A framework for writing trigger-action todo comments in executable format

ABSTRACT

Natural language elements, e.g., todo comments, are frequently used to communicate among developers and to describe tasks that need to be performed (actions) when specific conditions hold on artifacts related to the code repository (triggers), e.g., from the Apache Struts project: “remove expectedJDK15 and if() after switching to Java 1.6”. As projects evolve, development processes change, and development teams reorganize, these comments, because of their informal nature, frequently become irrelevant or forgotten. We present the first framework, dubbed TrigIt, to specify trigger-action todo comments in executable format. Thus, actions are executed automatically when triggers evaluate to true. TrigIt specifications are written in the host language (e.g., Java) and are evaluated as part of the build process. The triggers are specified as query statements over abstract syntax trees, abstract representation of build configuration scripts, issue tracking systems, and system clock time. The actions are either notifications to developers or code transformation steps. We implemented TrigIt for the Java programming language and migrated 44 existing trigger-action comments from several popular open-source projects. Evaluation of TrigIt, via a user study, showed that users find TrigIt easy to learn and use. TrigIt has the potential to enforce more discipline in writing and maintaining comments in large code repositories.

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Index Terms

• Software and its engineering

  • Software creation and management

    • Software post-development issues

      • Software evolution

  • Software notations and tools

    • Context specific languages

      • Domain specific languages

    • Software maintenance tools