Title
Towards faster method search through static ecosystem analysis
Abstract
Software developers are often unsure of the exact name of the method they need to use to invoke the desired behavior in a given context. This results in a process of searching for the correct method name in documentation, which can be lengthy and distracting to the developer. We can decrease the method search time by enhancing the documentation of a class with the most frequently used methods. Usage frequency data for methods is gathered by analyzing other projects from the same ecosystem -- written in the same language and sharing dependencies. We implemented a proof of concept of the approach for Pharo Smalltalk and Java. In Pharo Smalltalk, methods are commonly searched for using a code browser tool called \"Nautilus\", and in Java using a web browser displaying HTML based documentation -- Javadoc. We developed plugins for both browsers and gathered method usage data from open source projects, in order to increase developer productivity by reducing method search time. A small initial evaluation has been conducted showing promising results in improving developer productivity.
Year
DOI
Venue
2014
10.1145/2642803.2642814
ECSA Workshops
Keywords
Field
DocType
design tools and techniques,method search,documentation,static analysis,ecosystem analysis,management,distribution, maintenance, and enhancement
Programming language,Software engineering,Computer science,Pharo,Javadoc,Smalltalk,Software,Plug-in,Documentation,Usage data,Java
Conference
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
0
0.34
15
Authors
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Boris Spasojevic161.12
Mircea Lungu254539.17
Oscar Nierstrasz32404346.86