Syntax highlighting as an influencing factor when reading and comprehending source code

Tanya R Beelders,Jean-Pierre L Du Plessis

doi:10.16910/jemr.9.1.1

Tanya R Beelders, Jean-Pierre L Du Plessis

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.9.1.1

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Abstract

Syntax highlighting or syntax colouring, plays a vital role in programming development environments by colour-coding various code elements differently. The supposition is that this syntax highlighting assists programmers when reading and analysing code. However, academic text books are largely only available in black-and-white which could influence the comprehension of novice and beginner programmers. This study investigated whether student programmers experience more difficulty in reading and comprehending source code when it is presented without syntax highlighting. Number of fixations, fixation durations and regressions were all higher for black-and-white code than for colour code but not significantly so. Subjectively students indicated that the colour code snippets were easier to read and more aesthetically pleasing. Based on the analysis it could be concluded that students do not experience significantly more difficulty when reading code in black-and-white as printed in text books.

Highlights

Students in Information Technology (IT) are accustomed to writing and reading code in Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), such as Visual Studio® and Eclipse®
Students become attuned to the colours used for syntax highlighting which could simplify the understanding of a code piece or increase the ability of a student to extrapolate meaning from an unfamiliar piece of code
Some text books use bold face printing or italics to emphasise or indicate a certain type of code element but the fact remains that the code that students use to study and understand basic principles is not presented in a way that is familiar to them

Summary

Introduction

Students in Information Technology (IT) are accustomed to writing and reading code in Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), such as Visual Studio® and Eclipse®. Based on experience from academic texts used at tertiary institutions, it is not uncommon for text books to be printed in black-and-white, possibly as a cost saving mechanism. This includes the code samples that are given in most programming text books. Some text books use bold face printing or italics to emphasise or indicate a certain type of code element but the fact remains that the code that students use to study and understand basic principles is not presented in a way that is familiar to them. Of interest to this study are the moments when the eye is relatively stable These periods are called fixations and typically last between 200-300 milliseconds (Rayner, 1998). Rapid ballistic movements, called saccades, are used to position gaze over these objects (Gregory, 1966) which need to be seen.

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