The F-Logic Approach for Description Languages

The Frame-logic (F-logic) approach of [20] is suggested as an underlying framework for description languages. F-logic is shown to provide a full account for description languages, without losing the direct semantics and the descriptive nature. It can support such desirable features as high order role fillers, collective entities, intensions, roles as first class objects and n-ary relationships. Yet, its semantics is first order. In an F-logic based description language, few description constructs are built in, and concepts, roles, and terminological operators are definable. Discussion of desirable features in descriptions is made possible within a single, uniform framework, that also coherently integrates with logic programming and deductive, object-oriented database technology. Typical descriptive operators can be defined in the language, thereby yielding a flexible description language, in which not all operators must be built in. keywords: object-oriented representation, F-logic, de..