[alicebot-archcomm] The saga continues: "Fetching Info from the Web"

[Gary Robertson]

OK.  I've poured over the W3C XML tutorial (again), read almost every 
single word of the AIML specs, went through the W3C SOAP tutorial, and even 
looked a little bit at WDDX.

I am quickly coming to the conclusion that there remains a need for a 
simple  fetch tool, because the overhead of setting up a SOAP approach is 
so costly for simple items.   But I also agree there is likely to be a need 
for a more structured animal that takes on a SOAP functionality, with all 
of the complexity that implies.  I think both approaches could developed as 
they serve different needs.

Here is what I have in mind for syntax for a simple fetch tool:

<template>
	<fetch>
		<url>
			http://HomeScenes.com/GetPrice.cfm
		</url>


		<method>
			post</method>     <!-- Or optionally (method = get)  -->
		</method>


		<outdata>  <!-- standard form attribute-data pairs -->
			<authoriziaton="secret">
			<mlsid = "<get name='mlsidvar'>">  <!-- data can come from  aiml vars 
and  bot class vars, also -->
		</outdata>


	           <waitmsg>
			 O.K. - I will be happy to look that up for you.   Just a moment 
please...  <!-- This msg is optional ... Not sure how
				it could be displayed in a response html page, while waiting for the 
fetch data ...although Cold Fusion has a 'flush'
				command that forces text out to the browser that might work nicely -->
		<waitmsg>


	            <timeout>
			10  <!-- Intervals of seconds, the max amount of time to wait for 
successful response,
					with default set to 10 if not specified -->
		</timeout>

		
		<failmsg>  <!-- presented only if fetch fails -->
			My information sources are asleep on the job.  Please ask for that info 
again a little later.  <!-- optional -->
                       </failmsg>


		<indatatype>
		    xml         <!-- or, indatatype can be 'html'-->	
		</indatatype>


		<indata>
			<"price">   <!-- aiml var names  must match up with xml indata from vars 
of same name, else they take on "" value. -->
			<"address">

			<"htmldoc"> <!-- alternate example of var name  if indatatype is 
'html'.  Only one var permitted with this type.
		</indata>


		<successmsg>  <!-- presented only if fetch is a success -->
			The price for the property whose MLSID is <get name='mlsidvar'> and 
whose address is <get name='address'>
				 is $<get name='price'> .

		<!-- or if indatatype is "html , simply the contents of the html page -->

			<get name="htmldoc">	
		</successmsg>

	</fetch>

</template>