HyperCode is an HTML-based HyperText representation of program source code richly decorated with informative links. In basic HyperCode, several types of code-internal links explicitly represent previously implicit program structures such as functional dependencies and data structure dependencies. In this form, HyperCode is a powerful tool for comprehending program source code.
With support from a database and a WWW server, HyperCode becomes a tool not only for program analysis but also for code sharing and development. Automated tools using the explicit links present in HyperCode make adding code to the database trivial, and a database of code publicly available on the World-Wide Web is a rich resource for programmers. Additional database support further encourages code evolution by enabling data collection on a network-wide scale.
In Section 2, we will describe the operation of and benefits accruing from basic HyperCode. In Section 3, we will discuss the benefits of database- and server-supported HyperCode. Finally, in Section 4, we will discuss some areas for future work on HyperCode.