Let's write a simple rule:
- Start a terminal
- Create a directory for your app:
mkdir firstapp
cd firstapp
- In the new directory
gem install durable_rules
(this will download durable_rules and its dependencies) - In that same directory create a test.rb file using your favorite editor
- Copy/Paste and save the following code:
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :test do
when_all (m.subject == "World") do
puts "Hello #{m.subject}"
end
end
Durable.post :test, { :subject => "World"}
- In the terminal type
ruby test.rb
- You should see the message:
Hello World
A rule is the basic building block of the framework. The rule antecendent defines the conditions that need to be satisfied to execute the rule consequent (action). By convention m
represents the data to be evaluated by a given rule.
when_all
andwhen_any
annotate the antecendent definition of a rule
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :test do
# antecedent
when_all m.subject == "World" do
# consequent
puts "Hello #{m.subject}"
end
end
Durable.post :test, { :subject => "World" }
Facts represent the data that defines a knowledge base. After facts are asserted as JSON objects. Facts are stored until they are retracted. When a fact satisfies a rule antecedent, the rule consequent is executed.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :animal do
# will be triggered by 'Kermit eats flies'
when_all c.first = (m.predicate == "eats") & (m.object == "flies") do
assert :subject => first.subject, :predicate => "is", :object => "frog"
end
when_all (m.predicate == "eats") & (m.object == "worms") do
assert :subject => m.subject, :predicate => "is", :object => "bird"
end
# will be chained after asserting 'Kermit is frog'
when_all (m.predicate == "is") & (m.object == "frog") do
assert :subject => m.subject, :predicate => "is", :object => "green"
end
when_all (m.predicate == "is") & (m.object == "bird") do
assert :subject => m.subject, :predicate => "is", :object => "black"
end
when_all +m.subject do
puts "fact: #{m.subject} #{m.predicate} #{m.object}"
end
end
Durable.assert :animal, { :subject => "Kermit", :predicate => "eats", :object => "flies" }
Events can be posted to and evaluated by rules. An event is an ephemeral fact, that is, a fact retracted right before executing a consequent. Thus, events can only be observed once. Events are stored until they are observed.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :risk do
when_all c.first = m.t == "purchase",
c.second = m.location != first.location do
# the event pair will only be observed once
puts "fraud detected -> #{first.location}, #{second.location}"
end
end
Durable.post :risk, { :t => "purchase", :location => "US" }
Durable.post :risk, { :t => "purchase", :location => "CA" }
Note:
Using facts in the example above will produce the following output:
Fraud detected -> US, CA
Fraud detected -> CA, US
The reason is because both facts satisfy the first condition m.t == 'purchase' and each fact satisfies the second condition m.location != c.first.location in relation to the facts which satisfied the first.
Events are ephemeral facts, they are retracted before they are dispatched. When using post in the example above, by the time the second pair is calculated the events have already been retracted.
Retracting events before dispatch reduces the number of combinations to be calculated during action execution.
Context state is available when a consequent is executed. The same context state is passed across rule execution. Context state is stored until it is deleted. Context state changes can be evaluated by rules. By convention s
represents the state to be evaluated by a rule.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :flow do
# state condition uses 's'
when_all s.status == "start" do
# state update on 's'
s.status = "next"
puts "start"
end
when_all s.status == "next" do
s.status = "last"
puts "next"
end
when_all s.status == "last" do
s.status = "end"
puts "last"
# deletes state at the end
delete_state
end
end
# modifies context state
Durable.update_state :flow, { :status => "start"}
Facts with the same property names and values are considered equal when asserted or retracted. Events with the same property names and values are considered different when posted because the posting time matters.
