Language-independent interactive data visualization

We introduce the Language-Independent Visualization Environment (LIVE) as a system for the visualization and manipulation of data structures and the computer programs that create and operate on them.LIVE interprets arbitrary programs containing arbitrary data structure definitions, showing diagrammatically the data that the process generates.It is language-independent in that a single program can be visualized in the syntax of multiple languages. LIVE is interactive in that not only does it show the effects of statements immediately as they occur at runtime, but it also generates new program source code automatically when the user manipulates the data on the screen. We anticipate that this tool will be most useful in a pedagogical setting such as a CS2 or data structures course, particularly with the introduction of pointers and linked structures.