Generating Conditional Plans and Programs

Abstract

This paper describes Warplan-C, a general purpose system for synthesising plans and programs from precise problem descriptions. The system combines an adequate solution to the "side effect" problem (typified by the task of "interchanging the contents of two machine registers") with the case analysis necessary for generating programs containing conditionals. Predicate logic is used both as the problem specification language and, in the form of Prolog, as the implementation language. The entire Warplan-C program comprises 66 clauses and compiles into quite an efficient program by current standards.