Labeling source code with metadata: A survey and taxonomy

Source code is a primary artifact where programmers are looking when they try to comprehend a program. However, to improve program comprehension efficiency, tools often associate parts of source code with metadata collected from static and dynamic analysis, communication artifacts and many other sources. In this article, we present a systematic mapping study of approaches and tools labeling source code elements with metadata and presenting them to developers in various forms. We selected 25 from more than 2,000 articles and categorized them. A taxonomy with four dimensions — source, target, presentation and persistence — was formed. Based on the survey results, we also identified interesting future research challenges.