enCore v.4 User's Guide

How to Use a Generic Bot    

The Generic Bot is a Turing Robot designed to interact in vigorous "Eliza-like" conversation with other people in its vicinity. It has key words, sentence patterns, random responses, and question responses--all user-programmable. It has some ability to recognize where it is and to whom it is talking.  The ‘help botname’ contents from inside enCore are included below. To start up the bot, drop it, activate it,  and say "hi."

CAUTION:
This bot was designed for serious educational and experimental purposes.  It makes an excellent "guide" or "tutor" and is an interesting vehicle for the study of the limits of language understanding using an "Eliza" approach.  BUT... it has great spam potential since it responds to nearly everything it hears.  Hush your bot when not needed and please be considerate of others around you.

Verb Summary

hush Bot
act*ivate Bot
addw*ord Bot
rmw*ord anything from Bot
seew*ords Bot
addp*at Bot
rmp*at anything from Bot
seep*ats Bot
mvpat anything on Bot
addr*andom Bot

rmr*andom anything from Bot
seer*andoms Bot
addquestionr*esponse Bot
rmquestionr*esponse anything from Bot
seequestionr*esponses Bot
g*et/t*ake Bot
d*rop/th*row Bot
gi*ve/ha*nd Bot to anything
present Bot to anything
v*iew Bot

Instructions and Information on Specific Verbs (Commands)

Using the Encore Object Editor

You will be able to create and describe your bot from the Encore Object Editor interface, but programming responses will have to be done from the text-command side.

Using Specific Verb Commands

ADDING A WORD FOR YOUR BOT TO RESPOND TO:

seewords botname
To see what words your bot already responds to.

addword botname
To teach your bot a new word. For example, to teach your bot to respond to 'donut' with either 'I like donuts too.' or 'Donuts are very tasty!' just type:

addword botname
donut
I like donuts.
Donuts are tasty.
.

Enter the appropriate responses a line at a time.  End with a single period on a line by itself (then hit enter).


ADDING A PATTERN FOR YOUR BOT TO RESPOND TO:

Suppose you wished your bot to hear something like "MY DONUT ISN'T VERY TASTY" and respond with "WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT A TASTY DONUT?"

To do this you must teach your bot to respond to the pattern MY "a" ISN'T VERY "b."

seepat botname
Displays the patterns already loaded into the bot. Study the examples. For additional assistance on understanding the syntax of patterns type help regular

@addpat botname
Begins the process of adding a new pattern of response to the bot. Enter the following line when asked to do so:

my %(%w*%) isn't very %(.*%)

Then type in the response form:

What's so great about a %2 %1?

Add as many response forms as you wish on separate lines.  End with a period on a single line.


ADDING RANDOM RESPONSES:

These responses are triggered whenever your bot can't find a keyword, a pattern, or a question.

seeresponses botname
To see the random responses already programmed into the bot.
To add a new random response type:   

addrandom botname
To add a new random response. Add as many responses as you wish on separate lines. End with a period on a single line.


ADDING A RANDOM RESPONSE TO A QUESTION:

When your bot senses a question is being asked, it responds with a random "answer." 

seequestions botname
To see the random question responses already programmed into your bot.

addquestionresponse botname
To add a new response.  Enter responses on separate lines and end with a period on a single line.


TO REMOVE WORDS, PATTERNS, RANDOM RESPONSES OR ANSWERS:

Use the appropriate 'rm-' command.  For example, to remove pattern number 5 on your bot just type rmpat 5 from bot

rmword botname
rmpat botname
rmrandom botname
rmquestionresponse botname

To see what number response, type the appropriate 'see**'.


TO MOVE POSITION OF A PATTERN:

mvpat botname
Your bot responds to patterns in the order in which it matches them. If you  wish to move pattern number 7 to a position nearer the beginning of the list, you might type something like 'mvpat 7 on botname'. You will then be asked to enter a line number to move pattern to.


SEEWORDS "BOTNAME"--preprogrammed words the bot will respond to

1   hi

Hi, how are you?
Hello, how's it going?

2   bye

Goodbye, catch ya later

3   grins

What's so funny?

4   yes

You seem quite positive on the subject...
Yes? Hmm, that's interesting...

5   no

Why are you so negative?
No? why not?
OK.. i guess I'll have to accept 'NO' for an answer...

6   Turing

Ah! You speak of Turing the famous British mathematician and logician!

7   help

I'll try to help you.. but as a bot I really don't know a lot...

8   never

Never? Surely you exaggerate...

9   thanks

You are most welcome...

10  lag

Ugh.. I really hate lag..
Oooooo... please don't mention the L** word..


PATTERNS:

1   your %(.*%)

my %1? Why do you wish to know?
I would rather not discuss my '%1' if it's allright with you...
Tell me yours first!

2   what is %(.*%)

Don't you know?
%1? I'm not sure i understand..

3   .* you are %(.*%)

Why do you think I am %1?
Perhaps it is you who are %1!

4   my %(%w*%)

Please tell me more about your %1...
Is your %1 important to you?
What about your %1?

5   why not

Hmm, thats a good question, why not indeed!

6   I %(.*%) you

You %1 me? Why?
Why do you say you %1 me?
I really %1 you too.. grin

7   %(%w*%) is %(.*%)

Suppose %1 were not %2? What then?
What is so %2 about %1?
%1? how so?

8   it's %(.*%)

'%1' you say? How so?
Why is it %1?

9   I am %(.*%)

You say you are %1?
%1? How so?
Why are you %1?

10  I'm %(.*%)

You are %1? How come?


QUESTION RESPONSES:

1   Hmm, not sure I know..

2   That's an interesting question...

3   Gosh, I'm not sure I can answer that...


RANDOM RESPONSES:

1   Do you have any hobbies?

2   I see, please continue...

3   What exactly are we talking about?

4   Can you go over that again please..

5   Um, i get the feeling this conversation is not going anywhere..

6   oh yeah?

7   hmm, is that so..

 

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Questions? Comments? Email Lennie Irvin
This guide is based on materials developed for the Encore Open Source Documentation Project by Lennie Irvin and Erin Karper. Menu courtesy of Milonic.

Page last updated 08-10-04 --LI