Jump to content

Visual programming language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AndreasBWagner (talk | contribs) at 02:20, 23 December 2010 (→Visual languages and interfaces). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

KTechlab,uses flowchart to program microcontrollers graphically.

A visual programming language (VPL) is any programming language that lets users create programs by manipulating program elements graphically rather than by specifying them textually (also known as dataflow or diagrammatic programming [1]). A VPL allows programming with visual expressions, spatial arrangements of text and graphic symbols, used either as elements of syntax or secondary notation. Many VPLs are based on the idea of "boxes and arrows," where boxes or other screen objects are treated as entities, connected by arrows, lines or arcs which represent relations.

VPLs may be further classified, according to the type and extent of visual expression used, into icon-based languages, form-based languages, and diagram languages. Visual programming environments provide graphical or iconic elements which can be manipulated by users in an interactive way according to some specific spatial grammar for program construction.

A visually transformed language is a non-visual language with a superimposed visual representation. Naturally visual languages have an inherent visual expression for which there is no obvious textual equivalent[citation needed].

Current developments try to integrate the visual programming approach with dataflow programming languages to either have immediate access to the program state resulting in online debugging or automatic program generation and documentation (i.e. visual paradigm). Dataflow languages also allow automatic parallelization, which is likely to become one of the greatest programming challenges of the future.[1]

Visual languages and interfaces

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
  • PointDragon, a visual programming language for cloud computing offered by GraphLogic.[2]
  • Prograph
  • Ptolemy
  • Programming Without Coding Technology (PWCT), specialist innovative technology where programmers need not write code but can visually specify every functional aspect of programs similar to flowcharts and algorithms; includes (Mahmoud programming language, RPWI environment, DoubleS [Super Server] programming paradigm); free open source; uses interaction by presenting a GUI between human and programming languages, so doing anything requires knowing procedure instead of being declarative
  • PWGL, a language based on Common Lisp, CLOS and OpenGL
  • Pypes, a Flow-based programming implementation by Eric Gaumer using Stackless Python
  • Quartz Composer, a language for processing and rendering graphical data (Mac OS X)
  • Quest3D, a 3D engine/platform for virtual reality based development (Win)
  • Reaktor, a DSP and MIDI-processing language by Native Instruments
  • Red-R, a cross platform Python/QT based visual programming framework for R-Project
  • SCADE
  • Scala Multimedia Authoring suite and complete multimedia system for AmigaOS and Windows
  • Scicos A graphical language associated with the numerical analysis package ScicosLab (originally SciLab).
  • Simulink
  • Built on Squeak
  • Scratch, a product of MIT designed for kids in K-12 and after school programs
  • Sequential function chart, a Petri-net like programming language for programmable logic controllers
  • Softimage ICE
  • Stagecast Creator, formerly Apple's Cocoa: Internet Authoring for Kids
  • SourceBinder, a node based visual development environment for Flash 10+
  • Subtext
  • SynthMaker, an audio programming tool using a visual programming language
  • SynthEdit, a tool similar to SynthMaker
  • tarpipe, a social media platform using a visual programming language to connect different Web services together
  • Tersus, an open source platform for the development of rich web applications by visually defining user interface, client side behavior and server side processing
  • TestShell, a graphical test automation environment
  • ThingLab
  • ToonTalk, programming system for children
  • VEE
  • VisSim, modeling and simulation language, allows making mathematical models quickly and executing them in real-time
  • Virtools, a middleware used to create interactive 3D experiences
  • VISION/HPC Python-based, drag-and-drop visual-programming environment for programming HPCs
  • WireFusion, visual programming environment for creating interactive 3D web presentations
  • Vsxu, music visual / real time 3D graphics generation (Windows, GNU/Linux, Mac Os X)
  • vvvv, real time video synthesis
  • XEE, a visual data processing language for ETL tasks
  • X-Gen, a visual financial enterprise application integration for financial messaging and workflow (www.swissrisk.com)

Note: Microsoft Visual Studio and the languages it encompasses (Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual J#, etc.) are commonly confused to be but are not visual programming languages. All of these languages are textual and not graphical. MS Visual Studio is a visual programming environment, but not a visual programming language, hence the confusion.

See also

This article was originally based on material from the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, used with permission. Update as needed.

Notes and references

  1. ^ Johnston, W.M. (2004). "Advances in dataflow programming languages" (PDF). ACM Computing Surveys. 36 (1): 1–34. doi:10.1145/1013208.1013209. Retrieved 2007-03-31. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Steven Allen Gold, David Marvin Baker, Vladimir Gusev, Hongping Liang. Object process graph system, US Patent number 7316001, Filing date: May 20, 2005, Issue date: Jan 1uary, 2008.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Visual_programming_language&oldid=403808215"