/usr/local/lib/swipl/library/aggregate.pl
All Application Manual Name SummaryHelp

  • swipl
    • library
      • error.pl
      • debug.pl -- Print debug messages and test assertions
      • apply.pl -- Apply predicates on a list
      • lists.pl -- List Manipulation
      • broadcast.pl
      • shlib.pl
      • option.pl -- Option list processing
      • thread_pool.pl -- Resource bounded thread management
      • gensym.pl -- Generate unique symbols
      • settings.pl -- Setting management
      • arithmetic.pl
      • main.pl
      • readutil.pl -- Read utilities
      • operators.pl
      • pairs.pl -- Operations on key-value lists
      • prolog_source.pl
      • record.pl -- Access compound arguments by name
      • quasi_quotations.pl
      • pure_input.pl -- Pure Input from files and streams
      • solution_sequences.pl -- Modify solution sequences
      • ordsets.pl -- Ordered set manipulation
      • random.pl -- Random numbers
      • base64.pl
      • aggregate.pl -- Aggregation operators on backtrackable predicates
        • safe_meta/2
        • aggregate/3
        • aggregate/4
        • aggregate_all/3
        • aggregate_all/4
        • foldall/4
        • foreach/2
        • free_variables/4
      • yall.pl
      • sandbox.pl -- Sandboxed Prolog code
      • apply_macros.pl -- Goal expansion rules to avoid meta-calling
      • assoc.pl
      • prolog_format.pl -- Analyse format specifications
      • predicate_options.pl
      • csv.pl
      • pprint.pl -- Pretty Print Prolog terms
      • atom.pl
      • modules.pl -- Module utility predicates
      • occurs.pl
      • prolog_xref.pl -- Prolog cross-referencer data collection
      • prolog_colour.pl -- Prolog syntax colouring support.
      • lazy_lists.pl -- Lazy list handling
      • ugraphs.pl
      • url.pl -- Analysing and constructing URL
      • www_browser.pl -- Open a URL in the users browser
      • prolog_pack.pl -- A package manager for Prolog
      • git.pl
      • utf8.pl -- UTF-8 encoding/decoding on lists of character codes.
      • dialect.pl -- Support multiple Prolog dialects
      • system.pl -- System utilities
      • terms.pl -- Term manipulation
      • date.pl
      • persistency.pl -- Provide persistent dynamic predicates
      • iostream.pl -- Utilities to deal with streams
      • prolog_stack.pl -- Examine the Prolog stack
      • edinburgh.pl -- Some traditional Edinburgh predicates
      • prolog_clause.pl
      • prolog_breakpoints.pl -- Manage Prolog break-points
      • wfs.pl
      • prolog_code.pl
      • sort.pl
      • dicts.pl -- Dict utilities
      • dif.pl -- The dif/2 constraint
      • varnumbers.pl
      • pio.pl -- Pure I/O
      • rbtrees.pl -- Red black trees
      • backcomp.pl -- Backward compatibility
      • charsio.pl -- I/O on Lists of Character Codes
      • statistics.pl -- Get information about resource usage
      • threadutil.pl -- Interactive thread utilities
      • base32.pl -- Base32 encoding and decoding
      • codesio.pl
      • coinduction.pl -- Co-Logic Programming
      • heaps.pl -- heaps/priority queues
      • when.pl -- Conditional coroutining
      • fastrw.pl
      • macros.pl
      • edit.pl -- Editor interface
      • strings.pl -- String utilities
      • listing.pl -- List programs and pretty print clauses
      • prolog_wrap.pl
      • shell.pl -- Elementary shell commands
      • quintus.pl -- Quintus compatibility
      • portray_text.pl -- Portray text
      • prolog_versions.pl
      • prolog_codewalk.pl
      • prolog_metainference.pl -- Infer meta-predicate properties
      • ansi_term.pl -- Print decorated text to ANSI consoles
      • tables.pl -- XSB interface to tables
      • prolog_debug.pl
      • make.pl -- Reload modified source files
      • help.pl
      • prolog_trace.pl
      • prolog_config.pl
      • increval.pl
      • ctypes.pl -- Character code classification
      • nb_set.pl -- Non-backtrackable sets
      • files.pl
      • thread.pl -- High level thread primitives
      • prolog_coverage.pl -- Coverage analysis tool
      • zip.pl -- Access resource ZIP archives
      • optparse.pl -- command line parsing
      • writef.pl
      • oset.pl -- Ordered set manipulation
      • rwlocks.pl
      • hashtable.pl
      • prolog_autoload.pl -- Autoload all dependencies
      • check.pl -- Consistency checking
      • streams.pl -- Manage Prolog streams
      • intercept.pl
      • readln.pl
      • exceptions.pl
      • tty.pl
      • qsave.pl
      • prolog_profile.pl -- Execution profiler
      • explain.pl
      • prolog_jiti.pl
 foreach(:Generator, :Goal)
True when the conjunction of instances of Goal created from solutions for Generator is true. Except for term copying, this could be implemented as below.
foreach(Generator, Goal) :-
    findall(Goal, Generator, Goals),
    maplist(call, Goals).

The actual implementation uses findall/3 on a template created from the variables shared between Generator and Goal. Subsequently, it uses every instance of this template to instantiate Goal, call Goal and undo only the instantiation of the template and not other instantiations created by running Goal. Here is an example:

?- foreach(between(1,4,X), dif(X,Y)), Y = 5.
Y = 5.
?- foreach(between(1,4,X), dif(X,Y)), Y = 3.
false.

The predicate foreach/2 is mostly used if Goal performs backtrackable destructive assignment on terms. Attributed variables (underlying constraints) are an example. Another example of a backtrackable data structure is in library(hashtable). If we care only about the side effects (I/O, dynamic database, etc.) or the truth value of Goal, forall/2 is a faster and simpler alternative. If Goal instantiates its arguments it is will often fail as the argument cannot be instantiated to multiple values. It is possible to incrementally grow an argument:

?- foreach(between(1,4,X), member(X, L)).
L = [1,2,3,4|_].

Note that SWI-Prolog up to version 8.3.4 created copies of Goal using copy_term/2 for each iteration, this makes the current implementation unable to properly handle compound terms (in Goal's arguments) that share variables with the Generator. As a workaround you can define a goal that does not use compound terms, like in this example:

mem(E,L) :-  % mem/2 hides the compound argument from foreach/2
   member(r(E),L).

?- foreach(  between(1,5,N), mem(N,L)).