# Unit Testing in ASP Revisited: Language and Test-Driven Development Environment

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.02153 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.02153/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 10 of its 52 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 4 Jan 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [Multi-shot ASP solving with clingo](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.09811/) (2017)
- [ASP-Core-2 Input Language Format](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.04326/) (2019)
- [Clingcon: The Next Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.04569/) (2017)
- [Verifying Tight Logic Programs with anthem and Vampire](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.02025/) (2020)
- [The Seventh Answer Set Programming Competition: Design and Results](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.09134/) (2019)
- [Rushing and Strolling among Answer Sets -- Navigation Made Easy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.07596/) (2021)
- [Modularity Aspects of Disjunctive Stable Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1401.3484/) (2014)
- [SMT-based Constraint Answer Set Solver EZSMT+](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.03334/) (2019)
- [First-Order Stable Model Semantics with Intensional Functions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.10225/) (2023)
- [Counting Answer Sets via Dynamic Programming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.07601/) (2016)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Quantifying over Optimum Answer Sets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.07697/) (2024)
- [BLAST: Benchmarking LLMs with ASP-based Structured Testing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.22306/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Unit testing frameworks are nowadays considered a best practice, included in almost all modern software development processes, to achieve rapid development of correct specifications. Knowledge representation and reasoning paradigms such as Answer Set Programming (ASP), that have been used in industry-level applications, are not an exception. Indeed, the first unit testing specification language for ASP was proposed in 2011 as a feature of the ASPIDE development environment. Later, a more portable unit testing language was included in the LANA annotation language. In this paper we revisit both languages and tools for unit testing in ASP. We propose a new unit test specification language that allows one to inline tests within ASP programs, and we identify the computational complexity of the tasks associated with checking the various program-correctness assertions. Test-case specifications are transparent to the traditional evaluation, but can be interpreted by a specific testing tool. Thus, we present a novel environment supporting test driven development of ASP programs.