Abstract
In introductory programming teaching, block-based editors have become very popular because they offer a number of strong advantages for beginning programmers: They avoid many syntax errors, can display all available instructions for visual selection and encourage experimentation with little requirement for recall. Among proficient programmers, however, text-based systems are strongly preferred due to several usability and productivity advantages for expert users. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive introduc- tion to a novel editing paradigm, frame-based editing – including design, implementation, experimentation and analysis. We describe how the design of this paradigm combines many advantages of block-based and text-based systems, then we present and discuss an implementation of such a system for a new Java-like language called Stride, including the results of several evaluation studies. The resulting editing system has clear advantages for both novices and expert programmers: It improves program representation and error avoidance for beginners and can speed up program manipulation for experts. Stride can also serve as an ideal stepping stone from block-based to text-based languages in an educational context.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 40-67 |
| Journal | Journal of Visual Languages and Sentient Systems |
| Volume | 3 |
| Early online date | 21 Jun 2017 |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2017 |
Keywords
- Editors
- program manipulation
- frame-based editing