visual programming language


visual programming language

(language)(VPL) Any programming language that allows the userto specify a program in a two-(or more)-dimensionsional way.Conventional textual languages are not consideredtwo-dimensional since the compiler or interpreterprocesses them as one-dimensional streams of characters. AVPL allows programming with visual expressions - spatialarrangements of textual and graphical symbols.

VPLs may be further classified, according to the type andextent of visual expression used, into icon-based languages,form-based languages and diagram languages. Visual programming environments provide graphical or iconic elementswhich can be manipulated by the user in an interactive wayaccording to some specific spatial grammar for programconstruction.

A visually transformed language is a non-visual language witha superimposed visual representation. Naturally visuallanguages have an inherent visual expression for which thereis no obvious textual equivalent.

Visual Basic, Visual C++ and the entire Microsoft Visualfamily are not, despite their names, visual programminglanguages. They are textual languages which use a graphicalGUI builder to make programming interfaces easier. The userinterface portion of the programming environment is visual,the languages are not. Because of the confusion caused by themultiple meanings of the term "visual programming", FredLakin has proposed the term "executable graphics" as analternative to VPL.

Some examples of visual programming languages are Prograph,Pict, Tinkertoy, Fabrik, CODE 2.0 and Hyperpascal.

http://cogs.susx.ac.uk/users/ianr/vpl.html.http://cuiwww.unige.ch/eao/www/readme.html.

Usenet newsgroup: news:comp.lang.visual (NOT for Visual Basic or Visual C++).