CodeExchange Supporting Reformulation of Internet-Scale Code Queries in Context

Programming today regularly involves searching for source code online, whether through a general search engine such as Google or a specialized code search engine such as SearchCode, Ohloh, or GitHub. Searching typically is an iterative process, with developers adjusting the keywords they use based on the results of the previous query. However, searching in this manner is not ideal, because just using keywords places limits on what developers can express as well as the overall interaction that is required. Based on the observation that the results from one query create a context in which a next is formulated, we present CodeExchange, a new code search engine that we developed to explicitly leverage this context to support fluid, expressive reformulation of queries. We motivate the need for CodeExchange, highlight its key design decisions and overall architecture, and evaluate its use in both a field deployment and a laboratory study.