Microsoft Corporation
Source code text replacement by example

Abstract:

Flexible yet efficient "find" operations search source code for matches to a general pattern after a developer provides an example string that matches the pattern, without requiring the developer to write a regular expression or script that will implement the desired pattern. Example-driven find-replace functionality uses regular expressions or other pattern match codes, and scripts or other transforms, which are synthesized automatically from examples provided by a developer. This technology allows the developer to focus on workflow inside an integrated development environment instead of breaking focus to search for external documentation, or unfortunately foregoing the flexibility and power of regular expressions and scripts. Synthesizer outputs may be directly or indirectly ranked through user feedback, allowing their refinement. Find match generality may be controlled, e.g., by specifying regex star positions or star counts. Entry of guiding examples may be assisted by autocompletion. Performance criteria are also described.