Developing Expert Systems using iKen Studio Beta:

Steps to follow: sample iExam Exam System

  1. Add Application and Variable groups

    Each application has two groups: application group which represents application name (all application related files, web pages etc.), variable group stores variables required for expert system. For small applications, both application and variable group can be same. However, some applications can access variables from various groups e.g. Credit Rating application. You can define more than one variable groups.

    Open ‘System Configuration Interface’ of iKen Studio.       

     a. Add iExam as a new application in ‘Application Setting’ and click on Add button .

     b. Add iExam as a new variable Group in ‘Variable Groups’. and click on Add button . Link variable group to application group.

    c. Click on Create Directory button in application group. System would create a directory named as iExam in virtual directory. It also creates directory Images inside iExam directory. All required files (including images) Generic_Template.htm,Generic_Welcome.htm and Generic_Default.css from GenericTemplates directory and GenericTemplates/Images are copied to application directory. Path of this directory is website/Virtual Directory Name/iExam e.g. www.ikensolutions.com/TestCode/iExam. 

    d. Click on 'Save to file' , if  iExam application and iExam Variable Group is successfully added then  System shows this window


  2. Create web templates  (Optional)

    The system uses generic_template.htm as a template file to create required templates. Web pages/forms entering inputs are created based on file called as template.htm (create this file using step 6) in the iExam directory. Generic_template.htm can be modified (i.e. images and links can be removed or renamed) so that templates would be created with required layout. While editing the generic template file do not delete <--INSERT HERE--> tag (alternatively using slots: [PROMPT],[CONTROL],[JAVASCRIPT_URL] etc. for various  it is used by system to insert prompt, controls, etc.

    For example figure below shows customized template for 'iExam.'

    Use any browser but preferably Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

  3.  Setting application and group access to role and users

    This step helps to have access rights to application based on role (for development) and user (to access at run time) sets access rights to application for selected role and users.

    a. Go to the ‘Roles and Users’ Interface of iKen Studio.

    a. Select appropriate Role ID from Role ID option.  Multiple roles can be selected. 

    b.  Select ‘iExam’ from available applications & click on 'Add From the List' and also

    c.  select  ‘iExam’ from available groups & click on "Add From List' button.

    b. Login to system as a iKen Studio user.

     Login as system user for system development. 

  4. Add menus and lists  

    This interface helps to create possible (domain) values and scales that variables can take. For example, in this application possible multiple option to questions etc. can be set. The name of the lists/menus can be same as that of variable names or these can be generic (like CityList) to be used in multiple applications and variables.

    Select the  'Menu & Lists' Interfaces of  iKen Studio.

    For this example, we define iExam.Q1, iExam.Q2,... as menu names. Each one will have possible option for that question. e.g. iExam.Q1 can have three options. While defining question options (menu options),  codes can be used to indicate correct/incorrect answer. e.g. 1 for correct and 0 for wrong. If you want to give negative marks for wrong selection, code can be set to -1 instead of 0. . 

                 

     Click on ‘Show All Menus’ to see menu list.

     

  5. Add Variables

    Expert system uses variables to store dynamic values. There are different types of variables required based on requirements. Some variables would take value at run-time called as Input Variables while some are used to calculate values from JavaScript called as calculated variables. There are various attributes of variable can be defined based on type of variable e.g. for input variable you can define which html control (radiobox/checkbox) etc. you want to define, etc. There should be at least one goal variable which would start the system in backward reasoning mode

    Go to ‘Global Variable’ interface of  iKen Studio.

    Create variables to be required in the expert system in the iExam group using ‘Global Variable Interface’. In this example, variables are iExam.Q1, iExam.Q2...iExam.Q6. These variables are input variables. Create intermediate sub-goals if required. In this expert system, the rules are divided into two test sets. First set of three questions (iExam.Q1, iExam.Q2 and iExam.Q3 on structured design) and second set of three questions (iExam.Q4, iExam.Q5 and iExam.Q6 on database design). So we create two more sub-goal variables as iExam.QSet1 and  iExam.QSet2. These variables have values Good or Poor.

