TREND OF
USING VISUAL
PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGE
NUNI IT ONLINE #3
By Teddy Marcus Zakaria

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
Programming languages are used to convert sets of instructions
into a vocabulary that a computer can understand.
The goal is to compile instructions into a format that will allow
the computer to complete a specific task

DEVELOPMENT OF PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGES

FIRST-
GENERATION
LANGUAGES
Machine language:
 Consists of binary numbers (0s and 1s)
 Is the earliest programming language
 Is the only language the computer
understands without translation
 Is machine dependent Each family of
processors has its own machine language
SLIDE 4

SECOND-
GENERATION
LANGUAGES
Assembly language:
 Resembles machine language
 Is a low-level language
 Uses brief abbreviations for program
instructions.
Abbreviations are called mnemonics
 A program is written in source code (text file)
and translated into machine language by an
assembler
SLIDE 5

THIRD-
GENERATI
ON
LANGUAGE
S
Procedural languages:
 Are high-level languages that tell the
computer what to do and how to do it
 Create programs at a high level of
abstraction
 Are easier to read, write, and maintain
than machine and assembly languages
 Use a compiler or interpreter to translate
code
Fortran and COBOL are third-
generation languages

THIRD-
GENERATI
ON
LANGUAGE
S
(CONTINU
ED)
Structured programming languages:
 Were developed to improve software
development
 Include Algol and Pascal
 the use of GOTO statements
 Use control structures
IF-THEN-ELSE

THIRD-
GENERATI
ON
LANGUAGE
S
(CONTINU
ED)
Modular programming languages:
 Were developed because of problems in
structured programming languages
 Are used to create programs that are
divided into separate modules
Each module carries out a special function
 Require specified input to produce
specified output

FOURTH-
GENERATI
ON
LANGUAGE
S
Types of fourth-generation languages
include:
 Report generators
Languages for printing database reports
 Query languages
Languages for getting information out of databases
Fourth-generation languages are
nonprocedural
 They do not force programmers to follow
procedures to produce results

OBJECT-
ORIENTED
PROGRAMMI
NG
Object-oriented programming
(OOP):
 Relies on component
reusability
The ability to produce program modules
that perform a specific task.
 Eliminates the distinction
between programs and data
 Uses objects that contain data
and procedures
SLIDE 11

OBJECTS
Objects are units of information that contain data as well as
methods that process and manipulate the data
Classes of objects:
 Hierarchy or category of objects
 Objects at the top of the category are broader in scope than
the subclass objects
Inheritance refers to an object’s capacity to “pass on” its
characteristics to its subclasses
SLIDE 12

Sample Cobol program
COMMON BUSINESS-ORIENTED LANGUAGE
(COBOL)
COBOL:
 The earliest (1959) high-level
language
 The most widely used business
language
 A proven way to do accounting,
inventory, billing, and payroll
 Requires programmers to
explain what the program is
doing at each step

Sample Fortran program
FORMULA TRANSLATOR
(FORTRAN)
Fortran:
 Began in the 1950s
 Is suited to scientific,
mathematical, and
engineering applications
 Is used to solve complex
equations
 Features simplicity,
economy, and ease of
use

Sample BASIC program
BEGINNER’S ALL-PURPOSE
SYMBOLIC
INSTRUCTION CODE (BASIC)
BASIC:
 An easy-to-use language available on
personal computers
 Widely taught in schools as a
beginner’s programming language
 Designed as an interpreted language

VISUAL BASIC (VB)
Visual Basic:
Is widely used in program
development packages
Uses event-driven programming
Enables the programmer to develop
an application by using on-screen
graphical user interfaces
Sample Visual Basic

Sample Pascal program
PASCAL
Pascal:
 Is named after Blaise Pascal
 Encourages programmers to
write well-structured programs
 Widely accepted as a teaching
language
 Has been updated to reflect
new approaches to
programming

SLIDE 18
Sample C program
C
C:
 Was developed by AT&T’s Bell
Labs in the 1970s
 Combines high-level
programming language with
assembly language
 Programmers manipulate bits of
data within a processing unit

Sample Smalltalk program
SMALLTALK
Smalltalk:
 Developed in the 1970s by Xerox
Corp
 “100% pure” object-oriented
programming language
 Not often chosen for software
development

C++
C++:
 Incorporates object-oriented
features
 Is widely used for
professional program
development
Sample C++ program

SLIDE 21
JAVA
Java:
 Developed by Sun Microsystems
 An object-oriented, high-level programming language with a twist
 First true cross-platform programming language
 Gained acceptance faster than any other programming language
 A simplified version of C++

