How the Sando Search Tool Recommends Queries

Abstract: Developers spend a significant amount of time searching their local codebase. To help them search efficiently, researchers have proposed novel tools that apply state-of-the-art information retrieval algorithms to retrieve relevant code snippets from the local codebase. However, these tools still rely on the developer to craft an effective query, which requires that the developer is familiar with the terms contained in the related code snippets. Our empirical data from a state-of-the-art local code search tool, called Sando, suggests that developers are sometimes unacquainted with their local codebase. In order to bridge the gap between developers and their ever-increasing local codebase, in this paper we demonstrate the recommendation techniques integrated in Sando.