Constraint Logic Programming using Eclipse

This textbook offers an introduction to the Eclipse system and a guide to problem-solving for students and practitioners alike.

Krzysztof R. Apt (Author), Mark Wallace (Author)

9780521866286, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 December 2006

348 pages, 6 tables 49 exercises
25.3 x 17.8 x 2.2 cm, 0.853 kg

'The principle strengths of the book are the clarity of the writing and the use of well chosen examples. The programs are very well written, with efficiency considerations often subtly included. After digesting the book, and trying out examples and exercises in ECLiPSe, a reader will come away with solid grasp of CP, and the flexibility of ECLiPSe.' Theory and Practice of Logic Programming

Constraint logic programming lies at the intersection of logic programming, optimisation and artificial intelligence. It has proved a successful tool in many areas including production planning, transportation scheduling, numerical analysis and bioinformatics. Eclipse is one of the leading software systems that realise its underlying methodology. Eclipse is exploited commercially by Cisco, and is freely available and used for teaching and research in over 500 universities. This book has a two-fold purpose. It's an introduction to constraint programming, appropriate for one-semester courses for upper undergraduate or graduate students in computer science or for programmers wishing to master the practical aspects of constraint programming. By the end of the book, the reader will be able to understand and write constraint programs that solve complex problems. Second, it provides a systematic introduction to the Eclipse system through carefully-chosen examples that guide the reader through the language and illustrate its power, versatility and utility.

Introduction
Part I. Logic Programming Paradigm: 1. Logic programming and pure Prolog
2. A reconstruction of pure Prolog
Part II. Elements of Prolog: 3. Arithmetic in Prolog
4. Control and meta-programming
5. Manipulating structures
Part III. Programming with Passive Constraints: 6. Constraint programming: a primer
7. Intermezzo: iteration in ECLiPSe
8. Top-down search with passive constraints
9. The suspend library
Part IV. Programming with Active Constraints: 10. Constraint propagation in ECLiPSe
11. Top-down search with active constraints
12. Optimisation with active constraints
13. Constraints on reals
14. Linear constraints over continuous and integer variables
Solutions to selected exercises
Bibliographic remarks
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Computer programming / software development [UM], Mathematical logic [PBCD]