3 ms·

Sorry to be critical, but can someone explain to me the benefits of having code search this powerful? Surely code is easier to explore in an IDE which understa

• SkyBelow 7y ago
  I'm guessing the benefit is the ability to not have to bring up an IDE and download the code in cases where that isn't a quick option.
• pmarin 7y ago
  It's handy for finding examples of real world use of some api. I usually use https://codesearch.debian.net/ https://codesearch.debian.net/
• marcyb5st 7y ago
  If you think about Google's codebase size, an IDE wouldn't cut it. You could load and analyze dependencies/imports as you go, but that would make for a terrible user experience (think about IntelliJ indexing task every time you want to check the definition of something). Also, Code Search has baked in a lot of goodies. History layer, cross-references, call sites, ... and it's snappy. Moreover, is really well integrated with all the other internal tools used for coverage, code analysis, issue tracking, web text editor, ... . I think an IDE (like IntelliJ IDEA) can't reach that level of integration with several other systems unless you fully buy into the ecosystem a company like JetBrain proposes you (their issue tracker, their code review tool, ...). So, summarizing, it's a tool made by Googlers for Googlers' needs and it's amazing using it every day for all the above reasons.
• smadge 7y ago
  You can search for non explicit dependencies. e.g. if you're removing a command line flag in a C++ binary. You can search for all uses of that flag for all users of your binary to make sure it is safe to remove.