Manually Locating Features in Industrial Source Code: The Search Actions of Software Nomads

Howell Jordan, Jacek Rosik, Sebastian Herold, Goetz Botterweck, Jim Buckley

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Expert software engineers working on large systems often need to perform feature location when moving to work in unfamiliar areas. We hypothesise that leveraging the system-specific knowledge of these may help to improve semi-automated feature location techniques. In order to assess and understand how software nomads perform manual feature location searches, two expert professional software engineers were observed in-vivo following a think-aloud protocol while performing manual feature location on a large-scale heterogeneous system. The nomads' search actions were found to be around twice as effective as those reported in previous studies. This cannot be explained by sophisticated use of tools or complex queries. We conclude that system rules and conventions are frequently used by experts when constructing feature location search terms.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings - 2015 IEEE 23rd International Conference on Program Comprehension, ICPC 2015
PublisherIEEE Computer Society
Pages174-177
Number of pages4
ISBN (Electronic)9781467381598
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Aug 2015
Event23rd IEEE International Conference on Program Comprehension, ICPC 2015 - Florence, Italy
Duration: 18 May 201519 May 2015

Publication series

NameIEEE International Conference on Program Comprehension
Volume2015-August

Conference

Conference23rd IEEE International Conference on Program Comprehension, ICPC 2015
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityFlorence
Period18/05/1519/05/15

Keywords

  • Feature location
  • search In-vivo empirical studies
  • Source code

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Manually Locating Features in Industrial Source Code: The Search Actions of Software Nomads'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this