Contents 0 Introduction 4
Progranimate Overview Feature Overview
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- User Interface Overview
- Flowchart View
- Code View
- Variable Inspector
- Palette
- Toolbar
- Console
2.0Progranimate Overview
Progranimate provides a wide array of features to support the novice programmer. These features are outlined below. Program Creation Progranimate is a programming tool that focuses on the algorithmic problem solving skills of programming. So that the user is not bogged down with the complexities of syntax, lines of code are not directly entered into Progranimate. The code is generated automatically and in a variety of selectable languages. As is the structure of the flowchart as the creation of this its self could prove a distraction. The user simply needs to decide where a component or structure will go (by interacting with the flowchart or code), define any associated parameters and the rest is taken care of, allowing the user to focus purely on problem solving and algorithm design. Cut, Copy, Paste and Undo features are also provided to make the process easier and quicker. Program Visualisation The basic concept behind the tool is to visualise the programming task via flowcharts and automatically generated computer code. The flowchart and code representations are synchronised graphically. Highlighting a component in the flowchart causes the relevant component in the code to also be highlighted and vice versa. This allows the user to see the relationship between a flowchart and textual code structure that subsequent design would likely produce. Auto Code Generation in Multiple Languages An aim of Progranimate is to prevent users from being bogged down with the complexities of programming language syntax. Therefore programs are constructed from automatically generated code rather than direct text input. Progranimate provides the capability to generate code in one of three languages; these are Java, VisualBasic.Net and VisualBasic6.0, Language Translation Progranimate enables users to translate a program across all its available languages. This allows the user to see how an algorithmic solution may be represented in multiple languages. Animation Progranimate allows programs to be animated so that each step of execution is visualised synchronously in both the flowchart and code representations of a computer program. The animation features reinforce student understanding of program statement flow in both the flowchart and code representations of a program. Variable / Array Inspection A variable and array inspector is provided so that Progranimate may visualise the effect that each program statement has on the data of a program. This is very important for communicating programming concepts and ideas to students. It also emphasises debugging skills from an early stage, something that many novice environments forget. Saving and Loading of Programs Any programming environment would not be complete without the ability to save user programs and load user created programs. Printing of Flowcharts and Code Progranimate provides the ability to print out both the generated code and flowcharts, enabling the users to communicate their ideas. Saving Flowchart Graphics and Generated Code It is possible to save the flowchart graphics in a variety of formats allowing users to easily add their flowcharts to various documents. Also the code generated by Progranimate can be exported to an external text file. Visual Customisation Progranimate provides a wide rage of settings for visually customising the way Progranimate appears to the user. These features are very useful when Progranimate is used as an applet or when certain features need to be emphasised. WWW Integration Progranimate can be integrated via the World Wide Web. It can easily be deployed as a Java Web Start or Applet application, making it ideal as a centrepiece to an online learning environment or tutorial covering the imperatives of programming.
In this section an overview of Progranimate’s user interface and it’s features is given.        
Flowchart view Code view Console Toolbar Variable/ array inspector Menu Figure 1. Progranimate’s User-Interface
The flowchart view presents the user with a flowchart representation of the stored program. The user can interact with the flowchart to add, edit or remove components and structures from a program. As a component or structure is added to the flowchart view the code view updates by generating and displaying associated program code. The flowchart view animates a program in synchronisation with the code view by highlighting each relevant flowchart component in turn until the terminate component is reached.
The code view presents a code-based representation of the stored program in the selected language. The code view can be interacted with to add, edit or remove components or structures. As a component or structure is added to the code view the flowchart view updates by adding the relevant flowchart components and structures. Declarations for variables and arrays are also displayed in the code view. During animation the code view animates a program in synchronisation with the flowchart view highlighting each relevant line of code in turn until the end of the program is reached.
The variable inspector displays the variables and arrays used by the programs of Progranimate. The inspector is used to add, edit, and delete the variables and arrays of a program. During animation cycles, the variable inspector visualises the effect that each program statement has on the variables and arrays used. The data types used by the inspector are dependent on the programming language selected. However, the data types commonly include: Integer, Double, String, Character and Boolean types.
The palette provides options for adding program variables, arrays statements and structures to a program. These include assignment, print and read statements and If, If_Else and While structures. The palette also provides edit and delete options. These can be used to edit or remove program statements and structures, as well as variables and arrays. To add a component to a program, the user selects the relevant option from the palette, then selects the relevant part of the flowchart or code . To edit or delete a program component, structure, variable or array, the user selects the edit/delete option from the palette then clicks on the relevant component, structure, variable or array in the flowchart, code or variable inspector (or visa versa if settings allow).
The toolbar contains the options for saving, loading and clearing programs. It also contains controls to run, pause, step and stop animations. The two sliders control the speed of animation and the scale at which the flowchart is drawn.
The console handles the input and output of data; it is invoked during animation. When a print statement is reached, it is called to output information and data to the screen. It is also called when a read statement is reached to take input from the user and place it in a variable or array element.
The menus control many major and minor functions. File The File menu allows for saving, loading, program clearing and closing Progranimate. Options are also provided to printing or saving the flowchart graphics or generated code. It also provides access to the advanced menu where Progranimate can be customised in many ways. Edit The Edit menu allows the user to undo the previous command, and perform copy, cut and paste operations on a selected component or structure. View The View menu is used to select which of Progranimate’s GUI elements are visible and enabled. For example the user may wish turn off the flowchart view, the code view, variable, palette, or toolbar etcetera. Code Generation The Code Generation menu is used to select the language implemented by Progranimate. It also provides options for setting the size and font of text in the code view. This menu also allows users to adjust the level of detail used in the automatically generated commenting. Help Finally, the Help menu allows the user to access the manual, and program information. In the future it will contain other help based features to assist the users of Progranimate. Directory: docs docs -> Application for acem docs -> Observational Assessment of Teaching Practices Teaching Assessment Initiative Proposal Submitted to The Teachers for a New Era project docs -> Traditional British values docs -> From Warfighters to Crimefighters: The Origins of Domestic Police Militarization docs -> Borzoi Club of America Register of Merit Program I. What is a Register Of Merit docs -> Protecting the rights of the child in the context of migration docs -> United Nations E/C. 12/Esp/5 docs -> 9th May 1950 the schuman declaration docs -> Getting To Outcomes® in Services for Homeless Veterans 10 Steps for Achieving Accountability Download 383.54 Kb. Share with your friends:
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