Abstract: A method and system for programming a remote control unit to control the operation of a controllable device. A group of code sets associated with a particular type and brand of controllable device are selected from a database of code sets stored in the memory of the remote control unit. The commands of each code set in the group of code sets are compared to identify similarities and dissimilarities between command formats within each respective code set. The user tests a command and provides feedback to the remote control unit regarding the results of such testing. When the testing of a command is successful, the remote control unit eliminates code sets containing a command format that is dissimilar to the format of the command that was successfully tested. By eliminating code sets from the group of code sets and testing other commands, the remote control unit eliminates all but one code set.