Durable.ruleset :bookstore do
# this rule will trigger for events with status
when_all +m.status do
puts "bookstore-> Reference #{m.reference} status #{m.status}"
end
when_all +m.name do
puts "bookstore-> Added: #{m.name}"
end
when_all none(+m.name) do
puts "bookstore-> No books"
end
end
# will return 0 because the fact assert was successful
puts Durable.assert :bookstore, {
:name => 'The new book',
:seller => 'bookstore',
:reference => '75323',
:price => 500}
# will return 212 because the fact has already been asserted
begin
Durable.assert :bookstore, {
:reference => '75323',
:name => 'The new book',
:price => 500,
:seller => 'bookstore'}
rescue Exception => e
puts "bookstore expected: #{e}"
end
# will return 0 because a new event is being posted
Durable.post :bookstore, {
:reference => '75323',
:status => 'Active'}
# will return 0 because a new event is being posted
Durable.post :bookstore, {
:reference => '75323',
:status => 'Active'}
Durable.retract :bookstore, {
:name => 'The new book',
:reference => '75323',
:price => 500,
:seller => 'bookstore'}
hen asserting a fact, retracting a fact, posting an event or updating state context, the following exceptions can be thrown:
- MessageObservedError: The fact has already been asserted or the event has already been posted.
- MessageNotHandledError: The event or fact was not captured because it did not match any rule.
A rule antecedent is an expression. The left side of the expression represents an event or fact property. The right side defines a pattern to be matched. By convention events or facts are represented with the m
name. Context state are represented with the s
name.
Logical operators:
- Unary: - (does not exist), + (exists)
- Logical operators: &, |
- Relational operators: < , >, <=, >=, ==, !=
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :expense do
when_all (m.subject == "approve") | (m.subject == "ok") do
puts "Approved subject: #{m.subject}"
end
end
Durable.post :expense, { :subject => "approve" }
durable_rules implements a simple pattern matching dialect. Similar to lua, it uses % to escape, which vastly simplifies writing expressions. Expressions are compiled down into a deterministic state machine, thus backtracking is not supported. Event processing is O(n) guaranteed (n being the size of the event).
Repetition
+ 1 or more repetitions
* 0 or more repetitions
? optional (0 or 1 occurrence)
Special
() group
| disjunct
[] range
{} repeat
Character classes
. all characters
%a letters
%c control characters
%d digits
%l lower case letters
%p punctuation characters
%s space characters
%u upper case letters
%w alphanumeric characters
%x hexadecimal digits
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :match do
when_all (m.url.matches("(https?://)?([0-9a-z.-]+)%.[a-z]{2,6}(/[A-z0-9_.-]+/?)*")) do
puts "match -> #{m.url}"
end
end
Durable.post :match, { :url => "https://github.com" }
Durable.post :match, { :url => "http://github.com/jruizgit/rul!es" }, -> e, state {
puts "match expected:#{e}"
}
Durable.post :match, { :url => "https://github.com/jruizgit/rules/blob/master/docs/rb/reference.md" }
Durable.post :match, { :url => "//rules" }, -> e, state {
puts "match expected:#{e}"
}
Durable.post :match, { :url => "https://github.c/jruizgit/rules" }, -> e, state {
puts "match expected:#{e}"
}
The pattern matching dialect can be used for common string operations. The imatches
function enables case insensitive pattern matching.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :strings do
when_all m.subject.matches("hello.*") do
puts "string starts with hello: #{m.subject}"
end
when_all m.subject.matches(".*hello") do
puts "string ends with hello: #{m.subject}"
end
when_all m.subject.imatches(".*Hello.*") do
puts "string contains hello (case insensitive): #{m.subject}"
end
end
Durable.assert :strings, { :subject => "HELLO world" }
Durable.assert :strings, { :subject => "world hello" }
Durable.assert :strings, { :subject => "hello hi" }
Durable.assert :strings, { :subject => "has Hello string" }
Durable.assert :strings, { :subject => "does not match" }
Rules can be used to efficiently evaluate sequences of correlated events or facts. The fraud detection rule in the example below shows a pattern of three events: the second event amount being more than 200% the first event amount and the third event amount greater than the average of the other two.
