Dependency-directed binding of variables for constraint logic programming

Abstract

Constraint Logic Programming (CLP) environments should be able to delay, if necessary, the evaluation of variables in a constraint (e.g. equation) until they become bound at some later point in processing. This paper presents a general method for supporting the automatic creation of delayed bindings in CLP environments that is applicable not only in the case of constraints but for any predicate in a logic rule as well. Consequently this method supports rule representations in CLP languages with no restrictions on the ordering of subgoals.