A FRAMEWORK FOR THE AUTOMATED DRAWING OF DATA STRUCTURE DIAGRAMS

Data structure diagrams are two-dimensional figures made up of lines that aim to pictorially indicate the interrelationships of the elements of a data structure. This paper collects the various rules and factors of aesthetics that go into the way we draw data structure diagrams. We formulate the various subjective factors into computable objectives and numeric parameters. These are distilled from a large number of data structure drawings as found in various textbooks. We reveal that the rules used have not reached a level of acceptance compared to the relevant rules in engineering graphics. We also outline the internal architecture of a (sub)system that we are building that helps draw data structure diagrams. © 1990, IEEE.