Section: New Results

Trace Development Methodology

Participants : Pierre Deransart, Armando Gonçalves da Silva Junior.

We are working on a general theory of traces design taking traces as primary objects of study. It is based on the observation of the way trace files are accumulated as knowledge bases and elaborated in differents fields of activity like software engeneering, rule based systems and resolution, learning in context, or personal experience storing systems.

We worked on two main points: the development of an experimental tracer of CHR${}^v$ [11] (see TODAS project) and an application the notion of generic trace to standardization of constraints. In [17] we analyze, and occasionally correct, shortcomings of the former approach based on the generic trace format GENTra4CP, and show the interest that a generic tracer may bring to develop portable applications or to standardization efforts, in particular in the field of constraints.