This package includes all of the classes needed to use both Java-to-Prolog and Prolog-to-Java interfaces. These interfaces are designed to work in a client/server mode, so one side process (Java or Prolog) listens performs requests from the other side. However, in the internal socket connection the Java process allways works as socket server (even when it will behave as a logical client), until the communication to Prolog be established. Then, the interface works as an usual client/server system, where the server is basically a endless loop until it receives a termination request. Is under development the integration between the two interfaces in a bidirectional interface where both processes will be listening each other.
The package is composed of several types of classes: Prolog data types representation classes ({@link CiaoJava.PLAtom}, {@link CiaoJava.PLFloat}, {@link CiaoJava.PLInteger}, {@link CiaoJava.PLList}, {@link CiaoJava.PLString}, {@link CiaoJava.PLStructure}, {@link CiaoJava.PLVariable}, and the abstract class {@link CiaoJava.PLTerm}); Prolog execution model classes ({@link CiaoJava.PLConnection} and {@link CiaoJava.PLGoal}); Java interface exceptions ({@link CiaoJava.PLException} and {@link CiaoJava.PLGoalException}); and other classes internal classes.
Using the Prolog-to-Java interface, one should not need to know
anything about this implementation classes to launch the Java object
server, except {@link CiaoJava.PLJavaServer}. This class includes itself a
main()
method in order to be launched in standalone
mode. This method can be called also from initialization code to do
the startup work before the Java object server can process Prolog
requests.
In the other hand, with the Java-to-Prolog interface, Prolog data
representation classes and Prolog execution model classes must be known in
order to handle the data and execution structures related to the Prolog
side of the interface. Specifically, before any Prolog processing can be
done, a PLConnection
object must be created, using the
appropriate constructor ({@link
CiaoJava.PLConnection#PLConnection(java.lang.String)}). Once a Prolog
connection has been established, Prolog goals can be created and launched
using the {@link CiaoJava.PLConnection#query(CiaoJava.PLTerm)} method, or
creating a new PLGoal
object.