A Non-Termination Criterion for Binary Constraint Logic Programs

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new static analysis criterion for detecting non-terminating atomic queries in binary constraint logic programs, generalizing previous methods and providing a correct and complete logical framework.

Contribution

It presents a novel non-termination detection criterion for binary CLP programs, extending prior work with a generic operational and logical formulation.

Findings

The criterion is correct and complete.

It generalizes previous non-termination detection methods.

An implemented logical form is provided.

Abstract

On the one hand, termination analysis of logic programs is now a fairly established research topic within the logic programming community. On the other hand, non-termination analysis seems to remain a much less attractive subject. If we divide this line of research into two kinds of approaches: dynamic versus static analysis, this paper belongs to the latter. It proposes a criterion for detecting non-terminating atomic queries with respect to binary CLP rules, which strictly generalizes our previous works on this subject. We give a generic operational definition and an implemented logical form of this criterion. Then we show that the logical form is correct and complete with respect to the operational definition.