How To Instantiate An Agent Connected To Tiled A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

When working with bluesky and bluesky-adaptive, instantiating an agent that interacts with a Tiled server is a crucial step. The agent needs to read run data and write events, both requiring a tiled.client.container.Container object. This article addresses the common question of how to obtain this object when connecting to a Tiled server and how to use it to interact with the server, specifically focusing on the tiled==0.1.0b23 version.

Understanding the Tiled Client

To effectively instantiate an agent connected to Tiled, you first need to understand how to connect to your Tiled server and retrieve the appropriate client object. Tiled is a powerful data management and access system often used in scientific research environments. It allows for the storage and retrieval of experimental data, and bluesky leverages it for data acquisition and analysis. The tiled.client.container.Container object is central to this interaction, acting as the interface between your agent and the Tiled server.

Connecting to Tiled

The initial step involves connecting to your Tiled server. This is typically done using the from_uri function provided by the tiled.client module. This function takes the URI of your Tiled server and, optionally, an API key for authentication. Here’s an example:

from tiled.client import from_uri
client = from_uri("http://localhost:8000", api_key='secret')

In this code snippet, we import the from_uri function and use it to connect to a Tiled server running on localhost:8000. The api_key parameter is used for authentication. The resulting client object is your gateway to the data stored on the Tiled server. However, this client object, as shown in the original example, is a Catalog object, which might not be immediately suitable for all agent operations.

The Catalog Object

The <Catalog ...> object you see is a high-level container that represents the root of your data hierarchy in Tiled. It allows you to browse and discover data, but it may not directly expose the methods needed for writing events or accessing specific data containers required by your agent. To get the tiled.client.container.Container object, you need to navigate this catalog to the specific container you want to interact with.

Obtaining the tiled.client.container.Container Object

The key to getting the correct tiled.client.container.Container object lies in understanding the structure of your Tiled server and how data is organized within it. The Tiled server organizes data in a hierarchical structure, similar to a file system. You can navigate this structure using the client object, which acts as a catalog. Each entry in the catalog can be another catalog or a container holding data.

Navigating the Catalog

To navigate the catalog, you can use attribute access or dictionary-like indexing. For example, if your data is organized under a sub-catalog named experiment_data, you can access it like this:

experiment_data = client.experiment_data

Or, using dictionary-like indexing:

experiment_data = client['experiment_data']

This will give you another Catalog object, which you can further navigate to reach the desired container. If you know the path to the container, you can chain these operations:

data_container = client.experiment_data.run1.scan1

This assumes that under experiment_data, there is a sub-catalog run1, and under that, a container scan1. The exact structure will depend on how your Tiled server is set up.

Identifying the Correct Container

To find the correct container, you might need to explore the catalog interactively. You can print the keys of a catalog to see its contents:

print(client.keys())

This will show you the top-level entries in the catalog. You can then inspect sub-catalogs in a similar way:

if 'experiment_data' in client:
    print(client['experiment_data'].keys())

By iteratively exploring the catalog, you can identify the tiled.client.container.Container object that holds the data you need for your agent.

Instantiating the Agent with the Container

Once you have obtained the tiled.client.container.Container object, you can pass it to your agent during instantiation. This allows the agent to read data from and write events to the Tiled server.

Passing the Container to the Agent

The exact mechanism for passing the container to the agent depends on the agent's constructor. However, it typically involves passing the container object as an argument. For example:

from bluesky_adaptive.agents import YourAgent  # Replace with your agent class

data_container = client.experiment_data.run1.scan1  # Example container
agent = YourAgent(agent_catalog=data_container)

In this example, YourAgent is a placeholder for your agent class, and agent_catalog is the parameter name used to pass the container. The agent can then use this container to interact with Tiled.

Reading Run Data

To read run data from the Tiled server, the agent can use the methods provided by the tiled.client.container.Container object. These methods allow the agent to access the data stored in the container, such as event streams and metadata. For instance, you might use the read() method to retrieve the data:

for event in data_container.read():
    # Process the event data
    print(event)

This code snippet iterates through the events in the container, allowing the agent to process the data as needed.

Writing Events

Agents often need to write events back to the Tiled server, especially in adaptive experiments where the agent's actions depend on the data it receives. The tiled.client.container.Container object provides methods for inserting documents, such as events, into the container. This is where methods like v1.insert() come into play, as mentioned in the original question.

Using v1.insert()

The v1.insert() method is part of the Tiled API and allows you to insert documents into the container. The exact usage may depend on the version of Tiled you are using, but the general idea is to pass a dictionary-like object representing the document you want to insert. For example:

event_data = {
    'time': time.time(),
    'data': {
        'sensor1': 1.23,
        'sensor2': 4.56
    }
}

data_container.v1.insert(event_data)

This code snippet creates a dictionary representing an event and then uses v1.insert() to add it to the container. The agent can use this method to record its actions and observations during an experiment.

Addressing the Specific Question: self.agent_catalog.v1.insert()

The original question mentions the use of self.agent_catalog.v1.insert() in the context of the bluesky-adaptive library. This usage refers to inserting documents into a specific container within the Tiled server. The self.agent_catalog attribute is presumably the tiled.client.container.Container object that the agent has been initialized with. The .v1 part likely refers to a versioned API endpoint, and .insert() is the method for inserting documents.

The key to using this correctly is to ensure that self.agent_catalog is indeed a tiled.client.container.Container object and that the document you are trying to insert conforms to the expected schema. If you encounter issues, double-check the structure of the document and the version of the Tiled API you are using.

Example: Complete Workflow

To illustrate the complete workflow, let’s consider a simplified example:

import time
from tiled.client import from_uri
from bluesky_adaptive.agents import YourAgent  # Replace with your agent class

# 1. Connect to Tiled
client = from_uri("http://localhost:8000", api_key='secret')

# 2. Navigate to the desired container
data_container = client.experiment_data.run1.scan1  # Example path

# 3. Instantiate the agent
agent = YourAgent(agent_catalog=data_container)

# 4. Write an event
event_data = {
    'time': time.time(),
    'data': {
        'sensor1': 1.23,
        'sensor2': 4.56
    }
}
agent.agent_catalog.v1.insert(event_data)

print("Event inserted successfully!")

# 5. Read events
print("Reading events from the container:")
for event in data_container.read():
    print(event)

This example demonstrates how to connect to Tiled, navigate to a specific container, instantiate an agent with that container, write an event to the container, and read events from the container. This provides a practical overview of how to use Tiled with a bluesky-adaptive agent.

Conclusion

Instantiating an agent connected to Tiled involves connecting to the server, navigating the catalog to obtain the tiled.client.container.Container object, and passing this object to the agent. The agent can then use the container to read run data and write events, enabling it to interact with the Tiled server effectively. Understanding the structure of your Tiled server and how data is organized is crucial for successfully integrating agents with Tiled in bluesky workflows. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be well-equipped to instantiate agents that can seamlessly interact with your Tiled data.