Code Refactoring in Virtual Reality

Refactoring source code is a key technique for maintaining a high-quality codebase, keeping the code clean, modular, understandable, and adaptable to change in the long run. Modern Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), unlike plain text editors, provide automated support for various refactorings (e.g., move class, extract method). IDEs have seen major advances over the decades, but remain constrained by conventional bento-box interfaces and input methods (e.g., keyboard). Recent advances in Virtual Reality (VR) and eXtended Reality (XR) technology, have opened up the possibility of rethinking IDEs, where the I does not stand for integrated, but for immersive. We present a novel approach for refactoring source code in VR, combining customizable software visualizations and the interaction capabilities of modern VR controllers. Whereas existing research on depicting software in VR has remained within the realm of “read-only” comprehension, we take it a step further, making it possible to rewrite the underlying codebase by performing interactions in VR which encode refactorings. We present two examples where, through ambidextrous interactions and controller triggers, developers can gather information about the system and modify it at different abstraction levels. We conclude with a reflection on the integration of XR features into modern IDEs versus the development of new standalone XR-native IDEs.