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From: F0O@psuvm.psu.edu
Newsgroups: comp.lang.prolog
Subject: PDC prolog gripe/question
Message-ID: <90285.232430F0O@psuvm.psu.edu>
Date: 13 Oct 90 03:24:30 GMT
Organization: Penn State University
Lines: 37


     I've been reading over the section in the book on how you can have
modules in PDC prolog.  You have to make what they call a 'project file'
or what I call a make file.  This is ok.  What I don't like is:

     For each module, you have to put the name of the project at the top of
the file.

     The next part is taken right out of the book, pg 76:

     ALL THE MODULES IN A PROJECT NEED TO HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME GLOBAL
DATABASE AND GLOBAL DOMAINS DECLARATIONS.

     and pg 77:

     Global predicate declarations differ from local predicate declarations
because they must contain a description of the flow pattern(s) by which
each given predicate can be called.



     Good heavens!  This seems like a lot of work to me.  In Turbo Pascal,
to use other modules, all you need is a:

     USES module1 module2 module3 ...


     Also, if I read the book right, why would you want to make a DATABASE
accessible to a module that might never use it?  This does not seem like
good programming technique.
     I do have to say, I have not tried any of this myself; just reading
the book sounds bad enough to scare me away.  The Turbo pascal way of doing
modules sounds more elegant to me.
     Do other people feel the same way, or am I just not understanding
something(quite possible :-) ).

                                                    [Tim]