Like Soar8.2, the TinySoar host enviornment is a Tcl extension that provides a command-line interface to the TinySoar runtime. The Tcl extension also includes commands useful for developing and debugging agents for the runtime.
The handful of commands that the TinySoar Tcl extension adds to the Tcl environment are listed below.
preferences command has three forms. The first form
displays the preferences for the specified slot:
<id> must be an identifier,
<attr>must by a symbolic constant. The second
form is used to add a preference to the specified slot:
<id> must be an identifier,
<attr> must be a symbolic constant, and
<val> may be an identifier, a symbolic
constant, or a numeric constant. Numeric constants must be
prefixed by a + or a - to distinguish
them from identifiers. <type> is the preference
type; specifically:
+ | acceptable |
- | reject |
@ | reconsider |
= | indifferent, unary or binary |
< | worst if unary, worse if binary |
> | best if unary, better if binary |
<ref> to be specified. The
referent may be an identifier, a symbolic constant, or a numeric
constant. The result of preferences -a is a
unique number identifying the preference. This value can be used
with the third form of the command,
preferences -r, to remove the preference from
working memory. Note that preferences -r is
not idempotent: using it more than once on the same
preference (or using it with a value not returned from
preferences -a) will cause undefined behavior
and possibly crash the runtime.
<id>.
Below is a sample session that illustrates how some of the commands
are used. To follow along, start tclsh in the
directory where you've built tinysoar.so, and load the
drive.soar sample:
$ TCLLIBPATH=`pwd` tclsh % source ../tinysoar/tests/drive.soar Firing: Retracting: compiled: propose*drive compiled: implement*drive compiled: drive*reconsider %
Run two elaboration cycles.
% ela Firing: propose*drive Retracting: % ela [1]: [5] Firing: implement*drive drive*reconsider Retracting: %
Note the `[1]: [5]' that is printed after the second
elaboration. This indicates that operator [5] has been
selected for state [1].
Let's print the working memory elements currently associated with
state [1]. (Note that the top-level state is
always identifier [1].)
% print 1 ([1] ^superstate nil ^io [2] ^operator [5] ^operator [5] +) %
In other words, the top state has the I/O link [2],
and operator [5] both with “normal”
(^operator [5]) and “acceptable”
(^operator [5] +) working memory elements
present.
Let's look at the operator a bit more closely:
% print 5 ([5] ^name drive) %
Operator [5]'s name is drive.
Let's look at what preferences are currently in working memory for
identifier [1]'s ^operator slot:
% pref 1 ^operator 134698720: [5] @ 134691928: [5] + %
There is a reconsider preference (`@') and an
acceptable preference (`+') for the
^operator slot in the top state. Both preferences are
for identifier [5].
Now let's tinker with preferences a bit:
% print 2 ([2] ^input-link [3] ^output-link [4]) % pref -a 3 ^sensor-1 +100 + 134699296 %
We just added an acceptable preference to the input link, setting
the ^sensor-1 attribute to a numeric constant of
+100. Let's double-check to be sure:
% pref 3 ^sensor-1 134699296: 100 + %
Note that there are no square-braces around the 100:
that indicates that the value `100' is a numeric constant,
not an identifier.
Has a working memory element been created, too?
% print 3 ([3]) %
No! The preference is present, but no working memory element has been created yet. Working memory elements get created during elaboration as a result of preference addition. So, after elaborating once, we should see our acceptable preference converted into a working memory element:
% ela [1]: [5] Firing: implement*drive drive*reconsider Retracting: implement*drive drive*reconsider % print 3 ([3] ^sensor-1 100) %
Now let's remove that preference, and verify that it's gone:
% pref -r 134699296 % pref 3 ^sensor-1 %
The preference is gone; does the working memory element remain?
% print 3 ([3] ^sensor-1 100) %
Yes. Again, working memory elements are created and destroyed during elaboration:
% ela [1]: [5] Firing: implement*drive drive*reconsider Retracting: implement*drive drive*reconsider % print 3 ([3]) %
At this point, the agent's input-link is in the same state as it was before we began tinkering with preferences.