Compiling constraint handling rules into prolog with attributed variables

We introduce the most recent and advanced implementation of constraint handling rules (CHR) in a logic programming language, which improves both on previous implementations (in terms of completeness, flexibility and efficiency) and on the principles that should guide such a Prolog implementation consisting of a runtime system and a compiler. The runtime system utilizes attributed variables for the realization of the constraint store with efficient retrieval and update mechanisms. Rules describing the interactions between constraints are compiled into Prolog clauses by a multi-phase compiler, the core of which comprises a small number of compact code generating templates in the form of definite clause grammar rules.