prolog - Definition of a path/trail/walk

Question

Many predicates define some kind of an acyclic path built from edges defined via a binary relation, quite similarly to defining transitive closure. A generic definition is thus called for.

Note that the notions defined in graph theory do not readily match what is commonly expected. Most notably, we are not interested in the edges' names.

Worse, also graph theory has changed a bit, introducing the notion of walk, noting

Traditionally, a path referred to what is now usually known as an open walk. Nowadays, when stated without any qualification, a path is usually understood to be simple, meaning that no vertices (and thus no edges) are repeated. (The term chain has also been used to refer to a walk in which all vertices and edges are distinct.)

So my question is: How to name and define this functionality?

What I have done so far is to define:

path(Rel_2, Path, X0,X)

The first argument has to be the continuation of the relation which is an incomplete goal that lacks two further arguments. Then comes either the Path or the pair of vertices.

Example usage

n(a, b).
n(b, c).
n(b, a).

?- path(n,Xs, a,X).
Xs = [a], X = a ;
Xs = [a, b], X = b ;
Xs = [a, b, c], X = c ;
false.

Implementation

:- meta_predicate path(2,?,?,?).

:- meta_predicate path(2,?,?,?,+).

path(R_2, [X0|Ys], X0,X) :-
   path(R_2, Ys, X0,X, [X0]).

path(_R_2, [], X,X, _).
path(R_2, [X1|Ys], X0,X, Xs) :-
   call(R_2, X0,X1),
   non_member(X1, Xs),
   path(R_2, Ys, X1,X, [X1|Xs]).

non_member(_E, []).
non_member(E, [X|Xs]) :-
   dif(E,X),
   non_member(E, Xs).

Answer 1

How about defining path/4 like this?

path(R_2, Xs, A,Z) :-                   % A path `Xs` from `A` to `Z` is ...
   walk(R_2, Xs, A,Z),                  % ... a walk `Xs` from `A` to `Z` ...
   all_dif(Xs).                         % ... with no duplicates in `Xs`.

To aid universal termination, we swap the two goals in above conjunction ...

path(R_2, Xs, A,Z) :-
   all_dif(Xs),                         % enforce disequality ASAP
   walk(R_2, Xs, A,Z).

... and use the following lazy implementation of all_dif/1:

all_dif(Xs) :-                          % enforce pairwise term inequality
   freeze(Xs, all_dif_aux(Xs,[])).      % (may be delayed)

all_dif_aux([], _).
all_dif_aux([E|Es], Vs) :-               
   maplist(dif(E), Vs),                 % is never delayed
   freeze(Es, all_dif_aux(Es,[E|Vs])).  % (may be delayed)

walk/4 is defined like path/4 and path/5 given by the OP:

:- meta_predicate walk(2, ?, ?, ?).
walk(R_2, [X0|Xs], X0,X) :-
   walk_from_to_step(Xs, X0,X, R_2).

:- meta_predicate walk_from_to_step(?, ?, ?, 2).
walk_from_to_step([], X,X, _).
walk_from_to_step([X1|Xs], X0,X, R_2) :-
   call(R_2, X0,X1),
   walk_from_to_step(Xs, X1,X, R_2).

IMO above path/4 is simpler and more approachable, particularly for novices. Would you concur?