Impermanent Identifiers: Enhanced Source Code Comprehension and Refactoring

TL;DR

This paper introduces Impermanent Identifiers, a dynamic code augmentation technique designed to improve source code comprehension and refactoring, and evaluates their acceptance among developers through empirical studies.

Contribution

It proposes Impermanent Identifiers as a novel approach to code augmentation and assesses their feasibility and acceptance in real-world development environments.

Findings

Developers perceive Impermanent Identifiers as beneficial for code comprehension.

Adoption barriers include familiarity and integration challenges.

Impermanent Identifiers show promise in enhancing software maintenance.

Abstract

In response to the prevailing challenges in contemporary software development, this article introduces an innovative approach to code augmentation centered around Impermanent Identifiers. The primary goal is to enhance the software development experience by introducing dynamic identifiers that adapt to changing contexts, facilitating more efficient interactions between developers and source code, ultimately advancing comprehension, maintenance, and collaboration in software development. Additionally, this study rigorously evaluates the adoption and acceptance of Impermanent Identifiers within the software development landscape. Through a comprehensive empirical examination, we investigate how developers perceive and integrate this approach into their daily programming practices, exploring perceived benefits, potential barriers, and factors influencing its adoption. In summary, this article charts a new course for code augmentation, proposing Impermanent Identifiers as its cornerstone while assessing their feasibility and acceptance among developers. This interdisciplinary research seeks to contribute to the continuous improvement of software development practices and the progress of code augmentation technology.