Order-sorted feature theory unification

 

The Journal of Logic Programming

Ait-Kaci Hassan, Andreas Podelski, and Seth Copen Goldstein

30(2):99–124

Feb 1990

Abstract


download pdf


@article{ait-kaci-jlp97,
  author = {Hassan, Ait-Kaci and Podelski, Andreas and Goldstein, Seth
     Copen},
  title = {Order-sorted feature theory unification},
  journal = {The Journal of Logic Programming},
  volume = {30},
  month = {Feb},
  year = {1997},
  abstract = {Order-sorted feature (OSF) terms provide an adequate
     representation for objects as flexible records. They are sorted,
     attributed, possibly nested structures, ordered thanks to a
     subsort ordering. Sorts definitions offer the functionality of
     classes imposing structural constraints on objects. These
     constraints involve variable sorting and equations among feature
     paths, including self-reference. Formally, sort definitions may
     be seen as axioms forming an OSF theory. OSF theory unification
     is the process of normalizing an OSF term taking into account
     sort definitions, enforcing structural constraints imposed by an
     OSF theory. It allows objects to inherit, and thus abide by,
     constraints from their classes. We propose a formal system that
     logically models record objects with (possibly recursive) class
     definitions accommodating multiple inheritance. We show that OSF
     theory unification is undecidable in general. However, we give a
     set of confluent normalization rules which is complete for
     detecting the inconsistency of an object with respect to an OSF
     theory. Furthermore, a subset consisting of all rules but one is
     confluent and terminating. This yields a practical complete
     normalization strategy, as well as an effective compilation
     scheme.},
  pages = {99--124},
  number = {2},
  url = {http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~seth/papers/ait-kaci-jlp97.pdf},
  doi = {doi:10.1016/S0743-1066(96)00053-2},
  also = {Proceedings of the International Symposium on Logic
     Programming (ILPS), 1993 and as DEC Technical Report PRL-RR-32},
  keywords = {Logic Programming},
}

Related Papers

Logic Programming
Order-sorted feature theory unification
Ait-Kaci Hassan, Andreas Podelski, and Seth Copen Goldstein. The Journal of Logic Programming, 30(2):99–124, Feb 1990. Also appeared as Proceedings of the International Symposium on Logic Programming (ILPS), 1993 and as DEC Technical Report PRL-RR-32.
Order-sorted feature theory unification
Ait-Kaci Hassan, Andreas Podelski, and Seth Copen Goldstein. DEC Paris Research Labs Technical Report No. PRL-RR-32, 1990. See ait-kaci-jlp97.
An Abstract Machine to Implement Functions in LIFE
Seth Copen Goldstein. DEC Paris Research Lab Technical Report No. Note 18, 1990.


Back to publications list