Files
scryer-prolog/README.md
2017-12-03 14:15:01 -07:00

141 lines
3.4 KiB
Markdown

# rusty-wam
## Phase 1
An implementation of the Warren Abstract Machine in Rust, done
according to the progression of languages in [Warren's Abstract
Machine: A Tutorial
Reconstruction](http://wambook.sourceforge.net/wambook.pdf).
Phase 1 has been completed, in that rusty-wam implements in some form
all of the WAM book, including lists, cuts, Debray allocation, first
argument indexing, and conjunctive queries.
## Phase 2
Extend rusty-wam to include the following, among other features:
* call/N as a built-in meta-predicate (_done_).
* ISO Prolog compliant throw/catch (_done_).
* Built-in and user-defined operators of all fixities, with custom
associativity and precedence (_done_).
* Bignum, rational number and floating point arithmetic (_in progress_).
* Built-in control operators (`,`, `;`, `->`, etc.).
* Built-in predicates for list processing and top-level declarative
control (`setup_call_control/3`, `call_with_inference_limit/3`,
etc.)
* Attributed variables using the SICStus Prolog interface and
semantics. Adding coroutines like `dif/2`, `freeze/2`, etc.
is straightforward with attributed variables.
* An occurs check.
* Mode declarations.
* Extensions for clp(FD).
* `if_` and related predicates, following the developments of the
paper "Indexing `dif/2`".
* Strings, blobs, and other data types.
## Phase 3
Use the WAM code produced by the completed code generator to target LLVM
IR to get JIT-compiled and -executed Prolog programs.
It's my hope to use rusty-wam as the logic engine of a low level (and
ideally, very fast) [Shen](http://shenlanguage.org) implementation.
## Built-in predicates
The following predicates are built-in to rusty-wam.
* Arithmetic support:
* is/2 works for (+)/2, (-)/{1,2}, (*)/2, (//)/2, (div)/2, (/)/2, (rdiv)/2,
(xor)/2, (rem)/2, (mod)/2, (/\)/2, (\/)/2, (>>)/2, (<<)/2.
* atomic/1
* call/N (1 <= N <= 63)
* catch/3
* duplicate_term/2
* false/0
* (\\+)/1
* (=)/2
* throw/1
* true/0
* var/1
## Tutorial
To enter a multi-clause predicate, the brackets ":{" and "}:" are used
as delimiters. They must be contained entirely within their own lines.
For example,
```
prolog> :{
p(f(f(X)), h(W), Y) :- g(W), h(W), f(X).
p(X, Y, Z) :- h(Y), z(Z).
}:
prolog> :{
h(x).
h(y).
h(z).
}:
```
Single clause predicates can be entered without brackets, as in
```
prolog> p(X) :- q(X).
prolog> f(s).
prolog> z(Z).
```
Queries are issued as
```
prolog> ?- p(X, Y, Z).
```
Given the above work, the result of the query will be
```
prolog> ?- p(X, Y, Z).
true
Y = x
X = _0
Z = _2
```
Pressing `SPACE` will backtrack through other possible answers, if any exist.
Pressing `.` will abort the search and return to the prompt.
Wildcards work as well:
```
prolog> :{
member(X, [X|_]).
member(X, [_|Xs]) :- member(X, Xs).
}:
prolog> ?- member(X, [a, b, c]).
true
X = a ;
X = b ;
X = c ;
false.
```
and so do conjunctive queries:
```
prolog> f(X) :- g(X).
prolog> g(x). g(y). g(z).
prolog> h(call(f, X)).
prolog> ?- h(X), X.
true .
X = call(f, x) ;
X = call(f, y) ;
X = call(f, z).
```
Note that the values of variables belonging to successful queries are
printed out, on one line each. Uninstantiated variables are denoted by
a number preceded by an underscore (`X = _0` in an example above).
Lastly, rusty-wam supports dynamic operators. Using the built-in
arithmetic operators with the usual precedences,
```
prolog> ?- X = -5 + 3 - (2 * 4) // 8.
true.
X = -(+(-(5), 3), //(*(2, 4), 8)).
```