Hypertextual Programming for Domain-Specific End-User Development

Domain-specific languages (DSLs) have successfully been used for end-user development. However, dealing with language syntax poses significant learning challenges. In this paper, we introduce hypertextual programming, a technique that represents language syntax as hypertext. With this technique, instead of dealing with textual languages, users can inspect and construct their programs mainly by using navigation. Beyond merely representing the syntax, hypertext can be used to provide various views of a single program code. Nevertheless, to reap the benefits of this technique, adequate hypertextual editors must be built. This paper argues that many of the lessons learned in the web engineering area can be used to deal with this problem. Millions of users navigate the World Wide Web. Hypertextual programming leverages this widely available end-user skill to facilitate the construction of computer programs.