Bing Now Shows Executable Code Snippets in Search Results

If you're a programmer, you will want to check out Bing's new offering. Microsoft's search engine now shows code snippets right on its search result pages. The feature comes as the Redmond, Washington-based company partners with HackerRank, a company that focuses on competitive programming challenges, boasting an online community of over one million computer programmers.

Programmers often search for the right algorithm and different ways to perform a specific task. Until now, these users had to first search for something on Google and then read the corresponding library or discussion thread about it on another site. Microsoft is making the process easier. If you have Bing set as a default search engine (or if you go to Bing.com), and search for a specific task, you will now see executable code directly in search results.

You can also search for things like "string concat C#" or ask for a particular algorithm for a language, and Bing will open the code editor for you. Another interesting feature is the ability to quickly switch between different programming languages. For instance, you can check the code for "bubble sort" in C, C++, C#, Python, PHP, and Java languages without having to worry much.

HackerRank co-founder Vivek Ravisankar told TechCrunch that the project currently features over 80 code snippets. "In addition to learning how a certain algorithm/code is written in a given language, users will also be able to check how the same solution is constructed in a range of other programming languages too - providing a Rosetta-stone model for programming languages," told Marcelo De Barros, Group Engineering Manager for the UX Features and Shared Tools at Bing to the publication.