JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 15(7): 1546-1561, doi: 10.3217/jucs-015-07-1546
Visualization of Syntax Trees for Language Processing Courses
expand article infoFrancisco J. Almeida-Martínez‡, Jaime Urquiza-Fuentes‡, J. Ángel Velázquez-Iturbide‡
‡ Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain

Corresponding author: Francisco Almeida-Martínez ( ffrancisco.almeida@urjc.es )

© Francisco Almeida-Martínez, Jaime Urquiza-Fuentes, J. Velázquez-Iturbide.
This article is freely available under the J.UCS Open Content License.
Citation: Almeida-Martínez FJ, Urquiza-Fuentes J, Velázquez-Iturbide JÁ (2009) Visualization of Syntax Trees for Language Processing Courses. JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 15(7): 1546-1561. https://doi.org/10.3217/jucs-015-07-1546
Open Access
Abstract
This article describes the educational tool VAST. We designed VAST to be used in compiler and language processing courses. The current version allows generat- ing and visualizing syntax trees and their construction process. The main advantages of VAST follow: it is designed to be as independent from the parser generator as possible, it allows students to visualize the behavior of parsers they develop, and it has an inter- face designed to easily handle huge syntax trees. Finally, we describe two satisfactory preliminary evaluations from the usability and educational points of view.
Keywords
syntax trees, visualization, educational software