A knowledge base organization for rules about programming

ABSTRACT

PECOS is a knowledge-based system for automatic program synthesis. Programs are specified as abstract algorithms in a high-level language for symbolic computation. Through the successive application of programming rules, the specification is gradually refined into a concrete implementation in the target language. The existence of several rules for the same task permits the construction of a variety of distinct programs from a single initial specification. Internally, program descriptions are represented as collections of nodes, each labeled with a programming concept and with other properties related to that concept. The refinement process is guided by the selection and application of rules about programming. These rules are stated as condition-action pairs, but the identification of certain rule types permits the use of various techniques for efficient rule retrieval and testing, including the determination of retrieval patterns and the automatic separation of the condition into an applicability pattern and a binding pattern.

REFERENCES

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