Authoring system
A visual programming environment is an integrated development environment (IDE) with a visual development environment that allows you to edit the application's user interface to be created graphically. Typically, the surface is created according to the " modular ". You will then be displayed when you edit the same or similar as it appears in the executable program later (see also WYSIWYG).
This approach should not (RAD short to German rapid application development ) with the software development process as a Rapid Application Development to be confused. Visual programming environment supports this process but significantly, enables him often erst
Some applications, especially user interface (GUI) that can use visual programming environment in a fraction of the time that would be required for conventional programming, can be created. Also automatic code completion even when the input is often part of the RAD concept. The first commercially available visual programming environment was in the year 1988, the Interface Builder for NeXTSTEP. Important representatives are newer Omnis Studio, Delphi and Kylix as well as their competition Lazarus, the Gupta Team Developer, Visual Studio, LabVIEW, Pocket studio or for smaller applications and tools also ClickEXE.
A RAD programming environment provides the developer with a complete package for the development of software available: these include generally in addition to the mentioned function for editing user interfaces, a compiler, a debugger ( a diagnostic tool ) and an editor for the source code.
Authoring system
Also for visual programming serve so-called authoring systems, but they are usually less focused on programming than on the figures, for example by graphic designers. Authoring systems such as Adobe Director (formerly Macromedia Director ) and Adobe Flash can be used to create interactive multimedia applications. Here most of the generated code is completely hidden in front of the creator ( see also e-learning systems # Author )
In addition, the term is also used for visual programming languages such as Java, is programmed graphically with statechart diagrams in.