Multi-valued Action Languages in CLP(FD)

TL;DR

This paper introduces a methodology for encoding multi-valued action languages with constraints in CLP(FD), enhancing planning domain formalization and implementation with a prototype demonstrating preliminary results.

Contribution

It extends action languages with constraints, providing a novel encoding approach and a prototype implementation for planning problems.

Findings

Successful encoding of action languages with constraints in CLP(FD)

Prototype implementation demonstrates feasibility

Preliminary results show promising performance

Abstract

Action description languages, such as A and B, are expressive instruments introduced for formalizing planning domains and planning problem instances. The paper starts by proposing a methodology to encode an action language (with conditional effects and static causal laws), a slight variation of B, using Constraint Logic Programming over Finite Domains. The approach is then generalized to raise the use of constraints to the level of the action language itself. A prototype implementation has been developed, and the preliminary results are presented and discussed. To appear in Theory and Practice of Logic Programming (TPLP)