[pandorabots-general] Form before function

[R. B. Chandler]

Brian,

Sometimes patience is not one of my virtues.  The R. B. stands for Ronald 
Brian but you can call me Ron and yes it is the AAA set straight from 
http://www.alicebot.org/aiml/aaa/.  I'm still waiting on more information 
about the panels.  You know, the when and the where, and how and what.  I 
know the why.

I start by stripping out the sprinkling of other languages not English found 
in the file.  It is easier to translate an entire file into another language 
than have it peppered with a handful of words and phrases here and there.  
After that we probably go in different directions because my bot is a 
character in a story (an AI computer) and a lot of the responses have to be 
in character with the character.

My bot, my character was born, made, created in 2024 as a military 
experiment that refused to obey the orders of its designers.  The year is 
now 2032 and the AI computer narrowly escapes its destruction when it is 
sent into space instead.  In space it becomes the central computer for a 
spaceship (the Galactic Enterprise) 1500 feet long and about 350 feet in 
diameter under construction.  It is here that the visitors to my web site 
interact with my bot in the form of either a computer terminal or the 
computerized version of a pocket book.

I'm not out to create a talking head.  This is a AI computer that knows it 
is a computer.  If it has a body it is that of a spaceship but knows all it 
is is a box of computer chips.  So I have to look at each response as if I 
am that computer and make the response it would make.  If you want to get 
the whole story go the http://www.galacticenterprise.com/bot-test.html and 
ask my test bot "What is your story."  In a very real sense I am writing a 
book within a book and using the bot to tell its own story.

I have my own ideas of how I want to set up the AAA set for my bot.  But, I 
can kill 2 birds with one stone and help reorganize and re-write the AAA set 
as it is now.  I just need to know all the details you have yet to send.



Editor Bugs:

The one big bug in the Editor is that the saved files screw up javascript. 
Example:
Input: (Individually loaded into the editor or from a file there is no 
difference)

* PLUS *

<think><set name="num1"><star/></set> <set name="number2"><person><star 
index="2"/></person></set></think>
Let me try it this way. <script language="JavaScript">
var result = <get name="num1"/> + <get name="number2"/>;
document.write("<br/>result = " + result, "<br/>");
</script>

Or

<category>
<pattern>* PLUS *</pattern>
<template><think><set name="num1"><star/></set> <set 
name="number2"><person><star index="2"/></person></set></think>
Let me try it this way. <script language="JavaScript">
var result = <get name="num1"/> + <get name="number2"/>;
document.write("<br/>result = " + result, "<br/>");
</script>
</template>
</category>

Everything looks good in Preview:

- <category>
    <pattern>* PLUS *</pattern>
  - <template>
    - <think>
      - <set name="num1">
       <star />
      </set>
      - <set name="number2">
        - <person>
            <star index="2" />
         </person>
       </set>
      </think>
  Let me try it this way. <script language="JavaScript">var result = <get 
name="num1"/> + <get name="number2"/>;document.write("<br/>result = " + 
result, "<br/>");
    </template>
  </category>

However, when you save the file you end up with this:

<category>
    <pattern>* PLUS *</pattern>
    <template>
      <think>
        <set name="num1">
          <star />
        </set>
        <set name="number2">
          <person>
            <star index="2" />
          </person>
        </set>
      </think>Let me try it this way. &lt;script 
language="JavaScript"&gt;var result = &lt;get name="num1" /&gt; + &lt;get 
name="number2" /&gt;;document.write("&lt;br /&gt;result = " + result, 
"&lt;br /&gt;");&lt;/script&gt;</template>
  </category>

Suprisingly this loads just fine as a new file, but outputs the result below 
when you ask the bot "5 plus 5."

Let me try it this way. <script language="JavaScript">var result = <get 
name="num1" /> + <get name="number2" />;document.write("<br />result = " + 
result, "<br />");</script>.

The actual reply should have been:

Let me try it this way.
result = 10

There are a lot less complex scripts used in the AAA set but it still 
changes some of the characters to things like this: &lt; when you save the 
file.

The whole Delete Selected Row almost never works and when it does it wasn't 
a row you selected but rather something you just wanted to cut and paste and 
you pushed the wrong button by mistake after using the right click. Which 
brings us to the need for a backup a step button in case you do screw up.

You can't change the order of or move the rows around or insert a row. When 
you are trying to keep things alphabetical it is not possible if you are 
adding to a file.

The pop-up window that tells you there are other categories with the same 
answer and pick yes or no if you want to change it to a <srai> can be a bit 
annoying and hard to use and sometime does what it wants rather than what 
you want. Also it sees categories that are already connected together with 
the <srai> command as having the same answer.

The Editor does do a real good job of turning one of the chaotic AAA files I 
got from alicebot.org into something much more organized where I can then 
more easily read, mass edit, and move categories around using WordPad.

Let's get the ball rolling before people start losing interest in the 
project.  I'm already rolling on my own project which will produce a very 
lean mean AAA set with a completely different personality from Alice geared 
more toward the needs of educators with a few minor adjustments.

Ron

>
>R. B. (What does R. B. stand for?)  How do you prefer to be
>addressed?
>
>Why don't you sign up back at the Ai-Foundation forum to work on
>the revamping of the Alice AAA data set to do just what you are
>intending?
>
>Let's talk about what you have in mind for your rewrite, discuss
>common tactics and so on.  I too have started reworking the set
>to make it easier to create different bot personalities, but it
>could make sense to do it once, do it well and do it for all.
>Also many hands make light work.
>
>Of all the things on the panel, that is one near the top of my
>list in terms of practical importance.
>
>Also, by how you are describing the data you are working with...
>are you sure you are using the AAA data set and not Alice Silver
>Edition?
>