salmanoff/docs/deviceAttachmentPipelineSpec.md

# Device Attachment Pipeline (DAP) Specification DSL: attaching sensors and actuators to SMO.

## DAP Specs vs DA Specs:

**DAP (Device Attachment Pipeline) specs** are human-readable DSL
specifications that describe a pipeline of steps to connect a particular
device role on a particular device-identifier to Salmanoff. This document
describes the DAP specification format.

**DA (Device Attachment) specs** are compiled binary structs used internally
by SMO after DAP specs have been parsed into binary format. DA specs are the
internal representation that the system actually uses.

**Multiple Input Formats**: DAP specs can be parsed from multiple
human-readable formats. For example, we intend to eventually extend ROS's
URDF XML format to specify device attachment specs (URDFDA specs), which
would also get compiled into the same DA spec binary format.

## Attaching sensors:

Sensors are input devices to Salmanoff. Salmanoff will perceive them as
perceptual inputs -- like your own sense organs. For example, if you attach a
camera as a sensor, salmanoff will experience it in the same way that you
experience the visual sense data from your eyes.

## QualeIface (Quale Interface):

A QualeIface is a **Quale** **I**nter**face** library that connects to a
particular stim buffer and allows the mind to process the stim features
presented in the device's stim buffers. QualeIface libraries replace the
previous notion of an implexor. They provide the interface between raw device
data and the mind's processing capabilities.

## Device Attachment Pipeline (DAP) Specification Format:

The general format of a DAP specification is:
```
sensor-type|dev-identifier|quale-iface-api|stim-buff-api(api-params)|provider(provider-params)|dev-selector
```

* `sensor-type` is always either '`+idev`' (interoceptor), '`+edev`'
  (extrospector), or '`+adev`' (actuator).
* `dev-identifier` is a user-defined name for this specific device instance.
  This represents a logical device that can be accessed through multiple
  providers and may expose multiple stim features. In a sense it's like a
  sense organ or sense modality.
* `quale-iface-api` is the name of the QualeIface library that should be used to
  process the data from the stim buffer. This replaces the previous implexor
  concept.
* `stim-buff-api` is the interface that provides access to a specific stim
  buffer from the device. A single device may have multiple stim buffers
  (e.g., audio output, microphone input, different data streams). The
  `api-params` in parentheses may be omitted, in which case the parentheses
  will be empty, but the parentheses must always be written out.
* `provider` may be a userspace daemon or an OS kernel that provides access to
  the device's I/O functionality; and thereby allows the `stim-buff-api` to
  construct and present a stim-buffer to Salmanoff. The `provider-params` in
  parentheses may be omitted, in which case the parentheses will be empty, but
  the parentheses must always be written out.
* `dev-selector` is the idiosyncratic label/name used by the `provider` to
  identify the specific device you want to attach via that `provider`.

## `stim-buff-api-params` and `provider-params`:

If there's more than one parameter item in a list of `stim-buff-api-params` or
`provider-params`, then the individual items in a list of `stim-buff-api-param` or
`provider-params` should be separated by the h-bar character (`|`). E.g:
```
+edev|soundcard0|audio-qualeiface|alsa-audio(shmem|param2|param3)|alsa()|cardname
```

Each parameter must be in one of these forms:
* key=value
* key=
* key

### Important Note on `stim-buff-api-params`:

The `stim-buff-api-params` should **never** include options related to the
stim buffer's type or format. The `stim-buff-api` must read and infer such
configuration details from the `quale-iface-api` portion of the DAP spec, and
configure itself accordingly to enable connection by the specified
quale-iface library in the way that it has been configured.

