Some thoughts on the role of examples in program transformation and its relevance for explanation-based learning

Abstract

Explanation-based learning is using the same technique as partial evaluation, namely unfolding. However, it brings a new insight: an example can be used to guide the transformation process. In this paper, we further explore this insight and show how examples can be used to guide other kinds of program transformation, guiding not only the unfolding, but also the introduction of new predicates and the folding. On the other hand, we illustrate the more fundamental restructuring which is possible with program transformation and the relevance of completeness results to eliminate computationally inefficient knowledge.