Abstract
Flowcharts serve as a great tool for new students learning programming logic in a language-independent fashion. However, current software tools for creating flowcharts on the computer have various shortcomings. UI-based solutions make creating flowcharts difficult through inefficient drag-and-drop menus. Sketching-based solutions take a more intuitive approach but don’t help the students beyond having pseudocode to start with. Flow2Code, on the other hand, enables students to draw flowcharts and translate them into code in a helpful way of bridging the gap between the two languages. Flow2Code can identify and interpret flowcharts drawn on paper using an algorithm for recognizing various shapes used in flowcharts. It fills a gap in the current solutions by converting the flowcharts into executable code and by having an intuitive and interactive interface where the users can edit both their flowchart and its resulting code.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Mexican Chamber of Electronics, Telecommunications, and Information Technologies (Spanish: Cámara Nacional de la Industria Electrónica de Telecomunicación) (CANIETI), and Microsoft (Surface Hub Grant) for their support. The conclusions, findings, opinions, and recommendations described in this chapter do not necessarily reflect those of CANIETI nor Microsoft. Additionally, the authors thank the Sketch Recognition Lab for their feedback and support of this project. Special thanks go to Duc Hoang for his part in writing this chapter.
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Ray, S., Herrera-Cámara, J.I., Runyon, M., Hammond, T. (2019). Flow2Code: Transforming Hand-Drawn Flowcharts into Executable Code to Enhance Learning. In: Hammond, T., Prasad, M., Stepanova, A. (eds) Inspiring Students with Digital Ink. Human–Computer Interaction Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17398-2_6
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