`stim-buff-api-params` are for options that are:
- Device-specific (not modality-wide)
- Specific to this particular stim-feature as provided by this device
- Configuration parameters needed by the stim-buff-api to properly interface
  with the device

Examples of appropriate `stim-buff-api-params`:
- Buffer size settings
- Device-specific communication parameters
- Hardware-specific configuration options
- Connection timeouts or retry settings

Examples of **inappropriate** `stim-buff-api-params`:
- Data format specifications (should be inferred from stim-iface-api)
- Color space settings (should be determined by the stim-iface library)
- Processing algorithm parameters (belong to the stim-iface library)

## Logical View and Multiple Access Patterns:

### Single Device, Multiple Providers:

A single `dev-identifier` can unite several `dev-selectors` from multiple
providers. For example, a sound card device `soundcard0` could be accessed
through:

* `ident: soundcard0, provider: alsa` - Provides access to the card via ALSA
  API for audio output
* `ident: soundcard0, provider: linux-driver-direct-file-ops` - Provides direct
  connection to Linux driver via read/write posix FD calls for beeper sound
  output
* `ident: soundcard0, provider: alsa` - Provides access to the card via ALSA
  for microphone input

So a single physical device is accessed via multiple providers, each with
different selectors.

### Single Device, Same Provider, Different Stim-Buff-APIs:

A device could have different `stim-buff-apis`, possibly provided by different
shared libraries:

* `ident: soundcard0, provider: alsa, stim-buff-api: alsa-audio` - For audio
  output
* `ident: soundcard0, provider: alsa, stim-buff-api: alsa-mic` - For microphone
  input

Different stim-buff-apis may be packaged into the same shared library, or
multiple libraries may dlopen a common library behind the scenes.

### Stim Features and Buffers:

Logically, a `dev-identifier` represents a sense modality. Each device can
export multiple stim features. For example, an eye can export:
- Color data
- Light intensity data
- Thermal heat data
- Pain input data

Each stim feature is exposed as a stim buffer, provided by a `stim-buff-api`.
Stim-buff-apis rely upon providers to implement the device-specific operations
required to effectuate the stim-buff controls.

## Examples:

### To attach a particular window from a window manager:
```
+edev|my-window|visual-qualeiface|wayland()|wayland(server-socket)|window0
```
Connect to the Wayland server that's listening on `server-socket`, using the
`wayland` stim-buff-api. Ask that Wayland server to give salmanoff read-access to all of
the frames composited into the window buffer for `window0`. Use salmanoff's
`visual-qualeiface` to process the visual data from that `window0`'s compositor buffer.

### To attach a window manager's entire rendered desktop:
```
+edev|my-desktop|visual-qualeiface|wayland()|wayland(listen-socket)|all
```
In most cases, this is basically the same as attempting to attach all of the
underlying GFX server's output.

Connect to the Wayland server that's listening on `listen-socket`, using the
`wayland` stim-buff-api. Ask that Wayland server to give salmanoff read-access to the
entire compositor framebuffer. Use salmanoff's `visual-qualeiface` to process the visual data from
that Wayland server's compositor buffer.

### To attach all of an Xorg server's gfx output to all screens:
```
+edev|my-xorg-display|visual-qualeiface|x11()|xorg(listen-socket)|all
```

Connect to the Xorg server that's listening on `listen-socket`, using the `x11`
stim-buff-api. Ask that Xorg server to let Salmanoff read out all of the frames written
out to all screens. Use salmanoff's `visual-qualeiface` to process the visual data from the
server's gfx framebuffer.

In most cases, this is basically the same as attempting to attach all of the
WM's output.

* Implementation note:
  https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33845447/how-do-i-talk-to-an-x-server-in-c-without-a-graphics-library
  Seems relevant.

### To attach all of an Xorg server's gfx output to a particular screen:
```
+edev|my-screen|visual-qualeiface|x11()|xorg(listen-socket)|:0
```
Connect to the Xorg server that's listening on `listen-socket`, using the `x11`
stim-buff-api. Ask that Xorg server to let Salmanoff read out all of the frames written
out to display `:0`. Use salmanoff's `visual-qualeiface` to process the visual data from display
`:0`'s framebuffer.

* Implementation note:
  https://stackoverflow.com/questions/33845447/how-do-i-talk-to-an-x-server-in-c-without-a-graphics-library
  Seems relevant.

