Open constraint programming

Abstract

Open Constraint Programming (OCP) is a new programming framework that offers shared-store distributed programming for reactive applications. The basic feature of this paradigm is that it allows multiple agent programs to react and synchronize with a highly structured knowledge base through the use of embedded program fragments called "reactors." The paradigm gives rise to reactivity with triggers on complex constraint logic realized by a noval spatial index structure. The advanced feature of the paradigm is the generalization of committed choice (which also exists in most concurrent languages) to allow commits to happen arbitrarily "late" in the choices, and thus enables the agents to "speculate" different possibility in future. The OCP framework is particularly useful in the areas of e-business, multi-agent systems, workflow systems, gaming and robotics, etc.