Declarative programming

About: Declarative programming is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4469 publications have been published within this topic receiving 125190 citations.

Foundations of logic programming

Abstract: This is the second edition of an account of the mathematical foundations of logic programming. Its purpose is to collect, in a unified and comprehensive manner, the basic theoretical results of the field, which have previously only been available in widely scattered research papers. In addition to presenting the technical results, the book also contains many illustrative examples and problems. The text is intended to be self-contained, the only prerequisites being some familiarity with PROLOG and knowledge of some basic undergraduate mathematics. The material is suitable either as a reference book for researchers or as a textbook for a graduate course on the theoretical aspects of logic programming and deductive database systems.

Can programming be liberated from the von Neumann style?: a functional style and its algebra of programs

Abstract: Conventional programming languages are growing ever more enormous, but not stronger. Inherent defects at the most basic level cause them to be both fat and weak: their primitive word-at-a-time style of programming inherited from their common ancestor—the von Neumann computer, their close coupling of semantics to state transitions, their division of programming into a world of expressions and a world of statements, their inability to effectively use powerful combining forms for building new programs from existing ones, and their lack of useful mathematical properties for reasoning about programs.An alternative functional style of programming is founded on the use of combining forms for creating programs. Functional programs deal with structured data, are often nonrepetitive and nonrecursive, are hierarchically constructed, do not name their arguments, and do not require the complex machinery of procedure declarations to become generally applicable. Combining forms can use high level programs to build still higher level ones in a style not possible in conventional languages.Associated with the functional style of programming is an algebra of programs whose variables range over programs and whose operations are combining forms. This algebra can be used to transform programs and to solve equations whose “unknowns” are programs in much the same way one transforms equations in high school algebra. These transformations are given by algebraic laws and are carried out in the same language in which programs are written. Combining forms are chosen not only for their programming power but also for the power of their associated algebraic laws. General theorems of the algebra give the detailed behavior and termination conditions for large classes of programs.A new class of computing systems uses the functional programming style both in its programming language and in its state transition rules. Unlike von Neumann languages, these systems have semantics loosely coupled to states—only one state transition occurs per major computation.

An axiomatic basis for computer programming

Abstract: In this paper an attempt is made to explore the logical foundations of computer programming by use of techniques which were first applied in the study of geometry and have later been extended to other branches of mathematics. This involves the elucidation of sets of axioms and rules of inference which can be used in proofs of the properties of computer programs. Examples are given of such axioms and rules, and a formal proof of a simple theorem is displayed. Finally, it is argued that important advantages, both theoretical and practical, may follow from a pursuance of these topics.

Programming in Prolog

Abstract: Since the first publication of ''Programming in Prolog'' in 1981, Prolog has continued to attract an unexpectedly great deal of interest in the computer science community and is now seen as a potential basis for an important new generation of programming languages and systems. In this second edition, the authors have improved the presentation and corrected various minor errors to provide a textbook as well as a reference work for everyone who wants to study and use Prolog as a practical programming language. Various examples show how useful programs can be written with the Prolog system that exists today. The authors concentrate on teaching the ''core'' Prolog; all examples conform to this standard and will run on most existing Prolog implementations. Some of the existing Prolog implementations are listed in the appendices with indications as to how diverge from the standard.

Direct Manipulation: A Step Beyond Programming Languages

Abstract: These feelings are not, of course, universal, but the amalgam does convey an image of the truly pleased user. As I talked with these enthusiasts and examined the systems they used, I began to develop a model of the features that produced such delight. The central ideas seemed to be visibility of the object of interest; rapid, reversible, incremental actions; and replacement of complex command language syntax by direct manipulation of the object of interest-hence the term \"direct manipulation.\" Examples of direct manipulation systems