Glossary » visual programming language

visual programming language

a programming language whose interface is graphical, as opposed to the most common textual languages (such as C, Lisp, Java, etc). The idea is to improve the comprehensibility of the code by choosing an optimal notation, not one which is constrained by the need to display the code in a text format.

Some common approaches to visual programs include displaying programs as flowcharts, using dataflow diagrams (which look somewhat like layouts of electronics, showing components which send data through wires to other components), or restricted languages such as state machine diagrams. Many languages are hybrids, part-text and part-visual, and display certain components, such as the user interface, in a visual way while showing the remainder of the program code as text (e.g. HyperCard and Visual Basic).