unknown_predicate_handler/3 hook

Synopsis

:- multifile unknown_predicate_handler/3.

unknown_predicate_handler(+Goal, +Module, -NewGoal)

User definable hook to trap calls to unknown predicates

Arguments

Goal callable

Any Prolog term

Module atom

Any atom that is a current module

NewGoal callable

Any callable Prolog term

Description

When Prolog comes across a call to an unknown predicate and the unknown flag is set to error, Prolog makes a call to unknown_predicate_handler/3 in module user with the first two arguments bound. Goal is bound to the call to the undefined predicate and Module is the module in which that predicate is supposed to be defined. If the call to unknown_predicate_handler/3 succeeds then Prolog replaces the call to the undefined predicate with the call to NewGoal. By default NewGoal is called in module user. This can be overridden by making NewGoal have the form Module:SomeGoal.

Examples

The following clause gives the same behaviour as setting unknown(_,fail).

     unknown_predicate_handler(_, _, fail).
     

The following clause causes calls to undefined predicates whose names begin with xyz_ in module m to be trapped to my_handler/1 in module n. Predicates with names not beginning with this character sequence are not affected.

     unknown_predicate_handler(G, m, n:my_handler(G)) :-
         functor(G,N,_),
         atom_chars(N,Chars),
         append("xyz_" _, Chars).
     

Tips

See Also

unknown/2, prolog_flag/3