Algorithmic Debugging and Testing of Prolog Programs

In this paper the IDTS (Integrated Debugging, Testing and Slicing) system is presented for the algorithmic debugging and functional testing of Prolog programs. This system integrates Shapiro's Interactive Diagnosis Algorithm with the Category Partition Testing Method and a slicing technique. Shapiro's original system demands a lot of user interactions during the debugging process. The IDTS method can avoid irrelevant questions to the user by categorizing input parameters, and match there against test cases and test database. In addition, a slicing method is used to compute which parts of the program are relevant for the search. An other direction of the improvement was the development of a graphical user interface (GUI) that provides context and gives the user more information about the state of debugging process. It makes the use of the system more user friendly. 1