Program Visualization: Graphics Support for Software Development

摘要

This document is the final report on the design and implementation of a program visualization (PV) environment, intended to offer the user an integrated graphics programming support system. The PV environment has capitalized on recent progress in the graphical representation of information, to provide designers and programmers with both static and dynamic (animated) views of systems. The PV research prototype supports programming in C, although large portions of the system are independent of the software development language. The goal of program visualization is to facilitate the understanding of programs by people. To visualize means 'to see or form a mental image of'. Successful program visualizations aid programmers in the formation of clear and correct mental images of the structure and function of programs.