Record manipulation in prolog
Jean G. Vaucher · Software Practice and Experience · 1989
Abstract Prolog is a relatively new programming language that has proved excellent for symbolic computation. However, Prolog was not specifically designed for industrial scale work and it lacks some standard features that are useful for reading, maintaining and debugging large programs. In particular, Prolog has no record mechanism, and programs often require major changes when data structures are modified. The record is a standard data abstraction concept that improves the robustness of programs. The main advantage in using records is that data structures can be modified and extended with minimal repercussion to program code. Furthermore, the use of significant names to access data fields means that the intent of code is generally clearer. We present a set of primitive operators that support a readable and robust programming style for the manipulation of record data structures in standard Prolog. The proposal covers both simple and imbricated record types and handles selective modification of records cleanly. We also treat property lists and records in a uniform way. These benefits are achieved with minimal overhead while retaining the traditional Prolog non‐deterministic style.