By default a correlated sequences capture distinct messages. In the example below the second event satisfies the second and the third condition, however the event will be captured only for the second condition. Use the distinct
attribute to disable distinct event or fact correlation.
The when_all
annotation expresses a sequence of events or facts. The =
operator is used to name events or facts, which can be referenced in subsequent expressions. When referencing events or facts, all properties are available. Complex patterns can be expressed using arithmetic operators.
Arithmetic operators: +, -, *, /
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :risk do
when_all # distinct(true),
c.first = m.amount > 10,
c.second = m.amount > first.amount * 2,
c.third = m.amount > (first.amount + second.amount) / 2 do
puts "fraud detected -> #{first.amount}"
puts " -> #{second.amount}"
puts " -> #{third.amount}"
end
end
Durable.post :risk, { :t => "purchase", :amount => 50 }
Durable.post :risk, { :t => "purchase", :amount => 200 }
Durable.post :risk, { :t => "purchase", :amount => 251 }
durable_rules allows expressing and efficiently evaluating richer events sequences. In the example below any of the two event\fact sequences will trigger an action.
The following two functions can be used and combined to define richer event sequences:
- all: a set of event or fact patterns. All of them are required to match to trigger an action.
- any: a set of event or fact patterns. Any one match will trigger an action.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :expense do
when_any all(c.first = m.subject == "approve",
c.second = m.amount == 1000),
all(c.third = m.subject == "jumbo",
c.fourth = m.amount == 10000) do
if first
puts "Approved #{first.subject} #{second.amount}"
else
puts "Approved #{third.subject} #{fourth.amount}"
end
end
end
Durable.post :expense, { :subject => "approve" }
Durable.post :expense, { :amount => 1000 }
Durable.post :expense, { :subject => "jumbo" }
Durable.post :expense, { :amount => 10000 }
In some cases lack of information is meaningful. The none
function can be used in rules with correlated sequences to evaluate the lack of information.
Note: the none
function requires information to reason about lack of information. That is, it will not trigger any actions if no events or facts have been registered in the corresponding rule.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :risk do
when_all c.first = m.t == "deposit",
none(m.t == "balance"),
c.third = m.t == "withdrawal",
c.fourth = m.t == "chargeback" do
puts "fraud detected #{first.t} #{third.t} #{fourth.t}"
end
end
Durable.assert :risk, { :t => "deposit" }
Durable.assert :risk, { :t => "withdrawal" }
Durable.assert :risk, { :t => "chargeback" }
Durable.assert :risk, { :sid => 1, :t => "balance" }
Durable.assert :risk, { :sid => 1, :t => "deposit" }
Durable.assert :risk, { :sid => 1, :t => "withdrawal" }
Durable.assert :risk, { :sid => 1, :t => "chargeback" }
Durable.retract :risk, { :sid => 1, :t => "balance" }
Queries on nested events or facts are also supported. The .
