DialogChain Examples

This directory contains example configurations for DialogChain, demonstrating various features and integration patterns. Each example is designed to showcase different capabilities of the DialogChain system.

📋 Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Basic Examples
• File Processing
• Network & API
• Advanced Features
• Running Examples
• Contributing

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• DialogChain installed (see main README)
• Any additional dependencies for specific examples

Running Examples

Most examples can be run using the dialogchain CLI:

# Run a specific example
dialogchain serve examples/simple_timer.yaml
# Run with debug logging
DIALOGCHAIN_LOG_LEVEL=debug dialogchain serve examples/simple_timer.yaml

🧩 Basic Examples

Hello World

• File: hello_world.yaml
• Description: Minimal example to verify your setup
• Features: Basic pipeline, logging
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/hello_world.yaml

Simple Timer

• File: simple_timer.yaml
• Description: Logs structured JSON data at regular intervals
• Features: Timers, structured logging
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/simple_timer.yaml

Logging Example

• File: simple_logging_example.yaml
• Description: Demonstrates different log levels and outputs
• Features: Logging configuration, log levels
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/simple_logging_example.yaml

📂 File Processing

File Watcher

• File: file_watcher_example.yaml
• Description: Monitors a file for changes and processes its contents
• Features: File system monitoring, content processing
• Prerequisites: Create an input/ directory
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/file_watcher_example.yaml

JSON Processor

• File: json_processor_example.yaml
• Description: Processes and transforms JSON data
• Features: JSON parsing, data transformation
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/json_processor_example.yaml

🌐 Network & API Integrations

HTTP Server

• File: http_handler.yaml
• Description: Sets up an HTTP endpoint
• Features: HTTP server, request handling
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/http_handler.yaml
• Test: curl http://localhost:8080/hello

MQTT Pub/Sub

• File: mqtt_pubsub_example.yaml
• Description: Implements MQTT publisher and subscriber
• Features: MQTT integration, message brokering
• Prerequisites: MQTT broker (e.g., Mosquitto)
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/mqtt_pubsub_example.yaml

gRPC Service

• File: grpc_routes.yaml
• Description: gRPC service implementation
• Features: gRPC server, protocol buffers
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/grpc_routes.yaml

🚀 Advanced Features

Camera Integration

• File: camera_routes.yaml
• Description: Captures and processes video streams
• Features: OpenCV integration, video processing
• Prerequisites: OpenCV, camera access
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/camera_routes.yaml

IoT Device Control

• File: iot_routes.yaml
• Description: Controls IoT devices
• Features: Device management, state handling
• Run: dialogchain serve examples/iot_routes.yaml

🛠️ Running Examples

Using Docker

# Build the container
docker build -t dialogchain-examples .# Run an example
docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd):/app dialogchain-examples dialogchain serve examples/hello_world.yaml

Debugging

Set environment variables for debugging:

# Enable debug logging
DIALOGCHAIN_LOG_LEVEL=debug dialogchain serve examples/your_example.yaml
# Enable development mode (auto-reload on changes)
DIALOGCHAIN_DEV=1 dialogchain serve examples/your_example.yaml

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions to our examples! Please see the main Contributing Guide for details.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a new branch for your example
3. Add your example with appropriate documentation
4. Submit a pull request

📄 License

These examples are part of the DialogChain project and are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License.

Advanced Examples

1. complex_example.yaml

   • Combines multiple routes and processors
   • Demonstrates advanced routing and transformation

2. structured_timer_example.yaml

   • Generates and processes structured sensor data
   • Shows conditional processing and data enrichment

3. camera_routes.yaml

   • Video processing pipeline example
   • Demonstrates handling binary data streams

4. iot_routes.yaml

   • IoT device communication patterns
   • Shows device management and data collection

Running Examples

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Docker (for MQTT and other containerized services)
• Required Python packages (install with pip install -r requirements.txt in the project root)

Basic Usage

# Run a specific example
python -m src.dialogchain.cli run --config examples/example_name.yaml
# Run with verbose output
python -m src.dialogchain.cli run --config examples/example_name.yaml -v

Running with Docker

Some examples require additional services like MQTT brokers. Use the provided docker-compose file:

# Start required services
docker-compose -f docker-compose.test.yml up -d
# Run your example
python -m src.dialogchain.cli run --config examples/example_name.yaml

Development

When creating new examples:

1. Follow the existing naming conventions
2. Include clear comments in the YAML files
3. Document any external dependencies
4. Update this README with a brief description of the new example

Troubleshooting

• Ensure all required services are running for integration examples
• Check file permissions for file watcher examples
• Use the -v flag for verbose logging when debugging
• For MQTT issues, verify the broker is accessible and the topic permissions are correct