Read a file line by line in Prolog

Question

I'd like to read a plain text file and apply a predicate to each line (the predicates contain write which does the output). How would I do that?

Answer 1

In SWI-Prolog, the cleanest solution is to write a DCG that describes what a "line" is, then call a predicate for each line. Use library(pio) to apply the DCG to a file.

EDIT: As requested, consider:

:- use_module(library(pio)).

lines([])           --> call(eos), !.
lines([Line|Lines]) --> line(Line), lines(Lines).

eos([], []).

line([])     --> ( "\n" ; call(eos) ), !.
line([L|Ls]) --> [L], line(Ls).

Sample usage: ?- phrase_from_file(lines(Ls), 'your_file.txt').

Answer 2

You can use read to read the stream. Remember to invoke at_end_of_stream to ensure no syntax errors.

Example:

readFile.pl

main :-
    open('myFile.txt', read, Str),
    read_file(Str,Lines),
    close(Str),
    write(Lines), nl.

read_file(Stream,[]) :-
    at_end_of_stream(Stream).

read_file(Stream,[X|L]) :-
    \+ at_end_of_stream(Stream),
    read(Stream,X),
    read_file(Stream,L).

myFile.txt

'line 0'.
'line 1'.
'line 2'.
'line 3'.
'line 4'.
'line 5'.
'line 6'.
'line 7'.
'line 8'.
'line 9'.

Thus by invoking main you will recieve the output:

?- main.
[line 0,line 1,line 2,line 3,line 4,line 5,line 6,line 7,line 8,line 9]
true 

Just configure main. The output here is an example by using write, of course. Configure to match your request.

I assume that this principle can be applied to answer your question. Good luck.

Answer 3

There are kind of more possible in number and more reasonable in performance solutions, to get uninterpreted i.e plain text lines from a file:

SWI-Prolog:

read_line(S, X) :- 
   read_line_to_codes(S, L), 
   read_line2(L, X).

read_line2(end_of_file, _) :- !, fail.
read_line2(L, X) :-
   atom_codes(X, L).

Jekejeke Prolog:

:- use_module(library(stream/console)).

Here are some timings, reading a file of 655 lines:

test :-
   open('<path>', read, Stream),
   test(Stream),
   close(Stream).

test(Stream) :-
   read_line(Stream, _), !,
   test(Stream).
test(_).

SWI-Prolog:

̀?- time((between(1,100,_), test, fail; true)).
% 328,300 inferences, 0.125 CPU in 0.143 seconds (88% CPU, 2626400 Lips)
true.

Jekejeke Prolog:

?- time((between(1,100,_), test, fail; true)).
% Up 121 ms, GC 2 ms, Thread Cpu 94 ms (Current 05/07/19 17:19:05)
Yes

I guess a SWI-Prolog solution that reads into a string instead into an atom could be faster. But in the above we compare atom against atom reading.