What is it about?
This research analysis how autocomplete in IDEs affects programmers. With an experiment with 32 participants, it found autocomplete helps users learn unfamiliar APIs and reduces reliance on documentation, but doesn’t significantly cut typing effort. Its main benefit is supporting learning, not speed.
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Why is it important?
This research shows that autocomplete is not just about saving typing; its main benefit lies in supporting learning and comprehension, which is important for education, team onboarding, and designing smarter coding tools. Its implications also extend to AI-based code completion and other types of completion, such as search bars and input fields.
Perspectives
This work is a valuable contribution to understanding code completion. It highlights not only its potential benefits but also how developers actually use autocompletion and the mental models that support their learning.
Shaokang Jiang
University of California Irvine
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: An Analysis of the Costs and Benefits of Autocomplete in IDEs, Proceedings of the ACM on Software Engineering, July 2024, ACM (Association for Computing Machinery),
DOI: 10.1145/3660765.
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