePath,
+                          const std::string &fileNamePrefix,
                           const uint64_t fileIndex, const bool overWriteEnable,
                           const bool silentMode, const int modulePos,
                           const int numUnitsPerReadout,
diff --git a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/File.h b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/File.h
index 57282c46a..9b386a640 100644
--- a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/File.h
+++ b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/File.h
@@ -84,10 +84,7 @@ class File : private virtual slsDetectorDefs {
 
     virtual void WriteToFile(char *buffer, const int buffersize,
                              const uint64_t currentFrameNumber,
-                             const uint32_t numPacketsCaught) {
-        LOG(logERROR) << "This is a generic function WriteToFile that "
-                         "should be overloaded by a derived class";
-    };
+                             const uint32_t numPacketsCaught) = 0;
 
   protected:
     slsDetectorDefs::fileFormat format_;
diff --git a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterAttributes.cpp b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterAttributes.cpp
index ded5589da..b82cc0e42 100644
--- a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterAttributes.cpp
+++ b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterAttributes.cpp
@@ -155,8 +155,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::GetFinalBinaryAttributes(
 
 #ifdef HDF5C
 void MasterAttributes::WriteCommonHDF5Attributes(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
-    char c[1024];
-    memset(c, 0, sizeof(c));
+    char c[1024]{};
     // version
     {
         double version = BINARY_WRITER_VERSION;
@@ -278,8 +277,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteCommonHDF5Attributes(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
 }
 
 void MasterAttributes::WriteFinalHDF5Attributes(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
-    char c[1024];
-    memset(c, 0, sizeof(c));
+    char c[1024]{};
     // Total Frames in file
     {
         DataSpace dataspace = DataSpace(H5S_SCALAR);
@@ -304,8 +302,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5Exptime(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
     StrType strdatatype(PredType::C_S1, 256);
     DataSet dataset =
         group->createDataSet("Exposure Time", strdatatype, dataspace);
-    char c[1024];
-    memset(c, 0, sizeof(c));
+    char c[1024]{};
     sls::strcpy_safe(c, sls::ToString(exptime));
     dataset.write(c, strdatatype);
 }
@@ -315,8 +312,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5Period(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
     StrType strdatatype(PredType::C_S1, 256);
     DataSet dataset =
         group->createDataSet("Acquisition Period", strdatatype, dataspace);
-    char c[1024];
-    memset(c, 0, sizeof(c));
+    char c[1024]{};
     sls::strcpy_safe(c, sls::ToString(period));
     dataset.write(c, strdatatype);
 }
@@ -373,7 +369,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5ReadNRows(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
 }
 
 void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5ThresholdEnergy(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
-    char c[1024]{0};
+     char c[1024]{};
     DataSpace dataspace = DataSpace(H5S_SCALAR);
     DataSet dataset = group->createDataSet("Threshold Energy",
                                            PredType::NATIVE_INT, dataspace);
@@ -387,7 +383,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5ThresholdEnergy(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
 }
 
 void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5ThresholdEnergies(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
-    char c[1024]{0};
+     char c[1024]{};
     DataSpace dataspace = DataSpace(H5S_SCALAR);
     StrType strdatatype(PredType::C_S1, 1024);
     DataSet dataset =
@@ -397,7 +393,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5ThresholdEnergies(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
 }
 
 void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5SubExpTime(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
-    char c[1024]{0};
+     char c[1024]{};
     DataSpace dataspace = DataSpace(H5S_SCALAR);
     StrType strdatatype(PredType::C_S1, 256);
     DataSet dataset =
@@ -407,7 +403,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5SubExpTime(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
 }
 
 void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5SubPeriod(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
-    char c[1024]{0};
+     char c[1024]{};
     DataSpace dataspace = DataSpace(H5S_SCALAR);
     StrType strdatatype(PredType::C_S1, 256);
     DataSet dataset =
@@ -424,7 +420,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5SubQuad(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
 }
 
 void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5RateCorrections(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
-    char c[1024]{0};
+     char c[1024]{};
     DataSpace dataspace = DataSpace(H5S_SCALAR);
     StrType strdatatype(PredType::C_S1, 1024);
     DataSet dataset =
@@ -442,7 +438,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5CounterMask(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
 
