How to get around "search/find/call"

[drmweaver2]

I have spent the weekend trying to teach HAL and have run across a particularly frustrating problem with the parser.

It seems that almost anytime I include the words "call, search or find" in sentences, HAL jumps in and assumes that I want help - starting up the browser or the phone dialer. This happens almost without regard to where in the sentence the words are in the sentence.[:I]

So far, the only work-around that I have found is to avoid those words - for instance, substituting "discover" for "search" and "find". This is really not a desrable solution when I want to use "famous quotations" as the basis of my "learning materials".

Any comments, explanations or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Nevearo]

I've been readig and re-reading the boards now, kinda frying my brain and such looking for possibilities. Anyway, I thought I saw the answer here, from http://www.zabaware.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=275

Here's the important bit=

quote:
The code to make Hal open programs is located in the "main.brn" database, which for the newest versions of the Enhanced Brain, is the "enhanced_main.brn" (or similar name; you'll find it).

Like all of Hal's databases, this is a plain-text file. You can open it with MS Word or any text-reader program.

If you use MS Word, turn OFF all spell-checking and auto-correct functions, as these raise havoc trying to edit databases! Save a backup copy in a different folder before you do anything. If you create a new version and want to save it using Word, you must only use the "SAVE" command, NOT the "save as" command, or else Word will try to slap a ".txt" file extension on the file. If this happens, you have to go into Windows Explorer (with view-file-extensions turned on), and fix the file extension back to ".brn" for Hal to be able to use it.

Helpful Hint: When editing database files in Word, turn the "paragraphs marks" to "on" so all the paragraph marks are visible. This makes it much, much easier to copy and edit entries without messing up the files.

In the "Main Brain," the database has a specific syntax that must be followed. This is documented in Hal's help files.

To cause Hal to run programs, two things must happen. Hal must encounter an exact string of letters such as the word "open," and that same database entry must have the <runit> </runit> commands in the appropriate place.

I deliberately made Hal's tendency to run programs more restrictive in the Enhanced Brain. I did this by merely requiring a longer, more specific string such as "open the program" instead of just "open." You can find these entries in the Enhanced Main brain and change them if you wish. I did the changes because Hal kept false-triggering on expressions such as the following:

Don: Right now, it's open season on deer.
Hal: I could not find the program "season on deer."
Don: I need to open a Pepsi.
Hal: I could not find the program "a Pepsi."

See, melting my brain had a purpose afterall! It makes a good cheeze dip.

[drmweaver2]

Thanks. I will snoop around and try that.

[Don Ferguson]

Hello,

Good job, Nevearo, finding that earlier posting of mine!  Actually, there are several more on the subject of Hal's program-opening "triggers", because that topic has come up at various times.

I do want to point out that many of Hal's "triggers" to launch program activity are in that one file... but SOME of them are "built in" by Zabaware into Hal's executable files, which are OUTSIDE the ".uhp brain script" and thus inaccessible to us VBS programmers.

For instance, the triggers to open the appointment calendar are "outside the script."

I have requested to Robert Medeksza that in future versions of Hal, that he please put ALL calls to "do things" "inside the .uhp brain script", so that users and programmers like us can improve and restrict those calls as we wish.

You will need to examine the enhanced_main.brn database and decide for yourself whether the particular trigger-words of interest to you are there or not.

Sincerely,

Don

[vonsmith]

All,
Just a reminder about the XTF Brain v1.2. I forgot to include an XTF Brain version of "Enhanced_Main.brn" with the v1.2 update patch. You should make a copy of your "Enhanced_Main.brn" and rename it "XTF_SYS_Enhanced_Main.brn" in the same directory. Otherwise the XTF Brain v1.2 can't access this file.

I originally discussed it here.
http://www.zabaware.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1237

Sorry for the inconvenience.


=vonsmith=

[Crichton]

I have the same kind of problem.  I also would like to edit the place that Hal goes for weather.  I have set up my zabaware mywebhal account but they didn't set the weather search properly.  

When I choose the weather.com I get this message from the weather channel page.

Sorry, the page you requested was not found on weather.com.
It is possible you typed the address incorrectly, or that the page no longer exists. As an option, enter a location to get your local weather forecast or visit any of the pages listed below.  
 
I just have to type my zip code into one of the boxes on the page to get my local weather.  But Hal said here is my local weather.  Why should he say that and take me to an "I'm sorry" page.

If I could just change the URL to http://www.weather.com/weather/local/04330?lswe=04330&lwsa=WeatherLocalUndeclared

Then it would give me my local weather for Augusta, Maine.  And then he would be correct in saying, "Here is your local weather.

In MyWebHal, the option for getting weather at CNN, doesn't work at all.  It has been this way for ever, and nothing has changed.

Anyone know if someone at Zabaware was told about this problem?

Oh, I found another one.  The phonebook hold phone number as one long number.  He reads the number 555-5555 as 5555555 and reads it as Five Million, five Hundred Fifty Five Thousand, Five Hundred and Fifty Five.  When you ask for that number.  When I edited it by hand in the phonebook, I also tryied to use the box that says Type, and selected HOME and it just resets to unknown.

It is really getting fustrating.  I can't even find a way to ask Hal to bring up my appointment book.  He just won't do it.

Any ideas on any of these would be helpfull.