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Many end-user programming tasks require programmatically processing JSON, wrangling it from one format to another or building interactive applications atop it. But end-users are impeded by the indirectness and steep learning curve of textual code. We present Sculpin, a direct-manipulation environment supporting a broad range of JSON-transformation tasks. A user of Sculpin transforms JSON data step by step, recording a program in the process. Sculpin makes three design commitments to ensure directness and versatility: (1) steps are small and precise, not inferred; (2) steps are general-purpose and open to re-appropriation; (3) steps operate on JSON itself, rather than on a limited intermediate representation. To support these commitments, Sculpin introduces a mechanism of sculptable selections: the user can direct their action by guiding a selection on top of the data through small steps like generalization and hierarchical navigation. Sculpin also extends JSON with embedded interface elements like form inputs and buttons, allowing applications to be sculpted incrementally from source data. We demonstrate the breadth and directness of Sculpin in use-cases ranging from wrangling data to building applications. We evaluate Sculpin through a heuristic analysis, situating it in a broad space of programming systems and surfacing limitations such as difficulties editing preexisting programs. 

Tools to inspect runtime state, like print statements and debuggers, are an essential part of programming. Yet, a major limitation is that they present data at a fixed, low level of abstraction which can overload the user with irrelevant details. In contrast, human drawings of data structures use many illustrative visual abstractions to show the most useful information. We attempt to bridge the gap by surveying 80 programmer-produced diagrams to develop a mechanical approach for capturing visual abstraction, termed abstraction moves. An abstraction move selects data objects of interest, and then revisualizes, simplifies, or annotates them. We implement these moves as a diagramming language for JavaScript code, named Chisel, and show that it can effectively reproduce 78 out of the 80 surveyed diagrams. In a preliminary study with four CS educators, we evaluate its usage and discover potential contexts of use. Our approach of mechanically moving between levels of abstraction in data displays opens the doors to new tools and workflows in programming education and software development.