Programming with ASTRA

This guide takes you from a small agent to an application that observes an environment, pursues goals and cooperates with other agents. Its downloadable examples are pinned to ASTRA 2.5.2, against which they were verified; the guide-wide release is identified on the home page. Start with the Quick Start so that you have a working Java and Maven project.

The main example is a light controller. We first represent a light as beliefs, then give the agent a goal, connect it to a Java module and let another agent request changes. Each stage explains a new programming decision. The example uses a simulated device, so you can run it without hardware or an external service.

Read the chapters in order on your first pass. The topic pages beneath each chapter provide fuller explanations and additional examples. Later, use those pages and the separate API Reference Guide when you need a particular feature.

Chapter	What you will learn
1. Understanding an agent	Read an agent program and follow its execution.
2. Representing knowledge	Model state and query or infer what is known.
3. Writing plans	Bind variables, select behaviour and repeat work.
4. Designing goal-directed behaviour	Describe desired states and choose plans to achieve them.
5. Observing and acting	Connect Java functionality and observe its effects.
6. Handling uncertainty and failure	Choose checks, bound waits and recover from failure.
7. Managing ongoing activities	Scope reactions, control continuously and protect updates.
8. Reusing behaviour	Share agent code and invoke goals dynamically.
9. Building cooperating agents	Create agents and complete request conversations.
10. Testing, building and running	Verify behaviour and package an application.

The AgentSpeak(L) background explains ASTRA’s theoretical origins and the translation from AgentSpeak notation. It is useful context, but no prior knowledge of AgentSpeak is required here.