 void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5ExptimeArray(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
     for (int i = 0; i != 3; ++i) {
-        char c[1024]{0};
+         char c[1024]{};
         DataSpace dataspace = DataSpace(H5S_SCALAR);
         StrType strdatatype(PredType::C_S1, 256);
         DataSet dataset =
@@ -454,7 +450,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5ExptimeArray(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
 
 void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5GateDelayArray(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
     for (int i = 0; i != 3; ++i) {
-        char c[1024]{0};
+         char c[1024]{};
         DataSpace dataspace = DataSpace(H5S_SCALAR);
         StrType strdatatype(PredType::C_S1, 256);
         DataSet dataset =
@@ -476,8 +472,7 @@ void MasterAttributes::WriteHDF5BurstMode(H5File *fd, Group *group) {
     StrType strdatatype(PredType::C_S1, 256);
     DataSet dataset =
         group->createDataSet("Burst Mode", strdatatype, dataspace);
-    char c[1024];
-    memset(c, 0, sizeof(c));
+    char c[1024]{};
     sls::strcpy_safe(c, sls::ToString(burstMode));
     dataset.write(c, strdatatype);
 }
diff --git a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterFileUtility.cpp b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterFileUtility.cpp
index 56f017fa2..506ba7b83 100644
--- a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterFileUtility.cpp
+++ b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterFileUtility.cpp
@@ -7,38 +7,31 @@
 
 namespace masterFileUtility {
 
-std::string CreateMasterBinaryFile(const std::string filePath,
-                                   const std::string fileNamePrefix,
+std::string CreateMasterBinaryFile(const std::string &filePath,
+                                   const std::string &fileNamePrefix,
                                    const uint64_t fileIndex,
                                    const bool overWriteEnable,
                                    const bool silentMode,
                                    MasterAttributes *attr) {
-    // create file name
     std::ostringstream os;
     os << filePath << "/" << fileNamePrefix << "_master"
        << "_" << fileIndex << ".json";
     std::string fileName = os.str();
 
-    // create file
-    FILE *fd{nullptr};
-    if (!overWriteEnable) {
-        if (nullptr == (fd = fopen((const char *)fileName.c_str(), "wx"))) {
-            fd = nullptr;
-            throw sls::RuntimeError("Could not create binary master file " +
+    std::string mode = "w";
+    if (!overWriteEnable)
+        mode = "wx";
+    FILE *fd = fopen(fileName.c_str(), mode.c_str());
+    if(!fd) {
+        throw sls::RuntimeError("Could not create/overwrite binary master file " +
                                     fileName);
-        }
-    } else if (nullptr == (fd = fopen((const char *)fileName.c_str(), "w"))) {
-        fd = nullptr;
-        throw sls::RuntimeError(
-            "Could not create/overwrite binary master file " + fileName);
     }
 
     rapidjson::StringBuffer s;
     rapidjson::PrettyWriter<rapidjson::StringBuffer> writer(s);
     attr->GetBinaryAttributes(&writer);
-    std::string message = s.GetString();
-    if (fwrite((void *)message.c_str(), 1, message.length(), fd) !=
-        message.length()) {
+    if (fwrite(s.GetString(), 1, strlen(s.GetString()), fd) !=
+        strlen(s.GetString())) {
         throw sls::RuntimeError(
             "Master binary file incorrect number of bytes written to file");
     }
diff --git a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterFileUtility.h b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterFileUtility.h
index d0a74b04f..ed90cc52e 100644
--- a/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterFileUtility.h
+++ b/slsReceiverSoftware/src/MasterFileUtility.h
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ using namespace H5;
 
 namespace masterFileUtility {
 
-std::string CreateMasterBinaryFile(const std::string filePath,
-                                   const std::string fileNamePrefix,
+std::string CreateMasterBinaryFile(const std::string &filePath,
+                                   const std::string &fileNamePrefix,
                                    const uint64_t fileIndex,
                                    const bool overWriteEnable,
                                    const bool silentMode,