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Use of Tree and Graph Structures to Diagram the Logic of Large, Complex Programs
Author(s) -
MILLER MICHAEL J.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
computer‐aided civil and infrastructure engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.773
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1467-8667
pISSN - 1093-9687
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8667.1986.tb00121.x
Subject(s) - debugging , computer science , programming language , graph , theoretical computer science , data structure , tree structure , process (computing) , tree (set theory) , mathematics , mathematical analysis
CADD software and other large, highly interactive, complex programs must keep track of many complex relationships and perform the correct operations with both speed and precision based on these relationships, which are often seemingly in conflict. Computers can evaluate only one relationship at a time and the relationships must be evaluated in a specified order that can vary greatly depending on the outcome of each test. Consequently, writing and debugging a program that will perform correctly under a wide variety of inputs can be a frustrating process that at times can seem to produce two “bugs” for each one that is corrected. Tree structures can be employed to maintain a dynamic diagram of the program structure as it is being created. Graph structures, which are closely associated with tree structures, can be employed to simplify the task of developing and implementing the correct program logic and to identify many of the design logic errors at an early stage. This article describes the use of tree and graph structures to diagram program structure and logic for an educational CADD package that was written by the author.