Constraint Handling Rules

Constraint Handling Rules (CHR) is a declarative programming language extension introduced in 1991 by Thom Frühwirth. Originally designed for developing (prototypes of) constraint programming systems, CHR is increasingly used as a high-level general-purpose programming language. Typical application domains of CHR are abduction, multi-agent systems, natural language processing, compilation, scheduling, spatial-temporal reasoning, testing and verification, and type systems.

Although CHR is Turing complete, it is not commonly used as a programming language in its own right. Rather, it is used to extend a host language with constraints. Current host languages include Prolog, Java and Haskell. Prolog is by far the most popular host language and CHR is included in many Prolog implementations, including SICStus and SWI-Prolog.

A CHR program, sometimes called a constraint handler, is a sequence of guarded rules for simplification, propagation, and "simpagation" (a mix of simplification and propagation) of conjunctions of constraints. The CHR constraint store is a multi-set. In contrast to Prolog, the rules are multi-headed and are executed in a committed-choice manner using a forward chaining algorithm.

Read more about Constraint Handling Rules:  Confluence, Example Program

Famous quotes containing the words constraint, handling and/or rules:

    In America a woman loses her independence for ever in the bonds of matrimony. While there is less constraint on girls there than anywhere else, a wife submits to stricter obligations. For the former, her father’s house is a home of freedom and pleasure; for the latter, her husband’s is almost a cloister.
    Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859)

    Many more children observe attitudes, values and ways different from or in conflict with those of their families, social networks, and institutions. Yet today’s young people are no more mature or capable of handling the increased conflicting and often stimulating information they receive than were young people of the past, who received the information and had more adult control of and advice about the information they did receive.
    James P. Comer (20th century)

    Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting.

    George Orwell (1903–1950)