The Style and Substance of API Names

Naming is a non-optional and cross-cutting design decision in professional and end-user programming activities. From assembly language to Yahoo Pipes, names are utilized for labeling and differentiation. Yet, we know little about how these names are selected or how naming impacts use and other aspects of design. My research goal is to develop a theory of application programming interface (API) naming that bridges both software engineering and human-computer interaction. Towards this end, I am studying people (perceptions), information (naming strategies in the wild), and technology (name analysis algorithms and lightweight interactions to support naming decisions).