### To attach a camera device by connecting directly to its Linux driver:
```
+edev|my-camera|visual-qualeiface|v4l()|linux()|/dev/video0
```
We specify that we want to use the `linux` kernel's loaded driver to connect
to communicate with `/dev/video0`, via the `Video4Linux` stim-buff-api. We want salmanoff
to use the `visual-qualeiface` library to process the visual data from `/dev/video0`'s stim buffer.

If `/dev/video0` is already consumed by another process, this may likely fail.

### To attach a microphone that's managed by ALSA server:
```
+edev|my-microphone|audio-qualeiface|alsa-mic(shmem)|alsa()|cardname
```

Connect to the ALSA server via `shmem`, using the `alsa-mic` stim-buff-api. Request access to
the microphone function of the sound card with the name `cardname`. Use the
`audio-qualeiface` library to process the audio data from `cardname`'s microphone stim buffer.

### To attach a thermal sensor managed by Linux:
```
+idev|my-thermal|thermal-qualeiface|thermal-zone()|linux()|/sys/class/thermal_zone0
```

Use the `thermal-zone` SysFS stim-buff-api provided by `linux` to connect to the sensor
`/sys/class/thermal_zone0`. Use the `thermal-qualeiface` library to process the thermal data from
`thermal_zone0`'s heat stim buffer.

## Multiple Provider Examples:

### Single Sound Card Device with Multiple Providers:

The same physical sound card `soundcard0` can be accessed through different providers:

```
+edev|soundcard0|audio-qualeiface|alsa-audio()|alsa()|card0
||| +edev|soundcard0|audio-qualeiface|direct-file-ops()|linux()|/dev/snd/pcmC0D0p
||| +idev|soundcard0|audio-qualeiface|alsa-mic()|alsa()|card0
```

This shows:
- `soundcard0` accessed via ALSA provider for audio output (`alsa-audio` stim-buff-api)
- `soundcard0` accessed via Linux provider for direct file operations (`direct-file-ops` stim-buff-api)  
- `soundcard0` accessed via ALSA provider for microphone input (`alsa-mic` stim-buff-api)

### Single Camera Device with Multiple Stim-Buff-APIs:

A camera device `camera0` might expose different data streams:

```
+edev|camera0|visual-qualeiface|v4l-rgb()|linux()|/dev/video0
||| +edev|camera0|visual-qualeiface|v4l-yuv()|linux()|/dev/video0
||| +idev|camera0|thermal-qualeiface|v4l-thermal()|linux()|/dev/video0
```

This shows the same camera device providing:
- RGB color data via `v4l-rgb` stim-buff-api
- YUV color data via `v4l-yuv` stim-buff-api
- Thermal data via `v4l-thermal` stim-buff-api

## Attaching actuators:

Actuators are Salmanoff's way of enacting changes in the external world.
They're like your libs, or your mouth. Actuators enable salmanoff to write
outputs to the world outside.

### Wilzors:

Actuator devices are analogous to your body's limbs. Salmanoff controls these
by using `wilzor` algorithms. Wilzor is a contraction of **Wil**lpower
Actuat**Or** but with a 'Z' in the middle to make it sound cooler. Different
types of devices will require different wilzor algorithms. You need to know
what type of wilzor algorithm needs to be used to enable salmanoff to control
your actuator device.

The general format for an actuator's device attachment specification follows the same pattern:
```
+adev|dev-identifier|wilzor-algorithm|stim-buff-api(api-params)|provider(provider-params)|dev-selector
```

Where `wilzor-algorithm` is the specific wilzor algorithm needed to control the actuator device.

## Device Attachment Pipeline (DAP) specification files:

Inside of a DAP specification file, you can list any number of
DAP specifications.
Separate individual DAP specifications with two consecutive h-bar
characters (`||`),
like this:
```
+edev|my-window|visual-qualeiface|wayland()|wayland(server-socket)|window0
|| +edev|my-xorg-display|visual-qualeiface|x11()|xorg(listen-socket)|all
|| +idev|my-thermal|thermal-qualeiface|thermal-zone()|linux()|/sys/class/thermal_zone0
```