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Do variable names matter for AI code completion? (2025)

(yakubov.org)
54 points yakubov_org | 1 comments | 25 Jul 25 23:35 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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ssalka ◴[26 Jul 25 00:05 UTC] No.44689986[source]▶
The names of variables impart semantic meaning, which LLMs can pick up on and use as context for determining how variables should behave or be used. Seems obvious to me that `current_temperature` is a superior name to `x` – that is, unless we're doing competitive programming ;)
replies(1): >>44690139 #
yakubov_org ◴[26 Jul 25 00:25 UTC] No.44690139[source]▶
My first hypothesis was that shorter variable names would use fewer tokens and be better for context utilisation and inference speed. I would expand your competitive programming angle to the obfuscated C challenge ;)
replies(1): >>44725071 #
1. Macha ◴[29 Jul 25 16:06 UTC] No.44725071[source]▶
The problem is, unless you're doing green field development, that description of what the existing desired functionality is has to be somewhere, and I suspect a parallel markdown requirements documents and the code with golfed variable names are going to require more context, not less.