findall(?Term, +Goal, ?List)

?Term

Prolog term, usually a variable, a compound term or list containing variables.

+Goal

Callable term.

?List

List or variable.

Description

The following table illustrates the difference between the all solutions predicates:

    built-in  choice pts  duplicates  sorted pruned *
    bagof/3   yes         yes         no     no
    coverof/3 yes         no          no     yes
    findall/3 no          yes         no     no
    setof/3   yes         no          yes    no
   * prune_instances/2 used on list of solutions.

Note

1. Even if there are uninstantiated variables in Goal which do not appear in Term, then unlike bagof/3, findall/3 has no choice points i.e. these variables are taken to be existentially quantified.

2. findall/3 never fails; if no solution exists, the empty list is returned.

Fail Conditions

Resatisfiable

Exceptions

(4) instantiation fault

Goal is not instantiated.

(5) type error

Goal is instantiated, but not to a compound term.

(68) calling an undefined procedure

Goal is an undefined procedure.

Examples

Success:


   % all variables are taken to be existentially quantified:
  [eclipse]: findall(Name,current_stream(Name,Mode,Num),L),
  > writeq((Name,Mode,Num,L)), nl, fail.
  _g72 , _g78 , _g84 , [user, user, error, debug_input, null, ""]
  no (more) solution.

  [eclipse]: [user].
   h(f(1,2)).
   h(f(1,2)).
   h(f(1,X)).
   h(f(X,Y)).   % instances of this element...
   user compiled 476 bytes in 0.00 seconds
  yes.
  [eclipse]: findall(X,h(X),L).
  X = _g58
  L = [f(1, 2), f(1,2), f(1, _g116), f(_g100, _g102)]
  yes.  % ...all bagged; includes duplicates.

  [eclipse]: findall(X,current_built_in(X),L).
  X = _g58
  L = [findall/3, !/0, delayed_goals/1, delayed_goals/2,
  '.'/2, (;)/2, (<)/2, (;)/4, (;)/5, error/2, error/3,
  (',')/2, (',')/4, close_window/0, (=)/2, op/3, (>)/2,
  array/3, (spied)/1, ... / ..., ...]
  yes.

  [eclipse]: findall(X,append_strings(X,Y,"abc"),L).
  X = _g58
  Y = _g66
  L = ["", "a", "ab", "abc"]

Fail:
  findall(Y,current_stream(X,Y,Z),[strin]).

Error:
  findall(X,G,L).         (Error 4).
  findall(X,"G",L).       (Error 5).
  findall(X,a,L).         (Error 68).
  findall(X,a(X),L).      (Error 68).

See Also