notation is used for defining conditions on properties in nested objects.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :expense do
when_all c.bill = (m.t == "bill") & (m.invoice.amount > 50),
c.account = (m.t == "account") & (m.payment.invoice.amount == bill.invoice.amount) do
puts "bill amount -> #{bill.invoice.amount}"
puts "account payment amount -> #{account.payment.invoice.amount}"
end
end
Durable.post :expense, { t:"bill", :invoice => { :amount => 1000 }}
Durable.post :expense, { t:"account", :payment => { :invoice => { :amount => 1000 }}}
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :risk do
# matching primitive array
when_all m.payments.allItems(item > 1000) do
puts "fraud 1 detected #{m.payments}"
end
# matching object array
when_all m.payments.allItems((item.amount < 250) | (item.amount >= 300)) do
puts "fraud 2 detected #{m.payments}"
end
# matching object array
when_all m.cards.anyItem(item.matches("three.*")) do
puts "fraud 3 detected #{m.cards}"
end
# matching nested arrays
when_all m.payments.anyItem(item.allItems(item < 100)) do
puts "fraud 4 detected #{m.payments}"
end
# matching array and value
when_all (m.payments.allItems(item > 100) & (m.cash == true)) do
puts "fraud 5 detected #{m.payments}"
end
when_all (m.field == 1) & m.payments.allItems(item.allItems((item > 100) & (item < 1000))) do
puts "fraud 6 detected #{m.payments}"
end
when_all (m.field == 1) & m.payments.allItems(item.anyItem((item > 100) | (item < 50))) do
puts "fraud 7 detected #{m.payments}"
end
end
Durable.post :risk, { :payments => [ 2500, 150, 450 ] }
Durable.post :risk, { :payments => [ 1500, 3500, 4500 ] }
Durable.post :risk, { :payments => [ { :amount => 200 }, { :amount => 300 }, { :amount => 400 } ] }
Durable.post :risk, { :cards => [ "one card", "two cards", "three cards" ] }
Durable.post :risk, { :payments => [ [ 10, 20, 30 ], [ 30, 40, 50 ], [ 10, 20 ] ] }
Durable.post :risk, { :payments => [ 150, 350, 450 ], :cash => true }
Durable.post :risk, { :field => 1, :payments => [ [ 200, 300 ], [ 150, 200 ] ] }
Durable.post :risk, { :field => 1, :payments => [ [ 20, 180 ], [ 90, 190 ] ] }
Aside from scalars (strings, number and boolean values), it is possible to use the fact or event observed on the right side of an expression.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :risk do
# compares properties in the same event, this expression is evaluated in the client
when_all m.debit > m.credit * 2 do
puts "debit #{m.debit} more than twice the credit #{m.credit}"
end
# compares two correlated events, this expression is evaluated in the backend
when_all c.first = m.amount > 100,
c.second = m.amount > first.amount + m.amount / 2 do
puts "fraud detected -> #{first.amount}"
puts "fraud detected -> #{second.amount}"
end
end
Durable.post :risk, { :debit => 220, :credit => 100 }
Durable.post :risk, { :debit => 150, :credit => 100 }
Durable.post :risk, { :amount => 200 }
Durable.post :risk, { :amount => 500 }
Event and fact evaluation can lead to multiple consequents. The triggering order can be controlled by using the pri
(salience) function. Actions with lower value are executed first. The default value for all actions is 0.
In this example, notice how the last rule is triggered first, as it has the highest priority.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :attributes do
when_all pri(3), m.amount < 300 do
puts "attributes P3 -> #{m.amount}"
end
when_all pri(2), m.amount < 200 do
puts "attributes P2 -> #{m.amount}"
end
when_all pri(1), m.amount < 100 do
puts "attributes P1 -> #{m.amount}"
end
end
Durable.assert :attributes, { :amount => 50 }
Durable.assert :attributes, { :amount => 150 }
Durable.assert :attributes, { :amount => 250 }
When a high number of events or facts satisfy a consequent, the consequent results can be delivered in batches.
- count: defines the exact number of times the rule needs to be satisfied before scheduling the action.
- cap: defines the maximum number of times the rule needs to be satisfied before scheduling the action.
