Tutorial - Creating dialog boxes

This tutorial starts like the Using Dialog topic in Choregraphe tutorial, then goes deeper in masytering Dialog boxes and QiChat scripting.

CONTENT

• Hello World
  • Testing on a simulated robot
  • Testing on a real robot
• "Hi", "Hello", in one rule
• Connecting QiChat scripts and animations
• Jumping from one topic to another
• Advanced tips

Hello World

• Start Choregraphe.
• Drag the Speech > Speech Settings > Set Language box on the grey area.
• Click the parameter button and set the language as English.

• Right click the grey area and choose, in the contextual menu, Create a new Box > Dialog....

• Click the Add a new topic button, then type a name without spaces, for example: HelloWorld.
• Click the Add button, then the OK button.

• Create links as below.

• In the Project content, double click the HelloWorld_enu.top file.
• The Script editor appears.

• Type those rules:

u:(Hello) Hello, young Padawan

u:(Good morning) Let's start a wonderful day

Testing on a simulated robot

• Make sure you are connected on a virtual robot.
• Click the Play button.
• In the Dialog panel, enter “Hello” and press Enter.
• You can see the result both in Dialog panel and in the Robot view.

Testing on a real robot

• Make sure you are connected on a real robot.
• Click the Play button.
• Wait for the signal indicating that the robot is listening:
  • A “bip” sound is played and
  • Eye LEDs become Blue and turn.
• Say “Hello” :
  • The robot says “hello young padavan”.
  • You can also see the result both in Dialog panel and in the Robot view.

"Hi", "Hello"... in one rule

To make your first rule a little bit more complex, enrich your script:

u:([hi hello wassup]) hello young padawan

u:(["tell me" "give me"] your name) of course, my name is NAO

Connecting QiChat script and animations

• Add these new rules:

u:(["can you" please] sit down {now}) ok i sit down $sit=1

u:(["can you" please] stand up {now}) ok i stand up $standup=1

• Add two outputs to the Hello world box.
• one called “sit”,
• one called “standup”.

Note: here we use Bang type, an easy way to propagate an event.

• Add two Programming > Time > Wait boxes and connect them to the outputs you have created. 
• Add and connect a Movement > Posture > Sit Down and a Movement > Posture > Stand Up boxes.

Jumping from one topic to another

• In a new Project, add an Speech > Speech Settings > Set Language box.
• Create two different Dialog topic boxes, called Food and Sport with the following content:

topic: ~Food()
language: English 
u:(let's talk about food) OK, guess what I like 
u:^private(do you like fish) yes and sea food too
u:^private(do you like meat) no, I don't

topic: ~Sport()
language: English 
u:(let's talk about sport) OK, guess what sport I like 
u:^private(do you like tennis) no, I can't play tennis
u:^private(do you like yoga) yes, would you like to do yoga with me?

• Link the tree boxes as follows:

• Test it.
• To jump from a topic to another and give it the focus, use the one of their user rules:
• In our example : “Let’s talk about food” or “Let’s talk about sport”.
• Once a topic (food or sport) has the focus:
  • all its private user rules are activated,
  • while the private user rules of the other topic are not.

Advanced tips

Sending QiChat variable through box output

Be aware: in QiChat, a variable has no defined type.

Workaround:

• Use a Bang Output if you are just looking for sending a signal to another box.
• Use a Dynamic Output, if you want to use the value of the variable in another box; then cast it into the type you want in your box script:

def onInput_dyn(self, p):
    try: 
       p = int(p)
    except ValueError:
       # If p is a string you may have an exception.
       pass