TY - GEN
T1 - Using changeset descriptions as a data source to assist feature location
AU - Chochlov, Muslim
AU - English, Michael
AU - Buckley, Jim
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 IEEE.
PY - 2015/11/20
Y1 - 2015/11/20
N2 - Feature location attempts to assist developers in discovering functionality in source code. Many textual feature location techniques utilize information retrieval and rely on comments and identifiers of source code to describe software entities. An interesting alternative would be to employ the changeset descriptions of the code altered in that changeset as a data source to describe such software entities. To investigate this we implement a technique utilizing changeset descriptions and conduct an empirical study to observe this technique's overall performance. Moreover, we study how the granularity (i.e. file or method level of software entities) and changeset range inclusion (i.e. most recent or all historical changesets) affect such an approach. The results of a preliminary study with Rhino and Mylyn. Tasks systems suggest that the approach could lead to a potentially efficient feature location technique. They also suggest that it is advantageous in terms of the effort to configure the technique at method level granularity and that older changesets from older systems may reduce the effectiveness of the technique.
AB - Feature location attempts to assist developers in discovering functionality in source code. Many textual feature location techniques utilize information retrieval and rely on comments and identifiers of source code to describe software entities. An interesting alternative would be to employ the changeset descriptions of the code altered in that changeset as a data source to describe such software entities. To investigate this we implement a technique utilizing changeset descriptions and conduct an empirical study to observe this technique's overall performance. Moreover, we study how the granularity (i.e. file or method level of software entities) and changeset range inclusion (i.e. most recent or all historical changesets) affect such an approach. The results of a preliminary study with Rhino and Mylyn. Tasks systems suggest that the approach could lead to a potentially efficient feature location technique. They also suggest that it is advantageous in terms of the effort to configure the technique at method level granularity and that older changesets from older systems may reduce the effectiveness of the technique.
KW - Feature location
KW - information retrieval
KW - software repositories
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84963542549&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/SCAM.2015.7335401
DO - 10.1109/SCAM.2015.7335401
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84963542549
T3 - 2015 IEEE 15th International Working Conference on Source Code Analysis and Manipulation, SCAM 2015 - Proceedings
SP - 51
EP - 60
BT - 2015 IEEE 15th International Working Conference on Source Code Analysis and Manipulation, SCAM 2015 - Proceedings
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
T2 - IEEE 15th International Working Conference on Source Code Analysis and Manipulation, SCAM 2015
Y2 - 27 September 2015 through 28 September 2015
ER -