==================================================================== MAKEIT - ReadMe: Basic informations to users Dec 2, 1998 ==================================================================== * CONTENTS -------- 1. HOW TO USE MAKEIT ? 2. WHO CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT MAKEIT ? 3. WHAT IS MAKEIT & WHO SHOULD USE IT ? 4. WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS & GOALS OF MAKEIT ? 5. HOW TO COPY MAKEIT & WHICH ARE ITS COMPONENTS? 6. BASIC CONCEPTS OF MAKEIT 1. HOW TO USE MAKEIT ? ------------------- ! Requirements: --------------- - Windows '95, NT or Windows 3.1 - if you work under Windows 3.1, you need to install Win32s (a Microsoft product needed for running 32-bit Windows programs on Windows 3.1) - 4 MB of free disk space for the files 1.1 Install MakeIt from diskette A: ----------------------------------- - Insert MAKEIT diskette in A - Copy application A:\Makeit.exe to C:\ - Execute application C:\Makeit.exe => IMPORTANT: unzip to folder C:\Makeit\ - Copy link A:\Makeit-V9747 to Desktop 1.2 Install MakeIt from Internet: --------------------------------- - Download from: http://www.fhbb.ch/czm/uebersicht/mitarbeiter/bet/makeit.htm 1.3 Start MAKEIT ---------------- - Double-click link Makeit-V9747 on Desktop ======================= or click on: C:\makeit\lisp.exe and select makeit.img ================== ========== or execute command: C:\makeit\lisp.exe C:\makeit\makeit.img ======================================= 1.4 Quick look at Makeit ------------------------ - Click on button [Forward Chaining]: this starts an inference and shows the results at the end - Click on button [Facts]: this allows you to select and edit the facts - Click on button [Rules]: this allows you to select and edit the rules * Explanations of Facts, Rules and Inference: see point 6. in this file 1.5 Learn step by step ---------------------- - Learn how to use MakeIt step by step: either read the Tutorial files or try to work with the examples by trial and error (see point 5.). - Tutorial: - double left-click on the [Informations] window & select from the menu the item [LearnMe]: this opens the access to Tutorial files. 1.6 Handling of files --------------------- * Files with extension .kb = Files that can be loaded by MakeIt * Files with extension .out = Output generated by MakeIt * Files with extension .txt = NotePad Text Files * Files with extension .doc = MS Word Text Files * Files with extension .drw = Graph files which can be imported into MS-Word (filter: Micrografx Designer) 2. WHO CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT MAKEIT ? --------------------------------------- - address any question, suggestion or other communication to: ============================= Marco C. Bettoni Basel Institute of Technology and Management CIM-Zentrum Muttenz CH - 4132 MUTTENZ Tel: +41-61-4674238 Fax: +41-61-4674238 E-mail: m.bettoni@fhbb.ch ========================= 3. WHAT IS MAKEIT & WHO SHOULD USE IT ? ------------------------------------ - MAKEIT provides a minimal environment for: A: developing object-oriented, rule-based applications (expert systems) B. running the application - MAKEIT is an educational application, not a commercial applica- tion. The addressed user are students and other persons inte- rested in learning the principles of expert systems & knowledge -based systems without needing any background in Artificial Intelligence or Software Developement. - Learning with MAKEIT can be characterized as 'learning by do it yourself' (which is different from simply 'learning by doing'). 4. WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS & GOALS OF MAKEIT ? ---------------------------------------- - MAKEIT is being developed as a 'spin-off' of the MASTER system by Marco C. Bettoni (see Point 2.) - the main motivation is to allow the user to learn 'by do it yourself' the difference between conventional programming and knowledge-based programming (expert systems). - the main design principle is to provide ease of use by limiting the commands and using well-known Windows components. - one main design goal is to allow a user to understand MAKEIT in less than 30 minutes with a TUTORIAL (see Exercises 1, 2 and 3) and even in less than 15 minutes with a demonstration. 5. HOW TO COPY MAKEIT & WHICH ARE ITS COMPONENTS? ---------------------------------------------- - To copy & install MAKEIT you need 2 files: - Makeit.exe : Self-extracting full Makeit system - Makeit-V9747.lnk : Link for starting Makeit from Desktop A. MAKEIT program files: ------------------------ - Allegro.ini : Initialization of the Lisp environment - Lisp.exe : Lisp application which runs MAKEIT - Makeit.img : MakeIt system ready to be run with Lisp.exe B. MAKEIT info files: --------------------- * Readme.txt : This file * Seeme.doc : Overview of examples * Tutorial : Subdirectory with introductory exercises C. Applications made with MAKEIT -------------------------------- - Acme : product liability claims - AcmeD : product liability claims (german) - Ampel : traffic rules (german) - AutoDiag : car diagnostics (german) - AutoIns : car insurance - AutoSel : car selection advisor (german) - AVOR : machine selection(german) - Beartyp : bearing selection - Beschaffung : quality management (german) - BuchDyn : bookstores system dynamics (german) - BuildStr : structural system selection - Credit : loan underwriting (german) - Drive : car driving - Fakturierung: invoicing process(german) - HMO : ambulatory service screening - Metro : flow measurement method selection (german) - PersAusw : personnel selection (german) - Saturday : what to do on saturday ? - SelTrans : transport selection (german) - SelWine : wine selection - Stellwerk : railroad maintenance safety (german) - TaxCheck : income tax review (german) - XpsEval : XPS-application evaluator - ZeitWirt : Time monitoring error analysis 6. BASIC CONCEPTS OF MAKEIT ------------------------ RULE-BASED APPROACH: -------------------- - an application produced with MAKEIT is composed by two files, the facts-file and the rules-file: the developer does not code algorithms, she only has to express the knowledge of the application in terms of "facts" and "rules" (see next). - an application produced with MAKEIT is run by an INFERENCE algorithm: the developer must not change this algorithm, because it is valid for any kind of application. OBJECT-ORIENTED APPROACH: ------------------------- - MAKEIT is based on the concepts of OBJECT, ATTRIBUTE and VALUE - user: must express the knowledge in terms of these three concepts - system: produces results in terms of these three concepts - Implementation: this object-oriented approach is implemented by means of "triples" (see next paragraph). TRIPLES: -------- - Example: - (volume order "> 100000 $") - Use - triples are used both in FACTS and in RULES to express knowledge - Syntax: - a triple begins with an open round parenthesis and ends with a closed round parenthesis - the 3 items of a triple ( ) may have one of the following two formats: - single words: NOT enclosed in "", like VOLUME, ORDER, etc. - 1, 2 or more words: enclosed in "", like "ORDER #A4711", etc. FACTS: ------ - Example: - knowledge to specify: [The volume of the order is > 100000 $] --------------------------------------- - expressed as fact: (volume order "> 100000 $") - components: = volume = order = "> 100000 $" - Definition: - a "fact" is a triple ( ) - Syntax: - see above TRIPLES RULES: ------ - Example of a rule: - knowledge to specify: [If the volume of the order is > 100000 $ ----------------------------------------- then the client is important] ----------------------------- - expressed as MAKEIT rule: (client.rating.rule IF (volume order "> 100000 $") THEN (rating client important) ) - Definition: - a "rule" is a connection of triples ( ) following the IF keyword with triples ( ) following the THEN keyword. - Syntax: - a rule begins with an open round parenthesis and ends with a closed round parenthesis - the items of a rule are: - Rule name = a name made of one word or string - keyword IF - a free number of triples ( ), called PREMISES - keyword THEN - a free number of triples ( ), called CONCLUSIONS - Valueclass: - the valueclass of an attribute is the list of values of this attribute which are used in the premises or conclusions of the rules.