Jess in Action: Java Rule-Based Systems (Paperback)

A practical handbook for anyone interested in programming rule-based systems and written by the creator of the popular Java rule engine, Jess, this book is structured around a series of large, fully developed practical examples of rule-based programming in Java. After the topic of rule-based systems is introduced, software developers and architects are shown the Jess rule programming language in an accessible, tutorial style.

Demonstrated is how to quickly progress from building freestanding, interactive applications, through soft real-time control systems, to rule-based Web and Enterprise software. Specific issues covered in this process include designing the application, writing a PC repair assistant, embedding Jess in Java applications, and using a rule engine in the J2EE environment.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Introducing rule-based systems 1

1 Rules to the rescue 3

2 What are rule-based systems? 13

Part 2 Jess: A rule-based programming environment 29

3 Introducing Jess 31

4 Getting started with the Jess language 41

5 Scripting Java with Jess 61

6 Representing facts in Jess 74

7 Writing rules in Jess 95

8 Under the hood: how Jess works 133

Part 3 Creating your first rule-based application: the Tax Forms Advisor 147

9 Collecting the knowledge 149

10 Designing the application 161

11 Writing the application 172

Part 4 Writing a diagnostic application: the PC Repair Assistant 185

12 Writing the PC Repair Assistant 187

13 Adding a graphical interface 203

Part 5 Reasoning about reality: the HVAC Controller 219

14 The reality connection 221

15 Extending the Jess language 237

16 Writing the rules 255

Part 6 TekMart.com: rule-based applications for the Web 285

17 Jess on the Web 287

18 Embedding Jess in Java applications 306

19 Deploying web-based applications 323

Part 7 Enterprise systems 355

20 Jess, XML, and the enterprise 357

21 Jess in the J2EE environment 375

A Jess functions 389
B Abridged Java API for Jess 415
C An automated testing framework 427
index 433