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Visual programming uses pictorial elements to create computer programs, making it easier to understand and create complex programs. It includes data relationships, sharing data, and linking graphics. Many visual programming languages exist, but some have been criticized for being too visually cluttered.
Visual programming is the creation of a computer program using pictorial elements. Traditionally, a program is a sequence of text instructions used to achieve a certain result or solve a problem. Programming languages often have particular ways of representing the work to be done, thus leading to complexity. Visual programming attempts to make it easier to create programs.
Consider a search conducted within a website where a box is used to enter text. When the user types a character, some suggestions appear just below the text box. A visual program for achieving this would allow the programmer to place a number of boxes on the screen, one for each activity, and use arrows to indicate the flow between activities.
The first box on the screen will indicate that it is waiting for your action. When a character is typed, the stream will be directed to a box which determines if the character is valid. If the character is valid, the stream will be directed to another box on the screen that searches the database.
Searching the database would itself have a number of subtasks. Clicking the database search box will open a new screen for the programmer to specify those sub-tasks and the flow between them. Things like stopping the search when a fixed number of suggestions are found or abandoning the search when not enough suggestions are found in a given amount of time would be taken into account and dealt with by the programmer in this screen.
A computer program has many facets beyond action and flow. These include data relationships, sharing data with other programs, disseminating work across resources, and linking graphics for ease of use. A set of text instructions doesn’t always handle all of these actions smoothly, and it might not be easy for other programmers to understand all of their implications. Visual programming attempts to address most of these aspects.
There are many languages that allow you to do programming visually. Typically, visual programming languages include: Tersus for web applications, MVPL for robotics, LabVIEW for scientists, and SynthMaker for audio tools. There are visual languages for programming handheld and embedded computers. However, Visual C# or Visual Basic are not visual languages. While popular, they simply allow elements to be placed on the screen for the user to interact with.
Visual programming has been criticized for making programs look like toys and for the number of visual elements that can be displayed on a screen at once. The Deutsch Limit indicates that around 50 items can be viewed. Just as text-based programming languages have evolved, there is promise that visual languages can meet these challenges too.
