[Modeling] Modeling an Agent Class- register your opinion

[Joaquin Peña]

Hello again:

In our view, a role does not mean isolated. It only takes meaning
involved in a role model.

As Sehl, we see role as an abstract concept using at analysis
stage to perform a behaviour--directed analysis and to naturally
model organizational structures. That it is to say, Role Models
are the representation of Goals, and tasks, are the services that
an agent playing a role must provide to interact with others roles
in the role model to achieve this goal.

Thus, the description of a MAS can be seen in two levels: The Role
Level is an abstract behaviour centered view (used in analysis),
and the Class level where roles are implemented and mapped onto
agents.

Well, but ¿How Roles can be Implemented? Our view is an Aspect
Oriented Approach where an agent is a set of pure functional
passive components (that provides all the services its role
requires) that can be only used via a set of proxy objects that
represents the roles. Thus, interactions are implemented in a role
class (proxy) completely separated from functionality. James, I
think this fit with your definition of role ¿doesn't it?

With our view, if an employee agent that lose it department means
that it lose the proxy that represent this role, thus, hereafter
this agent can not use the services it provides for employee.

We think that roles don't have a direct mapping in the object
Oriented paradigms.


> -----Mensaje original-----
> De: modeling-admin@fipa.org [mailto:modeling-admin@fipa.org] 
> En nombre de James Odell
> Enviado el: jueves, 19 de junio de 2003 23:46
> Para: ModelingTC
> Asunto: Re: [Modeling] Modeling an Agent Class- register your opinion
> 
> 
> On 6/19/03 5:19 PM, "sehl mellouli" indited:
> 
> > I see a role as a set of tasks grouped according to a certain 
> > semantic. Semantic means that the different tasks forming a 
> role fits 
> > together. So I think roles are at a higher abstract level than 
> > classes. Can they be represented by classes in the development? I 
> > think in that case, we need to  find a definition of a task, and 
> > relate it with the definition of a function. Sorry, but I have no 
> > formal definition of a task.
> 
> If I may play Devil's advocate: Isn't a class "a set of tasks grouped
> according to a certain semantic"?   And if I may play Jim: What is a
> "certain semantic"?  The definition looks a bit circular to 
> me: a role is based on a certain semantic, where the semantic 
> is what forms a role.
> 
> -Jim
> 
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