AntiCopyPasterPython is a plugin for Pycharm that tracks the copying and pasting carried out by the developer and suggests extracting duplicates into a new method as soon as they are introduced in the code.
Warning: Please note that AntiCopyPasterPython is a prototype and a work in progress. We appreciate any feedback on both the concept itself and its implementation.
AntiCopyPasterPython requires Pycharm version 2024.1 or later to work. To install the plugin:
- Download the pre-built version of the plugin from here.
- Open Pycharm and go to
File/Settings/Plugins. - Select the gear icon, and choose
Install Plugin from Disk.... - Choose the downloaded ZIP archive.
- Click
Apply. - Restart the IDE.
AntiCopyPaster has been ported to work with Python code on the Pycharm IDE, including both community and ultimate edition. Based on various metrics such as Python keywords, code complexity, coupling and size or an AI model, AntiCopyPasterPython triggers a notification within PyCharm, recommending the extraction of duplicate code into a new method.
Users now have the option to enable a feature in the plugin that highlights the specific code block triggering a refactoring notification. This enhancement aims to provide clearer guidance on what code block is being recommended for refactoring. Users can manually remove these highlights by adjusting the settings, acknowledging the notification, or choosing to ignore it for a customizable duration.
Users have the choice between the manual heuristic model or the TensorFlow AI model for evaluating refactoring calls, providing flexibility to suit their preferences and workflow.
To go along with the fixes and new features, we have adjusted the settings menu to allow for more user input.
The plugin monitors the copying and pasting that takes place inside the IDE. As soon as a code fragment is pasted, the plugin checks if it introduces code duplication. If it does, the plugin calculates a set of metrics for its code and compares its metrics with the weighted average metric values of each file; how this average is weighted is controlled by the sensitivity settings for each metric. If the fragment's metrics exceed these thresholds, the plugin will suggest for the fragment to be refactored. If this suggestion is accepted by the user, a refactoring prompt will trigger, allowing the user to view and edit the refactored fragment before replacing each instance of the fragment one at a time (or all at once).
AntiCopyPasterPython analyzes code fragments by considering four main categories of heuristics:
- Keywords: The number and/or frequency of Python language keywords (ex.
def,True,pass, etc.) in a fragment. - Coupling: The number and/or frequency of references made by the fragment to variables defined outside the fragment.
- Complexity: The total and/or average nesting (essentially, indentation) of a fragment.
- Size: The number of lines, characters, and/or average per-line characters in a fragment.
These categories can be individually configured further in the plugin's advanced settings menu.
More information on how the plugin was developed and specific changes can be found here.
If you have any questions or propositions, do not hesitate to contact Eman AlOmar at ealomar@stevens.edu.