     

  6.  Adding rules for expert system

    Set of rules can be added using rule editor/manager. System provides interactive environment to manage the rules. Make sure that there are no errors when you update the rule. There are large number of functions added to develop good and powerful expert systems.

     Go to ‘Rule editor’ interface of  iKen Studio.

    The logic of the system.

    Candidate has to clear both the test sets in order to declare result as Good. Means both iExam.QSet1 and iExam.QSet2 should be evaluated to Good. First test must be clear in order to go-to second test. If candidate fails in first test set, then system stops. To clear a first test set, candidate must give first answer correct and has to give one correct answers out of question no. 2 and 3. To clear the second test/set, candidate has to answer at least two questions correctly amongst three.

     Write set of rules using Rule Editor and compile them.
     

    GET_CODE(Exam.Q1)=1 ,  means if the selected  option whose corresponding code is 1 ( is correct answer).

                   Once the rules are correctly compiled, the system is ready to execute or test.  After creation of all rules we need to create web pages for all variables in variable group  to do this click on Create Web Pages button. Each webpage contain lot of javascript code for validation of inputs at run time etc. (web pages are created based on variable attributes set using Global Variable Interface)

    Click on Create Generic Templates in Rule Manager to create templates Welcome.htm, Template.htm, etc. from Generic_Template.htm, Generic_Welcome.htm and Generic_Default.css files.

  7. Running expert system

              The system can be invoked directly from any web-page giving following 

    URL: VirtualDirectory?main.aspx?Goal=iExam.iExam Result&Action=RunSystem. Where iExam.iExam Result is goal variable name from which system would start backward reasoning.

    Alternatively Generic_Welcome.htm  can be modified or a web page e.g. welcome.htm can be explicitly created as a starting page,  which has start system as a link to start expert system. 

    For running the system use the following path:-(e.g. welcome.htm) e.g.
    http://ikenstudio/testcode/iExam/welcome.htm

     

               The subsequent pages of system are like as shown below.

     

    After successful execution of system it shows a result as default session report, as shown in following figure.

     

If the system does not respond or work properly: add Debug=Yes to URL to store values during system run e.g. VirtualDirectory?main.aspx?Goal=iExam.iExam Result&Action=RunSystem&Debug=Yes. While running the system, ShowDebug.aspx would show run-time dump of the system. It stops at the rule expression which has problem. You can check expressions and variable values using utility called Diagnostics.aspx.

      Optional Steps

1 . Creating form

Forms can be used to club inputs instead of asking them one by one in Q&A mode. In this expert system, all questions can be grouped and asked in group rather than asking one after other. Form designer helps to create HTML form interactively. Controls are automatically inserted by the system while generating form. System embeds lot of JavaScript code to validate, format etc.

Go ‘Form Designer’ interface of  iKen Studio.

a. Add a new Form and design  it as per system requirement.

 

 b.  Click on 'Create' to create Template of  Form and Preview of form can be seen by 'Preview' button.
 c.  Create a goal variable and link the form to that goal variable. Whenever you call this variable using ASK function, it would display form as follows. All variables appearing in the form, would get values populated once variable is submitted.

First Rule can be changed to:
Rule No=1 ID=Exam.1
IF ASK(Exam.Form)
AND GET_CODE(Exam.Q1)=1
AND GET_CODE(Exam.Q2)=1
THEN Exam.QSet1 IS Good

2 . Creating report for session.

The system uses default reports to show results. However, customized reports can be designed to change default reports. This example shows how exam report is designed and used. Report designer helps to create HTML reports which contain variables. Whenever a report is invoked values are populated into report and displayed. System embeds lots of JavaScript code to format values, check conditions etc.

Go to Interfaces 'Report Designer' of  iKen Studio.       

a.  Add New Report in Report designer (You can customize it by using various options).

         

b. You can see  report preview by clicking on 'Preview' button

 

c. Link this report ID iExam_Report to goal variable iExam.FinalResult_Status

Run the system again.