Designing electronic reference documentation for software component libraries

  • Authors:

  • Erik Berglund

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Computer and Information Science, Linköping University, S-581 83 Linköping, Sweden

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Systems and Software
  • Year:
  • 2003

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Abstract

Contemporary software development is based on global sharing of software component libraries. As a result, programmers spend much time reading reference documentation rather than writing code, making library reference documentation a central programming tool. Traditionally, reference documentation is designed for textbooks even though it may be distributed online. However, the computer provides new dimensions of change, evolution, and adaptation that can be utilized to support efficiency and quality in software development. What is difficult to determine is how the electronic text dimensions best can be utilized in library reference documentation.This article presents a study of the design of electronic reference documentation for software component libraries. Results are drawn from a study in an industrial environment based on the use of an experimental electronic reference documentation (called Dynamic Javadoc or DJavadoc) used in a real-work situation for 4 months. The results from interviews with programmers indicate that the electronic library reference documentation does not require adaptation or evolution on an individual level. More importantly, reference documentation should facilitate the transfer of code from documentation to source files and also support the integration of multiple documentation sources.