Declarative Programming with Intensional Sets in Java Using JSetL

Abstract

Intensional sets are sets given by a property rather than by enumerating their elements. In a previous work, we have proposed a decision procedure for a first-order logic language which provides restricted intensional sets (RISs), i.e. a sub-class of intensional sets that are guaranteed to denote finite—though unbounded—sets. In this paper, we show how RIS can be exploited as a convenient programming tool also in a conventional setting, namely the imperative O-O language Java. We do this by considering a Java library, called JSetL, that integrates the notions of logical variable, (set) unification and constraints that are typical of constraint logic programming languages into the Java language. We show how JSetL is naturally extended to accommodate for RIS and RIS constraints and how this extension can be exploited; on the one hand, to support a more declarative style of programming and, on the other hand, to effectively enhance the expressive power of the constraint language provided by the library.