Sign-In
Cart
Metaprogramming in Prolog: Practical Patterns for Writing Programs that Understand and Modify Themselves
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Nov 13 2025
Pages: 196
Weight: 0.71
Height: 0.42 Width: 6.69 Depth: 9.61
Language: English
Have you ever felt stuck in Prolog? Maybe you've mastered the basics, but your programs have become repetitive, or you've run into a problem that seems to require a level of abstraction you can't quite reach. When you read about metaprogramming, it might seem like a dark art-a set of dangerous, confusing, and unclean techniques to be avoided.
This book is here to turn that magic into mastery.
I'll start you with the simple mechanic analogy. Most programmers are like mechanics, following a blueprint (your code) to build a car (your process). This book will teach you how to become the roboticist-the one who writes programs that analyze, fix, and write new blueprints automatically.
What's insideThis book is structured as a journey through a series of powerful patterns, each building on the last. You will learn to:
- Master the Metaprogrammer's Toolbox: Understand the built-in predicates like clause/2, functor/3, arg/3, and call/N that make it all possible.
- Build Your First Code-Walker: Write a program that can recursively traverse any piece of code to find variables or check for code smells.
- Handle Dynamic Execution Safely: Learn the patterns (and the critical pitfalls) of call/1, including how to build a secure Command Dispatcher or REPL.
- Implement Self-Modifying Code: Use assert/1 and retract/1 for the right reasons, like building a high-speed cache (memoization) or managing program state.
- Write Source-to-Source Transformers: Build programs that read a .pl file, transform it, and write a new one-the core pattern for building optimizers and refactoring tools.
- Create Your Own Language (DSL): Use term_expansion/2 and goal_expansion/2 to build a Domain-Specific Language, like a simple object system, that compiles itself into efficient Prolog.
- Build a Capstone Project: Combine all these skills to build a smarter tracer, a tool that can selectively trace your code, filtering out all the noise.
This book is not for the absolute beginner. It is for you-the intermediate Prolog programmer, the student, the developer, or the hobbyist who has learned the basics and is now asking, What's next?
It's for anyone who wants to:
- Build smarter, more abstract tools.
- Write code that is less repetitive.
- Understand how compilers, linters, and advanced DSLs really work.
- Finally level up and unlock the full, expressive power of Prolog.
The difference between a good Prolog programmer and a great one is the understanding of metaprogramming. Don't just use the language; it's time to master it.
Stop just writing code. Start building programs that design code.
Add Metaprogramming in Prolog to your cart and start your journey to becoming the architect, not just the mechanic.
Also in
General Computers
All Data Are Local: Thinking Critically in a Data-Driven Society
Loukissas, Yanni Alexander
Paperback
Comptia Network+ Certmike: Prepare. Practice. Pass the Test! Get Certified!: Exam N10-008
Chapple, Mike
Zacker, Craig
Paperback
Interactive Theorem Proving and Program Development: Coq'art: The Calculus of Inductive Constructions
Castéran, Pierre
Bertot, Yves
Hardcover
R for Data Science: Import, Tidy, Transform, Visualize, and Model Data
Wickham, Hadley
Grolemund, Garrett
Paperback
The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI: How to Think about Artificial Intelligence--Before It's Too Late
Doctorow, Cory
Paperback
Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems
Riccomini, Chris
Kleppmann, Martin
Paperback
AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter
Tyrangiel, Josh
Hardcover
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All
Yudkowsky, Eliezer
Soares, Nate
Hardcover
The Year in Tech, 2026: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Anthony, Scott D.
Webb, Amy
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
Human Raised: Nurturing Connection, Curiosity & Lifelong Learning in the Age of AI
Suskind, Dana, MD
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on AI (with Bonus Article How to Win with Machine Learning by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and AVI Goldfarb)
Davenport, Thomas H.
Iansiti, Marco
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
The Agi Chronicles: The Inside Story of the Race to Create an Artificial Superintelligence
Roose, Kevin
Hardcover
A Giant Leap: How AI Is Transforming Healthcare and What That Means for Our Future
Wachter, Robert
Hardcover
The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want
Bender, Emily M.
Hanna, Alex
Hardcover
Generative Ai: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review
Mollick, Ethan
Cremer, David De
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
CompTIA Network+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Ninth Edition (Exam N10-009)
Weissman, Jonathan S.
Paperback
Fans First: Change The Game, Break the Rules & Create an Unforgettable Experience
Cole, Jesse
Paperback
AI Literacy in Any Class: Preparing Students to Thrive in an AI Future in Any Grade Level or Content Area
Miller, Matt
Paperback
Fundamentals of Data Engineering: Plan and Build Robust Data Systems
Reis, Joe
Housley, Matt
Paperback
Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence
Crawford, Kate
Paperback
Minecraft: Guide Collection 4-Book Boxed Set (Updated): Survival (Updated), Creative (Updated), Redstone (Updated), Combat
Mojang Ab
The Official Minecraft Team
Hardcover
AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can't, and How to Tell the Difference
Narayanan, Arvind
Kapoor, Sayash
Paperback
Python Crash Course, 3rd Edition: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming
Matthes, Eric
Paperback
We Are as Gods: A Survival Guide for the Age of Abundance
Kotler, Steven
Diamandis, Peter H.
Hardcover
The Eureka Machine: Why AI Is the Key to Unlocking a New Era of Scientific Discoveries
Socher, Richard
Hardcover
The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip
Witt, Stephen
Hardcover
Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn and Pytorch: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques to Build Intelligent Systems
Géron, Aurélien
Paperback
AI with Intention: Principles and Action Steps for Teachers and School Leaders
Frontier, Tony
Paperback
Human + Machine, Updated and Expanded: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI
Wilson, H. James
Daugherty, Paul R.
