Enumeration of success patterns in logic programs

Abstract

We have proposed the concept of item set for a Prolog program. It is inspired by the item set construction in parsing theories. Difficulties due to the exsistence of variables are overcome by the term-depth abstraction technique which reduces an in finite set of items to the finite one.

Since our technique relies on the item set construction combined with term-depth abstraction, another kind of term abstraction, instead of term-depth abstraciton, would bring forth the new kind of item set construction. For example, looking at a term from data type point of view would produce an item set which contains information about data types of arguments in a clause. Such is an area of future research.