2,692 research outputs found
Formulas as Programs
We provide here a computational interpretation of first-order logic based on
a constructive interpretation of satisfiability w.r.t. a fixed but arbitrary
interpretation. In this approach the formulas themselves are programs. This
contrasts with the so-called formulas as types approach in which the proofs of
the formulas are typed terms that can be taken as programs. This view of
computing is inspired by logic programming and constraint logic programming but
differs from them in a number of crucial aspects.
Formulas as programs is argued to yield a realistic approach to programming
that has been realized in the implemented programming language ALMA-0 (Apt et
al.) that combines the advantages of imperative and logic programming. The work
here reported can also be used to reason about the correctness of non-recursive
ALMA-0 programs that do not include destructive assignment.Comment: 34 pages, appears in: The Logic Programming Paradigm: a 25 Years
Perspective, K.R. Apt, V. Marek, M. Truszczynski and D.S. Warren (eds),
Springer-Verlag, Artificial Intelligence Serie
Middle-Out Reasoning for Logic Program Synthesis
We propose a novel approach to automating the synthesis of logic programs: Logic programs are synthesized as a by-product of the planning of a verification proof. The approach is a two-level one: At the object level, we prove program verification conjectures in a sorted, first-order theory. The conjectures are of the form 8args \Gamma\Gamma\Gamma\Gamma! : prog(args \Gamma\Gamma\Gamma\Gamma! ) $ spec(args \Gamma\Gamma\Gamma\Gamma! ). At the meta-level, we plan the object-level verification with an unspecified program definition. The definition is represented with a (second-order) meta-level variable, which becomes instantiated in the course of the planning
Improving Prolog Programs: Refactoring for Prolog
Refactoring is an established technique from the OO-community to restructure
code: it aims at improving software readability, maintainability and
extensibility. Although refactoring is not tied to the OO-paradigm in
particular, its ideas have not been applied to Logic Programming until now.
This paper applies the ideas of refactoring to Prolog programs. A catalogue
is presented listing refactorings classified according to scope. Some of the
refactorings have been adapted from the OO-paradigm, while others have been
specifically designed for Prolog. Also the discrepancy between intended and
operational semantics in Prolog is addressed by some of the refactorings.
In addition, ViPReSS, a semi-automatic refactoring browser, is discussed and
the experience with applying \vipress to a large Prolog legacy system is
reported. Our main conclusion is that refactoring is not only a viable
technique in Prolog but also a rather desirable one.Comment: To appear in ICLP 200
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