Leveraging source code search for reuse

Abstract

The importance of search as a central support activity for information handling and software reuse has been highlighted by several authors. Although it is one of the most dominant daily activities of developers, it is not a first order concern of most development tools. Recently a number of specialized search engines for source code emerged that enable access to reusable assets from both the web and within organizations. We argue that those source code search engines can play a key role for information access throughout the software development lifecycle. In this paper we present an analysis of existing approaches and tools. Furthermore we point out several shortcomings and provide a roadmap for future enhancements. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.