Structural visualization of complex software systems
Venkata Padma Kumar Vemuri, J.C. Smart · OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) · 1991
The design outline of an automatic, computer-based Abstract Visualization Utility (A-Vu) is presented. Although A-Vu is a general purpose tool, emphasis here is on its ability to visualize structural aspects of software design. Starting from a system definition, an Ada program library, or a directed graph definition, A-Vu proceeds to develop a variety of nice'' linear graphs, revealing different visual representations of the design. Formally, given a linear graph G=(V,E), A-Vu searches for a configuration C such that a suitably defined energy'' function J(C) is minimized. The definition of the energy function includes software engineering considerations such as layering, modularity as well as aesthetic considerations like visual appeal, cognitive correctness, and so on. Simulated annealing techniques are applied to linear graph representations of software structures to obtain the minimum energy'' configurations.