Does Autocomplete Have an Impact on Code?

Question

Empirical question about code: Does the use of autocomplete change one's code? In general, do developers who use autocomplete tend to use longer variable names, for instance, or does it not really change things in terms of the code written?

Answer 1

I find autocomplete helps me in the following ways:

1. Autocomplete makes it easier to name things what they should be named, and not what is easy to type. I find myself using more descriptive names for things when I have autocomplete.

2. Autocomplete also makes me more efficient by freeing me from having to commit to memory large swaths of API. The autocomplete helps jar my memory when I an looking for a particular method or class.

3. I like to use autocomplete as a form of in-place API exploration. If I know generally what I am looking for, I use the autocomplete to explore what an object does, rather than breaking out of the editor to look something up on google.

Answer 2

I think that auto completes doesn't have impact on code, but auto complete could lead to programming by coincidence, when the programmer try to use one function without seeing the details. And if it works, it's done.

I think that this is one of the collateral effects of auto complete.