DIVINE: An Immersive 3D Debugging Information Visualization System Using Metaphor

• Main Author: 范畯浩
• Other Authors: Yung-Pin Cheng
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/68293738886493695024

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 資訊教育研究所 === 92 === Developing efficient, bug free software is much more difficult than before because the complexity of software has grown significantly than before. We need some tools such as debuggers to help developers correct the program errors. Nevertheless, debugging a complex program is not easy. Programmers need to gather enough information of program states which are formed by variable values, data structures, to pinpoint the causes of program errors and then fix them. DIVINE [17] is a 3D debugging visualization tool we are developing. In the past, it provides a visualization of linked-list data structure in 3D environment and interactions to manipulate the elements in the linked-list. The visualization system DIVINE communicates with HILCADT [11], a debugger for Java language. In this thesis, we enhance DIVINE by supporting the concept of metaphors and support more human natural interactions between users and the system. Metaphor is a way of presenting a set of data. If the information can be displayed in only one way it may not be adequate for users to understand complicated data structure. It is much more helpful if programmers can visualize the debugging information using appropriate metaphors with well-designed, useful interactions. The goal of this thesis is to study and implement the 3D metaphors of data structures in computer programs.