Hardcover
Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans (with a New Preface)
Mitchell, Melanie
Paperback
Embedded Systems with ARM Cortex-M Microcontrollers in Assembly Language and C: Fourth Edition
Zhu, Yifeng
Paperback
CompTIA Tech+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Third Edition (Exam FC0-U71)
Wempen, Faithe
Paperback
Hands-On Large Language Models: Language Understanding and Generation
Alammar, Jay
Grootendorst, Maarten
Paperback
The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a New Section: On Robustness and Fragility
Taleb, Nassim Nicholas
Paperback
The Empty Center: Permission, Connection, and What We Build When the Future is Uncertain
Drumwright, Hayes
Hardcover
Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet with a New Introduction by the Author
Blum, Andrew
Paperback
AP Computer Science Principles Premium, 2027: 6 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice
Reichelson, Seth
Paperback
Fundamentals of Software Architecture: A Modern Engineering Approach
Richards, Mark
Ford, Neal
Paperback
Love Machines: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Our Relationships
Muldoon, James
Hardcover
AI Projects with Raspberry Pi: High-Performance Artificial Intelligence for Robotics, Security, Home Automation, and Vision
Jepson, Brian
Hattersley, Lucy
Paperback
AP Computer Science a Premium, 13th Edition: Prep Book with 6 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice (2026)
Teukolsky, Roselyn, M. S.
Carman, Chris
Paperback
Minecraft: Exploded Builds: Medieval Fortress: An Official Mojang Book
Mojang Ab
The Official Minecraft Team
Paperback
Power and Prediction: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence
Agrawal, Ajay
Gans, Joshua
Goldfarb, Avi
Hardcover
The Empty Center: Permission, Connection, and What We Build When the Future is Uncertain
Drumwright, Hayes
Paperback
You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place
Shane, Janelle
Paperback
AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can't, and How to Tell the Difference
Narayanan, Arvind
Kapoor, Sayash
Hardcover
You to the Power of Two: Redefining Human Potential in the Age of Identic AI
Bradley, Joseph
Tapscott, Don
Hardcover
Minecraft: Roll for Adventure: The Temple of the Charged Creeper
Forbeck, Matt
Forbeck, Marty
Hardcover
The Problem with Personalization: How Advertisers Learned to Make and Break Us from Ancient Times to the AI Age
Turow, Joseph
Hardcover
The Devops Handbook, 2nd Edition: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, & Security in Technology Organizations
Humble, Jez
Debois, Patrick
Kim, Gene
Paperback
The AI Ultimatum: Preparing for a World of Intelligent Machines and Radical Transformation
Hill, Paul
Brown, Steve
Paperback
Graphic Artists Guild Handbook, 17th Edition: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines
The Graphic Artists Guild
Paperback
Artificial Intelligence All-In-One for Dummies
Massaron, Luca
Minnick, Chris
Mueller, John Paul
Paperback
The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters
Nichols, Tom
Paperback
The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America
Vinci, Anthony
Hardcover
Designing Machine Learning Systems: An Iterative Process for Production-Ready Applications
Huyen, Chip
Paperback
RHCSA Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10: Training and Exam Preparation Guide (EX200), Fourth Edition
Ghori, Asghar
Paperback
AI for Educators: Learning Strategies, Teacher Efficiencies, and a Vision for an Artificial Intelligence Future
Miller, Matt
Paperback
More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead
Carter, Jacqueline
Hougaard, Rasmus
Hardcover
Building Applications with AI Agents: Designing and Implementing Multiagent Systems
Albada, Michael
Paperback
Microsoft 365 Excel All-In-One for Dummies
Ringstrom, David H.
Alexander, Michael
Kusleika, Dick
Paperback
The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West
Karp, Alexander C.
Zamiska, Nicholas W.
Hardcover
The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-First Century's Greatest Dilemma
Suleyman, Mustafa
Hardcover
Hbr's 10 Must Reads on Artificial Intelligence, Updated and Expanded (Featuring How AI Can Help Managers Think Through Problems by Elisa Farri and Gab
Davenport, Thomas H.
Agrawal, Ajay
Review, Harvard Business
Paperback
What Is Intelligence?: Lessons from AI about Evolution, Computing, and Minds
Aguera Y. Arcas, Blaise
Paperback
The Experimentation Machine: Finding Product-Market Fit in the Age of AI
Bussgang, Jeffrey J.
Hardcover
Navigeren door het labyrint: Een handleiding voor het beheer van data
Sebastian-Coleman, Laura
Paperback
Comptia A+ Complete Study Guide, 2-Volume Set: Volume 1 Core 1 Exam 220-1201 and Volume 2 Core 2 Exam 220-1202
Buhagiar, Jon
Docter, Quentin
Paperback
Prediction Machines, Updated and Expanded: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence
Agrawal, Ajay
Gans, Joshua
Goldfarb, Avi
Hardcover
R for Data Science: Import, Tidy, Transform, Visualize, and Model Data
Grolemund, Garrett
Cetinkaya-Rundel, Mine
Wickham, Hadley
Paperback
Laptops for Seniors in Easy Steps, 9th Edition: Covers All Laptops with the Windows 11 2024 Update
Vandome, Nick
Paperback
On the Future of Species: Authoring Life by Means of Artificial Biological Intelligence
Woolfson, Adrian
Hardcover