article

Removing redundant arguments automatically

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S. LucasAuthors Info & Claims

Theory and Practice of Logic Programming, Volume 7, Issue 1-2

Pages 3 - 35

https://doi.org/10.1017/S1471068406002869

Published: 01 January 2007 Publication History

Abstract

The application of automatic transformation processes during the formal development and optimization of programs can introduce encumbrances in the generated code that programmers usually (or presumably) do not write. An example is the introduction of redundant arguments in the functions defined in the program. Redundancy of a parameter means that replacing it by any expression does not change the result. In this work, we provide methods for the analysis and elimination of redundant arguments in term rewriting systems as a model for the programs that can be written in more sophisticated languages. On the basis of the uselessness of redundant arguments, we also propose an erasure procedure which may avoid wasteful computations while still preserving the semantics (under ascertained conditions). A prototype implementation of these methods has been undertaken, which demonstrates the practicality of our approach.

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Cited By

Zhang MOgata K(2018)From hidden to visibleTheoretical Computer Science10.1016/j.tcs.2018.01.006722:C(52-75)Online publication date: 25-Apr-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.tcs.2018.01.006
Fuhs CKop CNishida N(2017)Verifying Procedural Programs via Constrained Rewriting InductionACM Transactions on Computational Logic10.1145/306014318:2(1-50)Online publication date: 2-Jun-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3060143
Giesl JAschermann CBrockschmidt MEmmes FFrohn FFuhs CHensel JOtto CPlücker MSchneider-Kamp PStröder TSwiderski SThiemann R(2017)Analyzing Program Termination and Complexity Automatically with AProVEJournal of Automated Reasoning10.1007/s10817-016-9388-y58:1(3-31)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10817-016-9388-y

Index Terms

Removing redundant arguments automatically
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software creation and management
    1. Software verification and validation
      1. Software defect analysis
        Software testing and debugging
2. Theory of computation
  1. Formal languages and automata theory
    1. Formalisms
      1. Rewrite systems
    2. Grammars and context-free languages
  2. Logic
    1. Constraint and logic programming

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cover image Theory and Practice of Logic Programming

Theory and Practice of Logic Programming Volume 7, Issue 1-2

January 2007

241 pages

ISSN:1471-0684

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Cambridge University Press

United States

Publication History

Published: 01 January 2007

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Cited By

Zhang MOgata K(2018)From hidden to visibleTheoretical Computer Science10.1016/j.tcs.2018.01.006722:C(52-75)Online publication date: 25-Apr-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.tcs.2018.01.006
Fuhs CKop CNishida N(2017)Verifying Procedural Programs via Constrained Rewriting InductionACM Transactions on Computational Logic10.1145/306014318:2(1-50)Online publication date: 2-Jun-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3060143
Giesl JAschermann CBrockschmidt MEmmes FFrohn FFuhs CHensel JOtto CPlücker MSchneider-Kamp PStröder TSwiderski SThiemann R(2017)Analyzing Program Termination and Complexity Automatically with AProVEJournal of Automated Reasoning10.1007/s10817-016-9388-y58:1(3-31)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10817-016-9388-y

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