module_closure/[2,3]

Module: builtins

module_closure/2 — creates a module closure
module_closure/3 — creates a module closure for the specified procedure

FORMS

:- module_closure(Name, Arity, Procedure) .

:- module_closure(Name, Arity) .

DESCRIPTION

For some Prolog procedures, it is essential to know the module within which they are invoked. For example, setof/3 must invoke the goal in its second argument relative to the correct module. The problem is that setof/3 is defined in module builtins, while it may invoked in some other module which is where the code defining the goal in the second argument should be run. In reality, setof/3 is defined as the module closure of another predicate setof/4 (whose definition appears in the builtins module). The extra argument to setof/4 is the module in which the goal in the second argument of setof/3 is to be run. Declaring setof/3 to be a module closure of setof/4 means that goals of the form

..., setof(X, G, L), ...

are automatically expanded to goals of the form

..., setof(M, X, G, L), ...

where M is the current module; i.e., the module in which the original call took place. Thus setof/4 is supplied with the correct module M in which to run the goal in the second argument of the original call to setof/3.

The actual predicate that you write should expect to receive the calling module as its first argument. Then one ‘ closes ‘ the predicate with a module closure declaration which suppresses the first(module) argument. The arguments to module_closure/3 are as follows :

The procedure that the user will call should be exported if it is contained within a module. The actual (unclosed) procedure does not need to be exported.

module_closure/2 simply identifies the first and third arguments of module_closure/3. That is, the command

:- module_closure(foo, 5) .

is equivalent to

:- module_closure(foo, 5, foo) .

EXAMPLES

The following example illustrates the use of module_closure/3. First assume that the following three modules and code have been created and loaded :

module m1.
use m3.
export testA/1.

testA(X) :- leading(X) .

p(tom).
p(dick).
p(harry).

endmod. % m1

module m2.
use m3.
export testB/1.

testB(X) :- leading(X) .

p(sally).
p(jane).
p(martha).

endmod. % m2

module m3.

leading(X) :- p(X) .

endmod. % m3

Attempting to run either testA or testB in default module user fails :

?- testA(X).

no.

?- testB(X).

no.

This is because the call to p(X) runs in module m3 which has no clauses defining p/1. Now let us change module m3 to read as follows :

module m3.

first(M, X) :- M:p(X).

export leading/1.

:- module_closure(leading, 1, first) .

endmod.

We have defined a new predicate first/2 which carries a module as its first argument and which makes the call to p(X) in that module. And we have specified that leading/1 is the module closure of first/2. Now the calls succeed :

?- testA(X).

X=tom

yes.

?- testB(X).

X=sally

yes.

Note that we exported leading/1 from module m3, and both module m1 and module m2 were declared to use module m3.

SEE ALSO