The following dialog refers to the family tree shown in http://subbot.org/logicagent/dialog/familytree.png

The dialog shows one way of encoding some of the information in the family tree.
Then two questions are asked about the relations in the tree:
  Are X and Y siblings?
  Who is X's grandfather?

(The last four interactions show how to create a synonymous expression;
if "begat" is considered archaic, "had" can be substituted after directing 
the agent to rewrite "X and Y had Z" as "X and Y begat Z". The "logicbot: "
directive followed by a Ruby if-then expression is used to write the directive.)

A lot of information has to be input before the two questions can be answered.
Also, the methods that handle the questions had to be hand-coded.

So adding more information and more questions will require more hand-coding.

Is there a way to automate the coding?

---

C:\trane\logicagent>ruby logicbot.rb
Hello
I have loaded C:/trane/logicagent/logicagent-api.yaml.

> Christopher married Penelope.
Okay, Christopher married Penelope.

> Christopher and Penelope begat Arthur.
Okay, Christopher and Penelope begat Arthur.

> Christopher and Penelope begat Victoria.
Okay, Christopher and Penelope begat Victoria.

> are Arthur and Victoria siblings?
Yes, Arthur and Victoria are siblings.

> Andrew married Christine.
Okay, Andrew married Christine.

> Andrew and Christine begat James.
Okay, Andrew and Christine begat James.

> Andrew and Christine begat Jennifer.
Okay, Andrew and Christine begat Jennifer.

> are James and Jennifer siblings?
Yes, James and Jennifer are siblings.

> are Arthur and Jennifer siblings?
I don't think Arthur and Jennifer are siblings.

> Victoria married James.
Okay, Victoria married James.

> Victoria and James begat Colin.
Okay, Victoria and James begat Colin.

> Victoria and James begat Charlotte.
Okay, Victoria and James begat Charlotte.

> are Colin and Charlotte siblings?
Yes, Colin and Charlotte are siblings.

> who is Colin's father?
I don't know what Colin's father is.

> Colin's father is Arthur
Okay, Colin's father is Arthur.

> who is Colin's father?
Colin's father is arthur

> Arthur's father is Christopher
Okay, Arthur's father is Christopher.

> who is Arthur's father?
Arthur's father is christopher

> who is Colin's grandfather?
christopher

> logicbot: if input =~ /(.* and .*) had (.*)/ then self.send("#{$1} begat #{$2}") end
Okay I have added if input =~ /(.* and .*) had (.*)/ then self.send("#{$1} begat #{$2}") end.

> Roberto and Maria had Emilio
Okay, Roberto and Maria had Emilio.

> Roberto and Maria begat Lucia
Okay, Roberto and Maria begat Lucia.

> are Emilio and Lucia siblings?
Yes, Emilio and Lucia are siblings.

>