Software feature in the context of Spell checker

In computer programming, a snippet is a relatively small amount of source code that is stored and later inserted into a larger codebase as part of the process of writing the code. Some development tools such as a code editor or an integrated development environment (IDE) provide snippet management features to enhance productivity by allowing a developer to insert a fragment of code instead of typing it.

In contrast to an abstraction construct, such as a function, a snippet is a form of copy and paste programming – a macro operation that expands the stored template text and inserts the result into the source code. Snippet insertion is similar to a preprocessor macro except that it's like inserting the expansion of the macro definition rather than referencing it. Changing the snippet after insertion does not affect the code as does changing the definition of a preprocessor macro. For this reason, best practice is to use a snippet only for relatively simple code such as a function prototype, control structure, or library import. A snippet is typically used when an abstraction is not available (i.e. not supported by the programming language) or not desirable (i.e. due to runtime overhead).

In computing, a plug-in (also spelled plugin), add-in (also addin, add-on, or addon) or extension is a software component that extends the functionality of an existing software system without requiring the system to be re-built. A plug-in feature is one way that a system can be customizable.

Applications support plug-ins for a variety of reasons including:

A computer file is a named collection of data treated as a unit by the system that manages it. Today, this system is called a file system. Many older computer systems lacked a distinct file system per se, yet a management feature is required in order to provide a file abstraction.

Files can be shared with and transferred between computers and mobile devices via removable media, networks, or the Internet.

Community Notes, formerly known as Birdwatch, is a feature on X (formerly Twitter) where contributors can add context such as fact-checks under a post, image or video. It is a community-driven content moderation program, intended to provide helpful and informative context, based on a crowd-sourced system. Notes are applied to potentially misleading content by a bridging-based algorithm not based on majority rule, but instead agreement from users on different sides of the political spectrum.

The program launched on Twitter in 2021 and became widespread on X in 2023. Initially shown to U.S. users only, notes were popularized in March 2022 over misinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine followed by COVID-19 misinformation in October. Birdwatch was then rebranded to Community Notes and expanded in November 2022. As of November 2023, it had approximately 133,000 contributors; notes reportedly receive tens of millions of views per day, with its goal being to counter propaganda and misinformation. According to investigation and studies, the vast majority of users do not see notes correcting content. In May 2024, a study of COVID-19 vaccine notes were deemed accurate 97% of the time.