Expert Systems

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 What is CLIPS?
 CLIPS is a type of computer language designed for
writing applications called expert systems
 CLIPS is a tool for building expert systems.
 CLIPS Rule Based Programming Language - Browse
/CLIPS/6.30 at SourceForge.net

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 The basic elements of an expert system:
1. fact-list: Global memory for data
2. knowledge-base: Contains all the rules, the rule-
base
3. inference engine: Controls overall execution of rules
 A program in CLIPS consists of
 Facts
 Rules

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 What is CLIPS?
 Each CLIPS command must have a matching number of
left and right parentheses
 The normal mode of leaving CLIPS is with the exit
command. Just type
(exit)

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 Fields(Data Types)
There are eight types of fields, also called the CLIPS primitive
data types:
float
integer
symbol
string
external address
fact address
instance name
instance address.

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 Integer & Float
Examples of integers are

237 15 +12 -32

Some examples of floats are

237e3 15.09 +12.0 -32.3e-7

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 String Field
 A string must begin and end with double quotation
marks, which are part of the field.
E.g.
 “Active the sprinkler system “
 "a\"quote"

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 Symbol Field
 A symbol in CLIPS is any sequence of characters that
starts with any printable ASCII character and is
followed by zero or more printable ASCII characters.
 When a delimiter is found, the symbol is ended.
 Delimiters include any nonprintable ASCII character.
(spaces, tabs, returns, line feeds) and “ ( ) & | < ~ ;
 Symbols cannot contain delimiters

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 Symbol Field
 E.g.
 Space-Station
 127A
 456-93-039
 @+=-%
 2each

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 Fields
 The primitive data types are referred to as single-field
values
 A multifield value is a sequence of zero or more single
field values.
 (number 1 2 5 )
 (this that)

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 Facts
 Ordered facts
 consist of a symbol followed by a sequence of zero or
more fields separated by spaces and delimited by an
opening parenthesis on the left and a closing parenthesis
on the right.
 For example,
 (father-of jack bill) states that bill is the father of jack.
 (the pump is on)
 (altitude is 10000 feet)
 (grocery-list bread milk eggs)
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 Facts
 Non-ordered (or deftemplate) facts.
 (deftemplate person "An example deftemplate"
(slot name) "An example deftemplate" --> comment(optional)
(slot age)
(slot eye-color)
(slot hair-color)

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 Non-ordered (or deftemplate) facts
 The following is an example of a fact:
(person (name "John Q. Public")
(age 23)
(eye-color blue)
(hair-color black))

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 Manipulation of Facts -- assert
 Basic commands to operate on facts:
assert, retract, modify, duplicate, facts
 Adding Facts
New facts can be added to the fact list using the assert command.
(assert <fact>+)
As an example,
CLIPS>(deftemplate person
(slot name)
(slot age)
(slot eye-color)
(slot hair-color))
CLIPS>(assert (person (name "John Q. Public")
(age 23)
(eye-color blue)
(hair-color black)))
<Fact-0>
CLIPS

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 Manipulation of Facts -- assert
 More than one fact can be asserted using a single assert
command. For
example, the command:
(assert (person (name "John Q. Public")
(age 23)
(eye-color blue)
(hair-color black))
(person (name "Jane Q. Public")
(age 36)
(eye-color green)
(hair-color red))

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