Abstract
This paper investigates algorithms for declarative diagnosis of missing answers in Prolog programs, especially programs which use coroutines. The logic of the problem is first presented, in the form of the simplest possible debugger. Next, we compare several previously published declarative debuggers based on Shapiro’s work. Examples showing incompleteness, incorrectness and equivalence of debuggers are given. Several enhancements to these debuggers are presented which can reduce the number and complexity of questions asked of the oracle, while still supporting coroutines. Although no debugger considered is best in all cases, the new algorithms are a practical contribution. Finally, we discuss diagnosis algorithms based more on Pereira’s work. These algorithms ask easier questions than Shapiro’s algorithms but rely on the standard left to right computation rule. We discuss possible ways to adapt these algorithms to handle coroutining. Completeness of debuggers is also discussed.
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Naish, L. Declarative diagnosis of missing answers. New Gener Comput 10, 255–285 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03037939
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03037939