Appendix 2. Textual format

• Principles
• The base description file
• Syntactic shape
• Instance files
• Comments
• Backus-Naur form syntax
• Keywords and multi-linguism
• API

• bridges have a name;
• class specification are separated by the `@' symbol;
• inference descriptors have been added;
• the lexicons = {}; syntactic phrase is required;
• the instances = {}; syntactic phrase is not required anymore;
• the facettes = {}; syntactic phrase is not required anymore;
• the methods = {}; syntactic phrase is required (see below);

Principles

The base description file

Syntactic shape

<base-name
	required-bases = { base-name,... };
	types = { type-desc,... };
	viewpoints = { view-name,... };
	concepts =
		{
			<concept-name
				key = {
						<keyslot-name
							type = concept or type;
							nature = propriete or composant or lien;
							constructor = un or liste or ensemble;
						>,
						...
					};
				fields =
					{
						<field-name
							type = concept or type;
							nature = propriete or composant or lien;
							constructor = un or liste or ensemble;
						>,
						...
					};
				viewpoints =
					{
						<conceptview-name
							root-class =
								<class-name
									fields =
										{
											<field-name descriptor = desc-value;... >,
											...
										};
								>;
							classes =
								{
									<class-name
										super-class = class-name;
										fields =
											{
												<field-name descriptor = desc-value;... >,
												...
											};
									>,
									...
								};
						>,
						...
					};
				bridges =
					{
						<	bridge-name
							source = { class-name@conceptview-name,... };
							destination = class-name@conceptview-name;
						>,
						...
					};
			>,
			...
		};
	methods = { method-signature,... };
	instance-files = { file-name,... };
	lexicons = { file-name,... };
	talk-modules = { file-name,... };
>

Instance files

{
<concept-name
	is-in = {	class-name@conceptview-name,... };
	fied-name = value;
	...
>,...
}

#<<concept keyvalues*>>

Comments

Backus-Naur form syntax

• is a list of <entity>;
• is the name of an <entity>;
• are in boldface;

<base>			::=		'<'	base-name
										required-bases '=' '{' l-file-name '}' ';'
										types '=' '{' l-desc-type '}' ';'
										viewpoints '=' '{' l-viewpoint-name '}' ';'
										concepts '=' '{' l-<concept> '}' ';'
										methods '=' '{' l-<signature> '}' ';'
										instance-files '=' '{' l-file-name '}' ';'
										lexicons '=' '{' l-file-name '}' ';'
										talk-modules '=' '{' l-file-name '}' ';' '>'
<desc-type>		::=	typefile-name
<concept>		::=		'<'	concept-name
										key '=' '{' l-<conceptslot> '}' ';'
										fields '=' '{' l-<conceptslot> '}' ';'
										viewpoints '=' '{' l-<conceptview> '}' ';'
										bridges '=' '{' l-<bridge> '}' ';' '>'
<concept-slot>	::=		'<'	conceptslot-name
										type '=' <concept> | <type> ';'
										nature '=' propriete | composant | lien ';'
										constructor '=' un | liste-de | ensemble-de ';' '>'
<viewpoint>		::=		'<'	viewpoint-name
										root-class '=' <root-class> ';'
										classes '=' '{' l-<class> '}' ';' '>'
<root-class >	::=		'<'	class-name
										fields '=' '{' l-<classslot> '}' ';' '>'
<filter>			::=		<class>
<class>			::=		'<'	class-name
										super-class '=' class-name ';'
										fields '=' '{' l-<classslot> '}' ';' '>'
<classslot>		::=		'<'	classslot-name <descriptor>* '>'
<descriptor>	::=				type '=' '{' l-<exp-class> '}' ';'
						|				domain '=' <domain> ';'
						|				intervals '=' '{' <interval>+ '}' ';'
						|				except '=' <domain> ';'
						|				card '=' <integer> | <interval> ';'
						|				default '=' <value> ';'
						|				assign '=' '(' l-<path> ')' ';'
						|				filters '=' '(' l-<filter> ')' ';'
						|				methods '=' '(' l-<method> ')' ';'
<bridge>			::= 		'<'	bridge-name
										source '=' '{' l-<class-ref> '}' ';'
										destination '=' <class-ref> ';' '>'
<object>			::=		'<'	is-in '=' '{' l-<class-ref> '}' ';'
										<field-value>-l '>'
<signature>		::=	method-name ':' l-<mtype> '->' <mtype>
<mtype>			::=	<constructeur> <type> | <constructeur> <concept>-name
<constraint>	::=	constraint-name '(' l-<constraint-term> ')'
<constraint-term> 	::= <argument> | <constraint-operator> '(' l-<constraint-term> ')'
<field-value>	::=	field-name '=' <value> ';'
<method>			::=	method-name '(' l-<argument> ')'
<argument>		::=	<value> | <path>
<path>			::=	'!' | <path> '.' field-name | <path> ':' field-name
<domain>			::=	<single-domain> | <collector-domain>
<single-domain> ::=	'{' l-<single-value> '}'
<collector-domain> ::= 'P' '(' <collector-value> ')' | '{' l-<collector-value> '}'
<interval>		::=	<bound> <single-value> <single-value> <boound>
<value>			::=	<collector-value> | <single-value>
<collector-value>	::= <set-value> | <list-value>
<list-value> 	::=	'(' l-<single-value> ')'
<set-value> 	::=	'{' l-<single-value> '}'
<single-value>	::=	'|' <anything> '|' | <object-ref>
<class-ref>		::=	class-name '@' conceptview-name
<object-ref>	::=	'#<<' concept-name l-<value> '>>'
<boolean>		::=	true | false
<bound>			::=	'[' | ']'

