A framework for producing dynamic data structure visualizations within the context of a lightweight IDE is described. Multiple synchronized visualizations of a data structure can be created with minimal coding through the use of an external viewer model. The framework supplies a customizable viewer template as well as high-level APIs to a graph drawing library and the Java Debugger Interface. Initial classroom use has demonstrated the framework’s ease of use as well as its potential to as an aid to student learning. Categories and Subject Descriptors D.2.6 [Software Engineering]: Programming Environments – graphical environments, integrated environments, interactive environments. General Terms Documentation, Experimentation, Human Factors. Keywords Program Visualization, Algorithm Animation, Data Structures.
T. Dean Hendrix, James H. Cross II, Larry A. Barow