This example batches exactly three approvals and caps the number of rejects to two:
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :expense do
# this rule will trigger as soon as three events match the condition
when_all count(3), m.amount < 100 do
for f in m do
puts "approved ->#{f}"
end
end
# this rule will be triggered when 'expense' is asserted batching at most two results
when_all cap(2),
c.expense = m.amount >= 100,
c.approval = m.review == true do
for f in m do
puts "rejected ->#{f}"
end
end
end
Durable.post_batch :expense, [{ :amount => 10 },
{ :amount => 20 },
{ :amount => 100 },
{ :amount => 30 },
{ :amount => 200 },
{ :amount => 400 }]
Durable.assert :expense, { :review => true }
The consequent action can be asynchronous. When the action is finished, the complete
function has to be called. By default an action is considered abandoned after 5 seconds. This value can be changed by returning a different number in the action function or extended by calling renew_action_lease
.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :flow do
# async actions take a callback argument to signal completion
when_all s.state == "first" do |c, complete|
Thread.new do
sleep 3
s.state = "second"
puts "first completed"
complete.call nil
end
end
when_all s.state == "second" do |c, complete|
Thread.new do
sleep 6
s.state = "third"
puts "second completed"
# completes the action after 6 seconds
# use the first argument to signal an error
complete.call Exception('error detected')
end
# overrides the 5 second default abandon timeout
10
end
end
Durable.update_state :flow, { :state => "first" }
When exceptions are not handled by actions, they are stored in the context state. This enables writing exception handling rules.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :flow do
when_all m.action == "start" do
raise "Unhandled Exception!"
end
# when the exception property exists
when_all +s.exception do
puts "#{s.exception}"
s.exception = nil
end
end
Durable.post :flow, { :action => "start" }
Rules can be organized using statecharts. A statechart is a deterministic finite automaton (DFA). The state context is in one of a number of possible states with conditional transitions between these states.
Statechart rules:
- A statechart can have one or more states.
- A statechart requires an initial state.
- An initial state is defined as a vertex without incoming edges.
- A state can have zero or more triggers.
- A state can have zero or more states (see nested states).
- A trigger has a destination state.
- A trigger can have a rule (absence means state enter).
- A trigger can have an action.
require "durable"
Durable.statechart :expense do
# initial state :input with two triggers
state :input do
# trigger to move to :denied given a condition
to :denied, when_all((m.subject == "approve") & (m.amount > 1000)) do
# action executed before state change
puts "denied amount #{m.amount}"
end
to :pending, when_all((m.subject == "approve") & (m.amount <= 1000)) do
puts "requesting approve amount #{m.amount}"
end
end
# intermediate state :pending with two triggers
state :pending do
to :approved, when_all(m.subject == "approved") do
puts "expense approved"
end
to :denied, when_all(m.subject == "denied") do
puts "expense denied"
end
end
state :approved
state :denied
end
# events directed to default statechart instance
Durable.post :expense, { :subject => 'approve', :amount => 100 }
Durable.post :expense, { :subject => 'approved' }
# events directed to statechart instance with id '1'
Durable.post :expense, { :sid => 1, :subject => 'approve', :amount => 100 }
Durable.post :expense, { :sid => 1, :subject => 'denied' }
# events directed to statechart instance with id '2'
Durable.post :expense, { :sid => 2, :subject => 'approve', :amount => 10000 }
Nested states allow for writing compact statecharts. If a context is in the nested state, it also (implicitly) is in the surrounding state. The statechart will attempt to handle any event in the context of the sub-state. If the sub-state does not handle an event, the event is automatically handled at the context of the super-state.
require "durable"
Durable.statechart :worker do
# super-state :work has two states and one trigger
state :work do
# sub-state :enter has only one trigger
state :enter do
to :process, when_all(m.subject == "enter") do
puts "start process"
end
end
state :process do
to :process, when_all(m.subject == "continue") do
puts "continue processing"
end
end
# the super-state trigger will be evaluated for all sub-state triggers
to :canceled, when_all(pri(1), m.subject == "cancel") do
puts "cancel process"
end
end
state :canceled
end
# will move the statechart to the 'work.process' sub-state
Durable.post :worker, { :subject => "enter" }
# will keep the statechart to the 'work.process' sub-state
Durable.post :worker, { :subject => "continue" }
Durable.post :worker, { :subject => "continue" }
# will move the statechart out of the work state
Durable.post :worker, { :subject => "cancel" }
A flowchart is another way of organizing a ruleset flow. In a flowchart each stage represents an action to be executed. So (unlike the statechart state), when applied to the context state, it results in a transition to another stage.