Keywords and multi-linguism

Reserved symbols

Terminals

Keywords

Concept field values (only available in French)

API

(tr-print-when-created optional: boolean ) macro in [libtrl]

-> boolean, boolean boolean

Sets or returns a value indicating that, while loading a knowledge base, each created entity will cause an indication to be displayed on standard output.

(tr-load-base filename) function in [libtrl]

-> boolean, filename filename _fnf

Loads a knowledge base defined in the file named filename. Returns t if no error has been detected, () otherwise. Results in the knowledge base actually loaded.

(tr-load-instance-file filename) function in [libtrl]

-> boolean, filename filename _fnf

Loads an instance file defined in the file named filename. Returns t if no error has been detected, () otherwise. Results in the instances actually available.

(tr-unload-instances base) function in [libtrl]

-> boolean, base base _base

Deletes all the instances of the concepts of the base. This allows to load again instance files after a failure without having to load again the whole knowledge base.

(tr-save-base base) function in [libtrl]

-> boolean, base base _nab

Saves the knowledge base base in a file correspondng to its filename. Returns t if no error has been detected, () otherwise. The initial file, if it exists, is copied with appended "~".

(tr-save-base-as-talk base optional: fileout ) function in [libtrl]

-> boolean, base base _nab, filename filename _fnf

Prints the knowledge base base as a TALK program corresponding exactly to the action of loading the knowledge base. The result is printed in the stream fileout (by defaults (stdout)). Returns t if no error has been detected, () otherwise.

(tr-init-xml) function in [libtrl]

-> boolean

Initialises some variables for XML output. Applying this is required before launching tr-save-base-as-xml.

( tr-save-base-as-xml base optional: fileout ) function in [libtrl]

-> boolean, base base _nab, filename filename _fnf

Prints the knowledge base base as a XML document corresponding exactly to the contents of the knowledge base. The result is printed in the stream fileout (by defaults (stdout)). Returns t if no error has been detected, () otherwise.

(tr-save-base-as-c base optional: fileout )-- function in [libtrl]

-> boolean, base base _nab, filename filename _fnf NIY

The same as above with a C program instead of a TALK program.