JAVA
Java, continued :
 Java is designed to run on any computer
platform
 Java Virtual Machine enables cross-
platform use
 Java applets or small programs are
downloaded to computers through networks
 Weaknesses include:
The security risk in downloading applets
The speed in running the programs
Sample Java program

WEB-BASED LANGUAGES
Markup languages:
 Hypertext markup language (HTML) sets the attributes of text and objects within a Web
page
 Extensible markup language (XML) is used for sharing data and objects in a Web
environment
Scripting languages:
 VBScript is used to write short programs (scripts) that are embedded in Web pages
 JavaScript is used to write scripts on Web pages
Visual Studio .NET:
 Used for the development of scripts and programs that are accessible from the Web

THE PROGRAM
DEVELOPMENT LIFE
CYCLE (PDLC)
The PDLC was introduced in the 1970s to address problems in
creating programs
It provides an organized plan for breaking down the task of program
development into manageable parts
Six phases of the PDLC:
1. Defining the problem
2. Designing the program
3. Coding the program
4. Testing and debugging the program
5. Formalizing the solution
6. Implementing and maintaining the program

WHAT IS
VISUAL PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE ?
Any language that uses the graphics or blocks that are already defined with the
code
You just need to use those blocks without worrying about the lines of code
In regular programming language, when we have to write the lines of code to
perform the specific task like in C or C++, you have to write the complete text
using syntax and functions of that language
In visual programming language this task is replaced by graphics or
blocks like components then can be joined logically to perform the task

VISUAL AND REGULAR
PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGE?
Visual Programming language lets the user think in a logical
manner
Regular programming language the user has to think about that
how we can explain the program to the computer

EXAMPLES OF VISUAL
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
Scratch: With the help of this
language users can create,
stories, games, and
animations without writing
any lines of code in this you
just have to create the logic
and assemble the blocks.
Blockly: Used to create block-
based programming
language and editors,
and also to generate code
from blocks to javascript,
lua, dart python and PHP,
etc.
mBlock language: It is used in
programming robots.
Bubble language: It is used to
create web applications.
Minibloq language: It is used
as a graphical programming
environment for Arduino.

THE INTERFACE
OF SCRATCH
VISUAL
PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGE

THE INTERFACE
OF BLOCKY
VISUAL PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGE

THE INTERFACE OF VRVEX
VISUAL
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

APPLICATIONS OF VISUAL PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGE
• Multimedia: VPL helps users create multimedia without worrying
about the real code or other complex features. It narrows down to
specific functions and with the help of those functions,
multimedia is created.
• Educational : Scratch VPL, etc are used to help students in their
projects and make them familiar with the coding.
• VideoGames: VPL helps to create the videogames without writing
lines of codes Ex- Scratch VPL is used to make videogames
VPL can be used in multiple domains like multimedia, educational purpose, video games,
automation, simulation, data warehouse, business intelligence, etc.

ADVANTAGES OF VISUAL
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
These languages are
easy to learn and use.
01
These languages
provide many built-in
objects that can be
used in developing new
programs.
02
It is a beginner-friendly
also anyone will be able
to derive the logic
without worrying about
writing lines of code
03
Adding a user-specific
code is also available
and simple as it allows
to create of blocks as
per the convenience of
the user
04

DISADVANTAG
ES OF VISUAL
PROGRAMMIN
G LANGUAGE
• These languages require more memory as they
use graphics, as a result, their execution is
also slow and a large amount of memory is
occupied by them.
• They can only work in an operating system like
windows, mac, or any other operating system
which supports graphics.
• Only limited functions are present in these
languages.
• Sometimes the inbuilt functions are not
enough so you have to add your custom code
as a result it's complicated.
• For long term VPL may be tedious because the
commands are limited
• As a computer engineer, it is not a good idea to
use VPL as most of the tech companies work
on textual languages like JAVA, HTML, etc,
rather than VPL.

CONCLUSION
Regular and Visual Programming Languages ​
​
are both trending.
Visual programming languages ​
​
are parts of regular languages
​
​
according to their functions and blocks.
Visual Programming Languages ​
​
are easier to learn and use.
Despite its limitations, the challenge is how to make VPL as
powerful as a regular language?

REFERENCES
1. Visual programming language, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/introduction-to-visual-programming-language
3. https://aneeshbond.com/visual-programming-languages-the-pros-and-cons-of-visual-programming-languages
4. https://developers.google.com/blockly
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-generation_programming_language
6. Trends of the most used software and programming languages in Architectural
design, Published on November 22, 2019
7. A Survey on Visual Programming Languages in Internet of Things Partha Pratim Ray, Department of Computer
Applications, Sikkim University, Gangtok, Sikkim 737102, India
8. VEXcode VR, Vr.Vex.Com
9. TinkerCad.com