6.5.2 Finding Multiple Solutions of a Call

If you are interested in more than one solution a more complicated scheme is used. You find the predicate definition as above, but you don't call the predicate directly.

  1. Set up a call with SP_open_query()
  2. Call SP_next_solution() to find a solution. Call this predicate again to find more solutions if there are any.
  3. Terminate the call with SP_close_query() or SP_cut_query()

The function SP_open_query() will return an identifier of type SP_qid that you use in successive calls. Note that if a new query is opened while another is already open, the new query must be terminated before exploring the solutions of the old one. That is, queries must be strictly nested. The function SP_next_solution() will cause the Prolog engine to backtrack over any current solution of an open query and look for a new one. A query must be terminated in either of two ways. The function SP_cut_query() will discard the choices created since the corresponding SP_open_query(), like the goal !. The current solution is retained in the arguments until backtracking into any enclosing query. Alternatively, the function SP_close_query() will discard the choices created since the corresponding SP_open_query(), and then backtrack into the query, throwing away any current solution, like the goal !, fail.

A simple way to call arbitrary prolog code is to use SP_read_from_string() (see Creating Prolog Terms) to create an argument to call/1. It is a good idea to always explicitly specify the module context when using call/1 or other meta-predicates from C.


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