Frames

Overview

A frame is a data structure for representing a stereotyped situation. They contain terminals that must be filled by specific instances or data. Terminals are expected to specify conditions that determine what data can be assigned to them.

Collections of related framed are further grouped into frame systems. Different frames of a system share the same terminals. Typically default assignments are loosely attached to terminals so that they can be easily displaced by new items that better fit a situation.

Matching

Frame systems are further linked by an information retrieval network. When a proposed frame cannot be made to work, the network is queried for a replacement frame. Once a frame is proposed for a situation, a matching process tries to assign values to each frame's terminals, consistent with the conditions at each place.