Introducing a Dataflow visual programming language for understanding program execution

Abstract

Regardless of the programming experience, the understanding of the program execution is mandatory if a programmer is to write a code. Therefore, it is vitally important for novice programmers to construct correct mental models of the execution of the notional machine. To this end, many program visualizations have been developed over the last years. However, novice programmers often focus on learning the syntax of a programming language rather than getting to grips with the programming itself. Dataflow visual programming languages (DFVPL) allow us to build programs by connecting blocks with arcs. In this paper we present our own DFVPL that exhibits a high level of responsiveness to user inputs and enables the user to control the execution of the program.