A deductive and object-oriented approach to a complex scheduling problem

摘要

This paper presents an application of combined deductive and object-oriented technologies to a complex scheduling (timetable) problem. This approach emphasizes local propagation of constraints, which we perform with deductive rules, and combines it with global pruning heuristics, which we represent with methods (in a procedural manner) attached to objects. Because both components are essential to ensure success, we see this scheduling application as an interesting demonstration of the synergy between object-oriented and deductive technology. We provide a precise description of the problem, discuss what makes it difficult, and present detailed techniques that we used for its resolution.