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Show CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Visual programming is a broad term which is used to describe those languages which use graphics to construct visual representations of algorithms, documentation, and program execution. The terms "visual programming" [12], "graphical programming," "visual languages," "visual programming languages," [5] and "executable graphics" [13] may all be used to describe similar systems. Work in the area of visual programming is expanding and developing with similar ideas being pursued under multiple titles. Because visual programming is a relatively new field of study, a complete consensus on what a visual programming language is has not been reached. It is generally agreed though that a language must have some meaningful (i.e., not merely decorative) visual representations as a means of programming to be considered as a visual programming language [29]. While work in visual programming is progressing in several directions, Chang [5] identifies two categories to classify all visual programming languages, "languages for processing visual information," and "languages for programming with visual expressions." Computer vision and image processing are examples of languages which process visual information. Computer graphics, computer aided design, and visual programming (where program constructs are represented and combined graphically) are examples of languages which allow the user to program using visual expresswns. Along a similar line, "program visualization" is a technique which allows an individual to view a one-dimensional program in a two-dimensional (or greater) |
