Bing has introduced a new feature in its search engine that provides developers with specific code snippets they need. This feature appears directly in the search results, eliminating the need to navigate through lengthy discussions and articles to find the desired code.
This new tool, termed “Code Sample Answer” by Bing, is aimed at helping developers save time.
“Many of us are developers too,” a representative noted, “and we contemplated: what if Bing could intelligently do this for us? What if it could save users’ time by automatically discovering the exact piece of code that answers their question? That’s how Code Sample Answer came to be.”
Code Sample Answer is now live on Bing, and users can test it with queries like “convert case using a function in R.”
Such a query will yield a result similar to the following example:
Bing’s ability to offer a Code Sample Answer relies on a combination of natural language processing technology and a comprehensive understanding of code in various languages.
A Code Sample Answer will only appear when Bing confidently identifies the search intent as being code-related.
“To achieve such precision in detecting query intent, Bing’s natural language processing pipelines for developers utilize patterns derived from years of analyzing developer queries. These queries often include terms and structures common in coding. The system also employs several click signals to enhance precision even more,” they added.
The reach of Code Sample Answer extends beyond programming languages, as it also applies to other tools developers use. For instance, searching for git commands and their syntax can trigger a Code Sample Answer.
Bing plans to expand the scope of Code Sample Answer based on feedback from developers and additional signals from web searches.
