Collecting Potential Optimisations

In this paper we describe an analysis system for logic programs which makes it possible to collect call-pattern dependent information about possible optimisations of individual atoms. The result of such an analysis is a collection of tables, one per predicate. Each table contains the specification of call patterns. For each specification, a list of program points is kept. These program points are the program points that can potentially be optimised when the predicate is called with a matching call pattern. Such a table does not only give a view on the potential of optimisation in a program, but as it relates the optimisations with call patterns, it also gives the circumstances in which an optimisation can occur. This information can be valuable input during the development of better version generation heuristics, or can simply be given as feedback to the programmer. The system is introduced using a simple optimisation example, then schematically generalised to abstract domains endowed with a generalised pseudo-complement operator. This abstract represents work in progress.