University of Idaho EXPO Project Evolves: "Smart Comment Stripper" Gets Smarter and Faster
Monday, April 24 2006
April 24, 2006 MOSCOW, Idaho – While folk wisdom says that "The more things change, the more they stay the same," University of Idaho engineering students act on the belief that the more things change, the better the product. To make meaningful change to emerging technologies, some University of Idaho Engineering Capstone projects evolve from year to year, addressing new challenges as they arise and more effectively meeting the needs of end users. One such project is the department of computer science’s “Smart Comment Stripper,” one of 60 student projects to be featured at the University of Idaho Engineering EXPO Friday, April 28 at the Student Union Building. The SCS is a tool used to strip comment statements from source code text files without prior knowledge of the language used in the file being stripped. It incorporates an efficient detection algorithm to determine the type of comment style used. The “smart” thing about this process is the program’s ability to recognize the “comments” – code written as annotation to help those who are developing the software – and then strip them from the program. William Junk, UI professor of computer science, has served as a faculty mentor on the EXPO project since 2004. He brings expertise in software engineering, measurement, processes, testing and project management, among other skills, to that task. Bruce Mayes, a senior engineer at Hewlett-Packard, has worked with the students as the project sponsor. “The Smart Comment Stripper is part of a tool set used by HP in the management of the code that supports their laser jet printers,” Junk explained. “When they’re developing a new printer, they use code from previous versions, and they monitor how much of that gets changed. Changes to the comments are irrelevant to that measurement, so they strip that out to see how much code has actually been modified.” An accurate measurement of the amount of change to the code is a factor in estimating how many defects have been inserted into the new software, Junk said, and how much testing they will have to do to find those defects before they can release their new product. The 2004-05 EXPO student teams demonstrated the feasibility of stripping comments without knowledge of the programming language in which they were written, and then greatly improved the speed of the program, reducing its running time from more than two hours to 15 minutes while also improving program accuracy. The technology went into production use at HP Boise in the summer of 2005. The 2005-2006 EXPO team made the program a bit faster – reducing the running time by about 10 percent – and added stripping capabilities for additional styles of commenting. The project benefits both HP and University of Idaho students. David Nadler (’05) worked on the second SCS team. “I learned two valuable things working on the project,” he said. “The first was Perl, a useful language that should be part of any programmer’s repertoire. The second, and probably more useful, was how to work on a team. In the working world, programmers work together to solve large problems, and the dynamics of teamwork is a skill which is used every day.” The EXPO 2006 SCS team includes: Kent Crossin, Moscow; Greg Mack, Moscow; Kris Makey, Idaho Falls; and Paul Nathan, Hailey. The original Smart Comment Stripper was developed by an EXPO student team in fall, 2004, including: Justin Boggs, Idaho Falls; Jesse Gonzalez, Nampa; Bryan Kirkendall, Mountain Home; Jeff Sager, Goldendale, Wash.; and Ryan Hanlon. The spring 2005 team – consisting of David Nadler, Bayview; Brad Faler, Idaho Falls; Doug Shikashio, Blackfoot; and Terry Triplett, Louisville, Ky. – re-engineered the prototype to create the Fast Smart Comment Stripper. Both incarnations were displayed at EXPO 2005. More than 60 interdisciplinary projects will be on display at the Engineering Design Expo Friday, April 28, at the UI Student Union Building. Expo is open to the public and will include guided tours of engineering research and design laboratories. For more information see www.engr.uidaho.edu/expo/. -30- About the University of Idaho Founded in 1889, the University of Idaho is the state’s flagship higher-education institution and its principal graduate education and research university, bringing insight and innovation to the state, the nation and the world. The only institution in the state earning the prestigious Carnegie Foundation ranking for high research activity, University of Idaho researchers attract more than $100 million in research grants and contracts each year. UI’s student population includes first-generation college students and ethnically diverse scholars. Its high academic performers include 34 National Merit Scholars and a 2005-06 freshman class with an average high school grade point average of 3.42. Offering 106 degree options in nine colleges, UI combines the strengths of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu. CONTACT: Joni Kirk, University of Idaho Communications, (208) 885 7725, joni@uidaho.edu DE 4/24/06--ENG
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho helps students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.