High velocity refactorings in Eclipse

ABSTRACT

In Eclipse, and in most other development environments, refactorings are activated by selecting code, then using a menu or hotkey, and finally engaging in a dialog with a "wizard". However, selection is error-prone, menus are slow, hotkeys are hard to remember, and wizards are time-consuming. The problem is that as a consequence, refactoring tools disrupt the programmer's workflow and are perceived to be slower than refactoring by hand. In this paper we present two new user interfaces to Eclipse's existing refactoring engine: marking menus and refactoring cues. Both are designed to increase programming velocity by keeping the tool out of the programmer's way.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.3 Coding Tools and Techniques

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.6 Programming Environments

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors, Reliability

Keywords:
environments, refactoring, tools, usability