[alicebot-archcomm] Predefine predicates/properties

[Dr. Rich Wallace]

Yes, the lack of cross-platform standards for predicate defaults is
confusing.

A somewhat related question is, should an AIML program support a CONNECT
type signal that always activates an initialization category with the
CONNECT pattern, each time a new client connects, just so that such things
as predicate initializations always take place?



> Proposal:
>
>     The AIML interpreter must raise a fatal error at load-time, if a
> predicate/property is not predefined.
>     The content of the attribute 'name' is case-sensitive.
>
> E.g.:
> To access a property like
>     <bot name="name"/>
> it must be predefined in the startup-files as
>     <property name="name" value="Alice"/>
>
> To access a predicate like
>     <get name="likes"/>
>     <set name="likes">Lizards</set>
> it must be predefined in the startup-files as
>     <predicate name="likes" default="nothing" set-return="value"/>
> where the attributes 'default' and 'set-return' are optional.
>
> Many bugs come from variables, which where never defined or written w/o
> respect to case, thus being undefined.
>
> Have a look at the pattern "BOT PROPERTIES" in aiml/alice/B.aiml, where
> many of the properties listed are never mentioned in startup.xml. BTW:
> properties like 'memory', 'spt' (Server Provcessing Time),
> 'hourlyqueries' or 'totalclients' are dynamic and can't be predefined -
> but this is another story...
>
> So to avoid endless searching through tons of categories it might be
> better to use a strict pre-defining.
>
> As you might have noticed this implies, that the AIML specs should
> define a standard <startup> format ;-)
>
> Ernest
>
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-- 
Dr. Rich
W A L L A C E
ALICE A.I. Foundation
drwallace@www.alicebot.org
"Dean of cheezo-hobby system hackers."--Salon