Transcript Desktop Agents

Desktop Agents
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Contents
• Operating System Agents
• Application Agents
• Application Suite Agents
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Background
• A desktop agent is a software agent that executes
locally in a personal computer OS or workstation
PS environment.
• Desktop agents can be:
– OS agents — agents that perform user tasks that
ordinarily require user interaction with the OS,
autonomously as delegated by the user.
– Application agents — agents that perform user tasks
within an application on behalf of the user.
– Application suite agents — agents that perform user
tasks within a suite of applications on behalf of the user.
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Operating System Agents
• OS agents can be classified in two groups:
– Intelligent utilities that primarily interact with the OS
to perform tasks on behalf of the user.
– Interface agents that interact with the GUI shell of the
OS to perform tasks on behalf of the user.
• Typically, an OS agent is a background application.
– A UI agent communicates with the OS API to monitor
systems events (e.g., hook, or callback)
– A UI agent communicates with the OS GUI shell to
monitor user event of significance.
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Operating System Agents
• OS Agent Model Attributes
Environment
OS
Task skills
Setup, customization, maintenance,
automation, file management,
assistance
Knowledge
OS, network, GUI shell, user
Communication GUI shell, OS API, user interface
skills
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An Intelligent Utility System Agent
System Agent for Win95
• System Agent for Windows 95, an example of an intelligent
utility system agent, is a background program that launches
applications according to a user-defined schedule.
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An Intelligent Utility System Agent
System Agent for Win95
• System Agent provides basic time-based scheduling
capability.
A figure for the scheduling option of System Agent is placed here.
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An Intelligent Utility System Agent
System Agent for Win95
• System Agent API is exposed to third-party
developers for incorporating scheduling services
into third-party applications using the underlying
engine.
• Any third-party program that is System Agentaware is then automatically appended to the
System Agent browser and can provide options for
event parameters to be used when the application
is running.
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Interface Agent — Open Sesame!
• Open Sesame! Is an interface agent for the Finder-GUI
shell of MacOS.
– If differs from the Win95 System Agent in that Open Sesame!
can schedule both time- and event-based tasks, and can learn
from user’s interaction with the MacOS GUI shell.
Observation
A repetitive pattern that an interface agent learns
and offers to automate
Instruction
A set of directions to the interface agent on how to
carry out a task
Confirmation A request for user's approval before an interface
agent carries out an instruction
Notification
A message to report the status of an instruction
being carried out by the agent
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Interface Agent — Open Sesame!
• Open Sesame! Learns repetitive patterns via a
sequence clustering algorithm.
– The first step, cluster analysis, tests the the internal
consistency of the given collection of sequences.
– The goal is to find the best representative pattern for
the given collection of sequence.
– The output from the sequence learning algorithm is a
fact.
– A fact consists of the learned representative patterns,
as well as a list of all triggers for the facts.
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Fig 2.4 p. 30
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Application Agents
• Application agents perform tasks within an application
autonomously as delegated by the user.
• The type of agents can be classified into two groups by
environment:
– Application agents that provide the agent-enabled features of
an application
– Interface agents that reside outside of the application they
serve
• Typically, an application interface agent is a background
program.
– The AIA communicates through the application API to monitor
user behavior.
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Application Agents
• Some typical tasks:
– Information retrieval automation for Web browsers
– Information filtering tasks for mail clients
– Customization of application document types based on user
preference
– Automation of queries for client database applications
– Proactive user assistance for in-context help regarding
application shortcuts, unused features, mistakes, and tips.
Environment
Application
Task skills
Customization, automation, assistance
Knowledge
Application, user, OS
Communication skills Application API, GUI shell API
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Application Agents — Wizards
• Wizards are used in MS desktop applications to
provide task-oriented help.
• A wizard gathers information about a particular
task, and then uses this collected information to
complete the task for the user.
• Wizards are especially useful for complex or
infrequent tasks that users may have difficulty in
learning or retaining.
• E.g., the Chart wizard in MS Execl; Word wizards
help users create preformatted documents
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Email Agent — Beyond Mail
• A rule-based agent for managing email.
– Filter and prioritize incoming messages on arrival,
– forward them automatically.
• Rule structure
When a specific event happens,
If it meets certain conditions,
Then take this action.
• Event dictionary
– message-based
• new message arrives, a message is read the first time, etc.
– time-based
• specific date, time, recurrent time period, etc.
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Email Agent — Beyond Mail
• Examples:
When a a new memo arrives,
If it is from the President and it has urgent priority,
Then move the message to my urgent folder and display an alert.
When a a new memo arrives,
If it is from the President and it is about budget,
Then reply to the President with the message “I am on vacation
this weekend; Margaret will send you the revised budget,”
forward the message to my budget folder.
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Email Agent — Beyond Mail
Fig 2.6, p. 34
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Search Agent — Web Compass
• Figs. 2.7, 8, and 9
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Application Suite Agents
• Application suite agents (e.g., MS Office wizards)
performs tasks within an application suite
autonomously as delegated by the user.
• Application suite agents perform tasks such as
– Customization of suite document types based on user
preferences
– Proactive user assistance for in-context help regarding
suite shortcuts, user mistakes, unused features, and tips
– Automation of user workflow across the various
components of the application suite
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An Application Suite Agents — MS Bob
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Benefits of Desktop Agents
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