Performing Actions

This is a short tutorial to showcase how to call plans through performing action designators.

Let's first load the CRAM plan library system:

CL-USER> (ros-load:load-system "cram_executive" :cram-executive)
;; or ,r-l-s RET cram_executive RET RET

Next, let's define the actual plan we want to execute:

CL-USER> (cpl:def-cram-function eat (&key ((:yummy ?yummy)) &allow-other-keys)
           (declare (type (or string null) ?yummy))
           (format t "hmmm... nomnomnom... ~a~%" ?yummy))

Because we want to trigger this plan via an action designator, let's define that as well:

CL-USER> (prolog:def-fact-group eating-plans (desig:action-grounding)
             (prolog:<- (desig:action-grounding ?action-designator (eat ?action-designator))
                        (desig:desig-prop ?action-designator (:to :eat))
                        (desig:desig-prop ?action-designator (:yummy ?object))))

Now let's try to perform the designator we just defined.

Pay attention that perform calls can only be done within a task tree.

CL-USER> (cpl:top-level
           (exe:perform (desig:an action (to eat) (yummy pizza))))
hmmm... nomnomnom... PIZZA
NIL
#<A ACTION
    (TO EAT)
    (YUMMY PIZZA)>

Now, let's assume that our action has an explicit effect we would like to follow:

CL-USER> (cpl:top-level
           (exe:perform (desig:an action (to eat) (yummy pizza) (goal (object-eaten pizza)))))
WARNING:
   Trying to prove goal (OBJECT-EATEN
                         PIZZA) with undefined functor CRAM-PLAN-OCCASIONS-EVENTS::OBJECT-EATEN.
hmmm... nomnomnom... PIZZA
WARNING:
   Trying to prove goal (OBJECT-EATEN
                         PIZZA) with undefined functor CRAM-PLAN-OCCASIONS-EVENTS::OBJECT-EATEN.
; Evaluation aborted on #<CRAM-LANGUAGE-IMPLEMENTATION:SIMPLE-PLAN-FAILURE "Goal `~a' of action `~a' was not achieved." {1002CAAD53}>.

We get an error that the goal of the action was not achieved by the end of performing this action.

Let's add that:

CL-USER> (defparameter *pizza-eaten-p* nil)
*PIZZA-EATEN-P*
CL-USER> (cpl:def-cram-function eat (&key ((:yummy ?yummy)) &allow-other-keys)
           (declare (type (or string null) ?yummy))
           (format t "hmmm... nomnomnom... ~a~%" ?yummy)
           (setf *pizza-eaten-p* t))
; in: CRAM-LANGUAGE-IMPLEMENTATION:DEF-CRAM-FUNCTION EAT
;     (TYPE (OR STRING NULL) ?YUMMY)
; 
; caught WARNING:
;   undefined variable: COMMON-LISP-USER::?YUMMY
; 
; compilation unit finished
;   Undefined variable:
;     ?YUMMY
;   caught 1 WARNING condition
WARNING: redefining COMMON-LISP-USER::EAT in DEFUN
EAT
CL-USER> (prolog:def-fact-group eating-occasions ()
           (prolog:<- (:object-eaten ?object)
             (prolog:symbol-value *pizza-eaten-p* ?eaten)
             (prolog:lisp-pred identity ?eaten)))

We defined a new world state *pizza-eaten-p* and an occasion object-eaten that is calculated from that state variable.

Let's now call the perform action again:

PLAN-LIB> (cpl:top-level
            (exe:perform (desig:an action (to eat) (yummy pizza) (goal (object-eaten pizza)))))
hmmm... nomnomnom... PIZZA
NIL

Please keep in mind that if there are multiple solutions to a particular action designator, i.e. it resolves to different plans, the first one that is defined will be executed. Ordering is not yet implemented and should probably be taken care of explicitly in the plans anyway. Summary: make sure an action designator you use for plans can only be resolved to one unique CRAM plan.