EGS: A Transformational Approach to Automatic Example Generation

Abstract

Tht.9 paper describes a con.•t raint transformation approach to antomlltic example generation and its implementation . Tn this approach example.• are generated as the result of successive tran.•formations of the cons train t formulas . Such transformation.• are car ri ed out. based on various forms of knowledge. Systematic global simpli fi cat ion, largely based on drclarative knowl~dge, mitigates the impact of applying problemspec ific and e ff icient procedural knowledge, with a uniform problem representation scheme . The approach suggests a general framework for example generation in which a language for denribing exampl e.• can be defined . Tt also combine.• a general formal reasoning capacity and problem- specific procedural knowledge, to achieve both gPnerality and efficiency . The impl~mented .9yslem has proven tf1 be e:rpres.•ively powerful and e fficient f or a varirty of applications .