 | Pascal. Currently the animator only animates Pascal programs.
This is because we have only completed a compiler for Pascal. Years ago, when
this project first got underway, Pascal was the primary teaching language. The
Webworks team has a Java compiler in the works.
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| Execution with a pause. You can check a box in the animator that causes
an extra pause during program execution. The extra pause is for novices.
 | The code to be executed is initially highlighted in red, letting the user know that
execution is stopped, waiting for the user indication to proceed. This gives the
user time to try to ascertain what should happen when execution of the
highlighted code occurs.
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| After accepting the click, the animator executes the highlighted code and updates
the view windows. However, the same portion of the code is still highlighted, this
time in green. This gives the user a chance to see if what he or she thought should
have happened really did happen.
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| The green pause also gives the user an opportunity to try to determine where
execution should proceed next (particularly helpful in loops, selection statements, and
procedure and function calls and returns).
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| Clicking again causes the green highlighting to disappear and the next portion of
code to be executed to be highlighted in red.
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| Execution without the special pause. Once students are farther along,
the red-green pauses are unnecessary. Unchecking the pause box allows execution to
proceed in the usual single step at a time.
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| Execution no pauses. An option is present for allowing execution to
proceed to the end without pauses of any kind, especially useful in time complexity
experiments.
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| Execution cost counter. An execution cost counter keeps track of the
"cost" of execution to date as a measure of the number of underlying machine
language statements that are executed. This parameter allows for time complexity
experiments. The cost counter can be reset at arbitrary times to examine the time
complexity of a particular structure (a loop, for example).
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| Step over call. This option allows a procedure or function call to be
executed in a single step.
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| Step over loop. This option allows a loop to be executed in a single
step.
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| Reset program. An option is present to reset animation at the start of
the program.
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| Forward/Backward. Buttons are present to allow setting of execution and
animation in the normal, forward direction or in the reverse, backward direction.
This unique feature is especially helpful when one is trying to understand some
particularly puzzling section of a program or some new feature.
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| Library of programs. The File pulldown menu provides for inclusion of
as many well-designed programs as an instructor might desire to distribute to enhance
student learning.
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| Help. Help in running the animator is available on the top tool bar.
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