visual programming language

1 definition found

visual programming language - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  visual programming language
  visual language
  
     <language> (VPL) Any programming language that allows the user
     to specify a program in a two-(or more)-dimensionsional way.
     Conventional textual languages are not considered
     two-dimensional since the compiler or interpreter
     processes them as one-dimensional streams of characters.  A
     VPL allows programming with visual expressions - spatial
     arrangements of textual and graphical symbols.
  
     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 the user 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.
  
     Visual Basic, Visual C++ and the entire Microsoft Visual
     family are not, despite their names, visual programming
     languages.  They are textual languages which use a graphical
     GUI builder to make programming interfaces easier.  The user
     interface portion of the programming environment is visual,
     the languages are not.  Because of the confusion caused by the
     multiple meanings of the term "visual programming", Fred
     Lakin has proposed the term "executable graphics" as an
     alternative 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++).
  
     (1995-02-10)