Programs as visual, interactive documents

French, Geoffrey, Kennaway, Richard and Day, Andy (2014) Programs as visual, interactive documents. Software: Practice and Experience, 44 (8). pp. 911-930. ISSN 1097-024X

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Abstract

We present a novel approach to combined textual and visual programming by allowing visual, interactive objects to be embedded within textual source code and segments of source code to be further embedded within those objects. We retain the strengths of text‐based source code, while enabling visual programming where it is beneficial. Additionally, embedded objects and code provide a simple object‐oriented approach to adding a visual form of LISP‐style macros to a language. The ability to freely combine source code and visual, interactive objects with one another allows for the construction of interactive programming tools and experimentation with novel programming language extensions. Our visual programming system is supported by a type coercion‐based presentation protocol that displays normal Java and Python objects in a visual, interactive form. We have implemented our system within a prototype interactive programming environment called ‘The Larch Environment’. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Item Type: Article
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Computing Sciences
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Interactive Graphics and Audio
Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 23 Sep 2014 14:08
Last Modified: 19 Apr 2023 00:21
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/50293
DOI: 10.1002/spe.2182

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