NaifJs, a simple state-machine based dialog manager

NaifJs is a simple state-machine based (task-oriented) dialog manager micro-framework for nodejs developers.

The project consists in:

• A run-time dialog manager, as a module to be embedded as part of a container dialog system
• A micro-framework development environment (naif command line program) to create and quickly test dialogues.

Concepts

Naifjs is based on a specific conceptual model and a domain specific language (DSL) I conceived, implementing multi-turn contextual dialogues as "state machines", graphs of internal states.

Following paragraph introduces main concepts and naming conventions. I define what is a dialog system, a dialog manager, a single dialog unit, the end multi-dialog application:

• Dialog system

  • Stateful multi-turn dialogues
  • Architecture

• State-machine based dialog manager

  • Dialogue as a state-machine
  • State tracker

• What is a dialog unit

  • Dialog Unit
  • Coding a dialogue with a javascript domain specific language
  • Requests and responses

• Application

  • Dialog application
  • Sessions

Documentation

The full documentation is available here.

Installation

The package contains command line interface program naif, so you must install the npm package as global:

• use npm package manager repo

  $ npm install -g naifjs

• or download this github repo:

  $ git clone https://github.com/solyarisoftware/naifjs
  $ cd naifjs && npm link

Application Programming interface and command line tools

API library

NaifJs act as an API library of functions to be called by a main nodejs program. See:

• API cheat sheet: list of available functions
• Application examples some application examples
• Documentation content index some application examples
• Workflow design/development phases

Command line tools

The NaifJs API are foundation for a micro-framework development environment (the naif command line program) to create the end application, generate dialog units skeleton code and quickly test dialogues:

• naif is the main command line program
• naif init initializes project directory
• naif generate generate the code skeleton of a dialog unit
• naif show for a given project, lists all dialog units and relative states
• naif shell test a dialog unit using the command line interface
• naif telegram test a dialog unit, setting up on the fly a telegram bot for the purpose

Discussion / How to contribute

• Pros and cons
• Food for thought
• BackStory
• Acknowledgments
• How to contribute
• To do

Status

Currently the project is just a proof of concept, not ready for production. The software made is just a prototype, in alpha stage.

License

MIT (c) Giorgio Robino

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Change log

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

version 0.46.11

• security update: https://github.com/solyarisoftware/naifjs/security/dependabot/package-lock.json/lodash/open

Version 0.46.9

• documentation update
• log.js udpated and renamed logdialog.js
• naif init updated: basic generic main template improved

Version 0.46.6 - first public version

• added documentation doc/index.md
• moved request logic from lib/engine.js to lib/request.js
• added naif init

Version 0.45.1

• doc rework: concepts are moved from README.md to doc/consepts.md
• code rework: varaibles functions moved from lib/engine.js to lib/variables.js

Version 0.45.0

• code rework: response functions moved from lib/engine.js to lib/response.js
• examples bash scripts renamed from test to shell
• documenattion: doc/sessions.md better explanation of session thread
• command line tools help improved
• documentation: READMe.md revisited

Version 0.44.0

• session data format is changed
  • time is now in msecs
  • variables in "variables" object
  • request data added
  • response data added
  • validateRequest add time attribute
  • validateResponse add time attribute

Version 0.43.7

• story_it / story_en updated to show how to get variable from another dialog unit.
• Documentation updated (examples, variables, etc.)
• log.js file reviewed.
• color.js created
• devlog.js created, to manage developers error (stderr)

Version 0.43.0

• naif shell now show stated when ENTER is pressed
• naif shell now has -s / --silent flag
• Log are removed from the engine; naif.up no more take log file as argument
• ResponseDataObject now has the attribute stateid
• naif test and naif telegram implement logs dialogs using lib/log.js
• /home/giorgio/naifjs/bin/lib/getArgs.js bug fixed
• Documentation updated

Version 0.42.0

• Documentation updated
• request logic improved. Now each input state receive the RequestDataObject
• Added API toText(RequestDataObject)
• Added the example application textOrSpeech to show how to use RequestDataObject

Version 0.41.12

• Documentation updated
• naif now has a better cli, using subcommands

Version 0.41.6

• response now has two function decorators:
  • say for response not requiring user turn
  • ask API to manage questions with timeout.
• Documentation updated
• timeout default enabled

Version 0.41.2

• fixed bug in postinstall.
• timeout logic has been moved from lib/engine.js to lib/timeouts.js.
• id moved in lib/sessionid.js.
• userid renamed in lib/sessions.js, lib/engine.js.
• Documentation updated.

Version 0.41.0

• timeout logic revisited: now user can configure timeout msecs with freedom
• bin directory now contains just binaries. All naif subcommands are moved to the bin/lib subdirectory.
• figure 1 image updated.
• Documentation updated.

Version 0.40.0

• tag function has been renamed stateid
• Documentation updated.

Version 0.39.0

• Request and Response now take a validated data object
• Documentation updated.

Version 0.38.1

• Documentation updated.
• Added screenshots in cli doc.

Version 0.37.1

• Documentation updated. Added introduction and figure 1.
• sessions storage revised: now the session file id created by defualt in the application directory.
• naif telegram updated with chatids management: the telegram bot run a dialog and optionally activate the dialog (push mode) prompting specified chat ids.

Version 0.36.0

• Added a command line entry point: naif telegram.
• run statement now renamend request.
• say statement now renamend response.
• Documentation updated.

Version 0.34.0

• Documentation updated.
• lib/unitsLoader.js renamed and reviewed.
• lib/patternsMatchRegexp.js updated with some tests.
• lib/buildTags.js splitted out from lib/engine.js.
• Examples directory fully updated.
• Added a command line entry point: naif show.
• command line entry point: naif cli has been renamed naif test.

Version 0.29.0

• Added a single command line entry point: naif.

Version 0.28.6

added script directory, containing scripts to run examples.

Version 0.28.5

• temporary public initial commit.

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