GRASP/Ada 95: Visualization with Control Structure Diagrams

The Graphical Representations of Algorithms, Structures, and Processes for Ada (GRASP/Ada) project has successfully created and prototyped a new algorithmic level graphical representation for Ada software, the Control Structure Diagram (CSD). The primary impetus to create and refine the CSD is to improve the comprehension efficiency of Ada software, and as a result, improve reliability and reduce costs. The emphasis is on the automatic generation of the CSD from Ada 95 source code to support design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. The CSD has the potential to replace traditional pretty-printed Ada source code. An important additional focus of the GRASP/Ada 95 project is on the generation of a new fine-grained complexity metric called the Complexity Profile Graph (CPG), which will be synchronized with the CSD to provide both visualization and measurement of Ada 95 source code. By synchronizing the CSD and the CPG, the CSD view of control structure, nesting, and source code will be directly linked to the corresponding visualization of statement level complexity in the CPG. In this article, an overview of the GRASP/Ada 95 project at Auburn University is presented with emphasis on the Control Structure Diagram and the current prototype.