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Catching the Ouroboros: On debugging non-ground answer-set programs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2010

JOHANNES OETSCH,
JÖRG PÜHRER and
HANS TOMPITS
JOHANNES OETSCH
Affiliation:
Technische Universität Wien, Institut für Informationssysteme 184/3, Favoritenstrasse 9-11, A-1040 Vienna, Austria (e-mail: oetsch@kr.tuwien.ac.at, puehrer@kr.tuwien.ac.at, tompits@kr.tuwien.ac.at)
JÖRG PÜHRER
Affiliation:
Technische Universität Wien, Institut für Informationssysteme 184/3, Favoritenstrasse 9-11, A-1040 Vienna, Austria (e-mail: oetsch@kr.tuwien.ac.at, puehrer@kr.tuwien.ac.at, tompits@kr.tuwien.ac.at)
HANS TOMPITS
Affiliation:
Technische Universität Wien, Institut für Informationssysteme 184/3, Favoritenstrasse 9-11, A-1040 Vienna, Austria (e-mail: oetsch@kr.tuwien.ac.at, puehrer@kr.tuwien.ac.at, tompits@kr.tuwien.ac.at)
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Abstract

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An important issue towards a broader acceptance of answer-set programming (ASP) is the deployment of tools which support the programmer during the coding phase. In particular, methods for debugging an answer-set program are recognised as a crucial step in this regard. Initial work on debugging in ASP mainly focused on propositional programs, yet practical debuggers need to handle programs with variables as well. In this paper, we discuss a debugging technique that is directly geared towards non-ground programs. Following previous work, we address the central debugging question why some interpretation is not an answer set. The explanations provided by our method are computed by means of a meta-programming technique, using a uniform encoding of a debugging request in terms of ASP itself. Our method also permits programs containing comparison predicates and integer arithmetics, thus covering a relevant language class commonly supported by all state-of-the-art ASP solvers.

Keywords

answer-set programmingprogram analysisdebugging

Information

Type
Regular Papers
Information
Theory and Practice of Logic Programming , Volume 10 , Special Issue 4-6: 26th International Conference on Logic Programming , July 2010, pp. 513 - 529
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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