'action' processmax(INT, INT -> INT) 'rule' processmax(X, Y -> Z): ge(X, Y) process(X -> Z) 'rule' processmax(X, Y -> Z): lt(X, Y) process(Y -> Z)and invoke it as in
get(-> A, B) processmax(A, B -> C) print(C)The alternative statement discussed in this section allows us to insert the two rule bodies inline and get rid of the predicate processmax:
get(-> A, B) (| ge(A, B) process(A -> C) || lt(A, B) process(B -> C) |) print(C)An alternative statement has the form
The alternative statement is elaborated as follows. The alternatives are elaborated in the given order. If an alternative succeeds, then the alternative statement succeeds. If an alternative fails then the next alternative is elaborated. If all alternatives fail, then the whole alternative statement fails.
An alternative is elaborated by elaborating its statements. If one statement fails, then the alternative fails. If all statements succeed, then the alternative succeeds.
Roughly speaking, members of an alternative are connected by and, and alternatives are connected by or, but since we use shallow backtracking, inside an alternative one can assume that the preceding alternatives failed.
Thus the above could have been written as
get(-> A, B) (| ge(A, B) process(A -> C) || process(B -> C) |) print(C)