Artificial Intelligence CLIPS Language Tutorial

Michael Scherger Department of Computer Science Kent State University

November 2, 2004 AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial 1

Introduction
CLIPS is a tool for building expert systems
Originally developed by the Software Technology Branch (STB) at NASA Johnson Space Center First release in 1986

Web location
http://www.ghg.net/clips/CLIPS.html
November 2, 2004 AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial 2

Introduction
CLIPS was designed to facilitate the development of software to model human knowledge
Facts Rules Deffunctions and generic functions Object oriented programming

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

Starting / Exiting CLIPS

To start CLIPS (Windows)just double click the CLIPSWin.exe icon To exit CLIPS type (exit) at the CLIPS> prompt.

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

Facts
Fact Assertion
(assert (play Ivan tennis)) (assert (duck)) (assert (chair red))

As facts are entered into the KB, they are assigned a Fact Index
(retract 1)
Removes fact 1 from the KB

(clear)
Removes all facts from the fact base and KB
November 2, 2004 AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial 5

Facts
Fact Assertion
(facts)
Dump the fact base Fact identifier time tag
f-0 f-1

Special fact
(initial-fact) Is always F0 and is used to match the first/start rules
November 2, 2004 AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial 6

Facts
deffacts is a way of initializing the fact base (group of facts) Example:
(deffacts tennis-players people who play tennis (athelete Ivan very-good) (play Ivan tennis) (athelete Martina very-good) (play Martina tennis))

Will cause the fact base to be initialized with the facts + (initial-fact)
November 2, 2004 AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial 7

Facts
When (reset) is entered, the result is
f-0 f-1 f-2 f-3 f-4 (initial-fact) (athelete Ivan very-good) (play Ivan tennis) (athelete Martina very-good) (play Martina tennis)

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

Rules
Syntax
(defrule r-name
pattern-1 pattern-n => action-1 action-m)
November 2, 2004 AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial 9

comment

Rules
r-name is the rule name comment must be surrounded by quotes pattern-i is the antecedent pattern action-j is the consequent pattern

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

10

Rules
The agenda is the list of rules that have been matched and are waiting execution (agenda) will print out the rules The agenda is prioritized by salience value
Salience is specified by the programmer and is from 10000 to 10000 Default is 0 if (declare (salience 25)) is not in rule e.g. Rules are selected for firing by salience Two rules of same salience use LIFO to fire
AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial 11

November 2, 2004

Rules
(pprule r-name) will pretty print out the rule (excise r-name) will remove a rule from the system

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

12

Variables
Variables start with a ?
E.g. ?age Bindings are valid within a rule only

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

13

Fact Base Updates

(retract fact-id)
requires fact to be the index number which is sometime difficult to determine Therefore use
variable with <- notation which binds the fact index number to the variable

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

14

Fact Base Updates

Example
(defrule become-adult ?child <- (child harry) (birthday harry August-15) ?age <- (age harry 17) (date today August-15) =>
(assert (adult harry)) (retract ?child) (retract ?age) (assert (age harry 18)) (printout t harry is now an adult crlf))
November 2, 2004

What facts are retracted? What facts are kept? What facts are generated? Changing harry to ?person and August-15 to ?date will generalize this rule

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

15

Firing Rules

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

16

Firing Rules

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

17

Firing Rules (Matching)

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

18

Firing Rules (Matching)

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

19

Wildcard Matching
?
matches one

$?
matches any number

$?name
match and bind
November 2, 2004 AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial 20

Variables, Variables, Variables

Variables start with a ?

Examples
?x ?location ?sensor ?room ?color ?size

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

21

Variables, Variables, Variables

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

22

Wildcard Matching
Example (name ? ?Kennedy)
will match will match
(name John Fitzgerald Kennedy)

(name ? $? SMITH)

but would not match

(name John SMITH) (name Suzie Jane SMITH) (name John James Jones SMITH) (name SMITH) (name John Jones SMITH Rogers)

$?name is the same as the previous but the matches are bound to $?name

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

23

Wildcard Matching

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

24

Field Constraints
Negation ~
(defrule apply-heat
(temperature water ~boil) => (adjust heat maximum); a function call (printout t Turn the heat to the maximum setting crlf))

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

25

Field Constraints
OR |
(temperature water cold|cool|warm) => (adjust heat maximum); a function call (printout t Turn the heat to a medium setting crlf))

(defrule apply-heat

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

26

Field Constraints
AND &
(temperature water ?temp&hot|boil)

will match either of the following facts

(temperature water hot) (temperature water boil)

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

27

Mathematical Operators
Uses prefix notation as in Lisp
(+ 3 4) (+ (* 3 4) (* 5 6))

Use = as assignment for fact assertion on left hand side

(assert (answer = ( * 3 4 ) ) )

put
(answer 12)

in the fact list

November 2, 2004 AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial 28

Systematic Manner

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

29

Templates

November 2, 2004

AI: CLIPS Language Tutorial

30