Aerolito is a markup language YAML based influenced by AIML and RiveScript. The motivation is to have a more clean and easy language than AIML without create a new file format, like RiveScript.

Use example:

from aerolito import Kernel
kernel = Kernel('config.yml')

print kernel.respond(u'Hello')

YAML was chosed because is more clean, and easy to maintain and read. It's easy to define python types as lists, strings and dictionaries. For example:

# YAML File
key:
    - this is a list item
    - 999                   # integer
    - [1, 2, 3, 4]          # list
    - {1:2, 3:4}            # dict
    - some string           # string

The example above above generate following structure in Python:

{key: [
    'this is a list item',
    999,
    [1, 2, 3, 4],
    {1:2, 3:4}
    'some string'
]}

Is important to understand the yaml structure to create a correct structure for aerolito.

To provide a simple structure for encapsulation, Aerolito knowledge base is divided at least in 2 main files: a configuration and a conversation file.

The configuration file (e.g. config.yml) will registry every global variable and specify the conversation and special files. An example of a config.yml:

# config.yml
version   : v0.1
botname   : chapolin
variable1 : value
variable2 : value
variableN : value

conversations:
    - conversations/file1.yml
    - conversations/file2.yml

synonyms:
    - specials/file1.yml
    - specials/file2.yml

Notice, the first 5 tags are global variables, accessed in patterns by "<variable>" expression. Also notice the tags "conversations" and "synonyms", these tags define conversations pattern file and special synonym files, respectively. Conversations tag is the only one required in config file, with at least one entry.

The conversation files contains the definition of conversation patterns (i.e., the set of user-inputs patterns and responses texts). Theses files must have the "patterns" tag, with at least one element. The "patterns" tags defines the list of conversation patterns.

Example of file:

patterns:
    - in:
        - Hello
        - Hi there!
      out:
        - Hi!