Navigating and querying code without getting lost

A development task related to a crosscutting concern is chal-lenging because a developer can easily get lost when explor-ing scattered elements of code and the complex tangle of re-lationships between them. In this paper we present a source browsing tool that improves the developer’s ability to work with crosscutting concerns by providing better support for exploring code. Our tool helps the developer to remain ori-ented while exploring and navigating across a code base. The cognitive burden placed on a developer is reduced by avoiding disorienting view switches and by providing an ex-plicit representation of the exploration process in terms of exploration paths. 1

Jquery: A generic code browser with a declarative configuration language

Abstract. Modern IDEs have an open-ended plugin architecture to allow customizability. However, developing a plugin is costly in terms of effort and expertise required by the customizer. We present a two-pronged approach that allows for open-ended customizations while keeping the customization cost low. First, we explicitly limit the portion of the design space targeted by the configuration mechanism. This reduces customization cost by simplifying the configuration interface. Second, we use a declarative programming language as our configuration language. This facilitates open-ended specification of behavior without burdening the user with operational details