The new <plugin> tag functions almost exactly as the <template> tag with the added ability for response to be sent to a custom python plugin before final response is returned.

(SideNote: All plugins must contain AIML files.)

• Every <plugin> tag must have a 'name' attribute corresponding to the plugins Python Class name

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <aiml> <category> <pattern>WHO IS THE REAL IRON MAN</pattern> <plugin name="ironman"> Data you want sent to plugin if pattern matched </plugin> </category> </aiml>

And seeing that the <plugin> tag is similar in function to the <template> you could do something like this...

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <aiml> <category> <pattern>WHO IS THE REAL IRON MAN</pattern> <plugin name="ironman"> Data you want sent to plugin if pattern matched </plugin> </category> <category> <pattern>WHO IS IRON MAN</pattern> <template> <srai>WHO IS THE REAL IRON MAN</srai> </template> </category> <category> <pattern>DO YOU KNOW WHO IRON MAN REALLY IS</pattern> <template> <srai>WHO IS THE REAL IRON MAN</srai> </template> </category> </aiml>

Or...

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <aiml> <category> <pattern>Weather forecast for *</pattern> <plugin name="weather"> <star/> </plugin> </category> </aiml>

(SideNote: Not all plugins need python code, without it the plugin just adds a new AIML file to learn)

• Every Plugin must implement a 'getResponse' method that returns a string that will be the final response. There is a base class to inherit from to enforce this.
• The class name must correspond to the plugin name in AIML file

from aiml import BasePlugin class ironman(BasePlugin.BasePlugin): def getResponse(self, args): return "Tony Stark is the Real Iron Man!!!"

• Plugins should each be in individual directories
• Individual plugin directory names should correspond to plugin class name
• Individual plugin file names should correspond to plugin class name
• Plugins should be in a parent plugin directory(no naming enforement for parent directory)

 |-- Plugins/ |-- ironman/ |-- ironman.aiml |-- ironman.py 

• After creating an AIML Kernel instance call the loadPlugins method passing in Path to the Plugins directory

import aiml bot = aiml.Kernel(); bot.loadPlugins("./Plugins"); while 1: print bot.respond(raw_input('> '))