Flowchart rules:
- A flowchart can have one or more stages.
- A flowchart requires an initial stage.
- An initial stage is defined as a vertex without incoming edges.
- A stage can have an action.
- A stage can have zero or more conditions.
- A condition has a rule and a destination stage.
require "durable"
Durable.flowchart :expense do
# initial stage :input has two conditions
stage :input
to :request, when_all((m.subject == "approve") & (m.amount <= 1000))
to :deny, when_all((m.subject == "approve") & (m.amount > 1000))
# intermediate stage :request has an action and three conditions
stage :request do
puts "requesting approve"
end
to :approve, when_all(m.subject == "approved")
to :deny, when_all(m.subject == "denied")
# reflexive condition: if met, returns to the same stage
to :request, when_any(m.subject == "retry")
stage :approve do
puts "expense approved"
end
stage :deny do
puts "expense denied"
end
end
# events for the default flowchart instance, approved after retry
Durable.post :expense, { :subject => "approve", :amount => 100 }
Durable.post :expense, { :subject => "retry" }
Durable.post :expense, { :subject => "approved" }
# events for the flowchart instance '1', denied after first try
Durable.post :expense, {:sid => 1, :subject => "approve", :amount => 100}
Durable.post :expense, {:sid => 1, :subject => "denied"}
# event for the flowchart instance '2' immediately denied
Durable.post :expense, {:sid => 2, :subject => "approve", :amount => 10000}
Events can be scheduled with timers. A timeout condition can be included in the rule antecedent. By default a timeout is triggered as an event (observed only once). Timeouts can also be triggered as facts by 'manual reset' timers, the timers can be reset during action execution (see last example).
- start_timer: starts a timer with the name and duration specified (manual_reset is optional).
- reset_timer: resets a 'manual reset' timer.
- cancel_timer: cancels ongoing timer.
- timeout: used as an antecedent condition.
require "durable"
Durable.ruleset :timer do
when_all m.subject == "start" do
start_timer "MyTimer", 5
end
when_all timeout("MyTimer") do
puts "timer-> timeout"
end
end
Durable.post :timer, { :subject => "start" }
The example below uses a timer to detect higher event rate:
require "durable"
Durable.statechart :risk do
state :start do
to :meter do
start_timer "RiskTimer", 5
end
end
state :meter do
to :fraud, when_all(count(3), c.message = m.amount > 100) do
for e in m do
puts e.message
end
end
to :exit, when_all(timeout("RiskTimer")) do
puts "exit"
end
end
state :fraud
state :exit
end
# three events in a row will trigger the fraud rule
Durable.post 'risk', { :amount => 200 }
Durable.post 'risk', { :amount => 300 }
Durable.post 'risk', { :amount => 400 }
# two events will exit after 5 seconds
Durable.post 'risk', { :sid => 1, :amount => 500 }
Durable.post 'risk', { :sid => 1, :amount => 600 }
In this example a manual reset timer is used for measuring velocity.
require "durable"
Durable.statechart :risk do
state :start do
to :meter do
# will start a manual reset timer
start_timer "VelocityTimer", 5, true
end
end
state :meter do
to :meter, when_all(cap(100),
c.message = m.amount > 100,
timeout("VelocityTimer")) do
puts "velocity: #{m.length} events in 5 seconds"
# resets and restarts the manual reset timer
reset_timer "VelocityTimer"
start_timer "VelocityTimer", 5, true
end
to :meter, when_all(timeout("VelocityTimer")) do
puts "velocity: no events in 5 seconds"
reset_timer "VelocityTimer"
start_timer "VelocityTimer", 5, true
end
end
end
# the velocity will 4 events in 5 seconds
Durable.post 'risk', { :amount => 200 }
Durable.post 'risk', { :amount => 300 }
Durable.post 'risk', { :amount => 50 }
Durable.post 'risk', { :amount => 300 }
Durable.post 'risk', { :amount => 400 }