OpenCyc.org HomepageLogin Area Help

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This page allows CYC® users to login to their CYC® image, as well as lists what users are currently logged in to the image.

When a new CYC® image is started, the user is initially logged in with the default login constant for that copy of CYC®, such as #$HPKB-User or #$CYC-User. If no such default exists, the user will initially be logged in as #$Guest. Guests are allowed to browse the CYC® KB, but not to perform any operations on it, such as editing an assertion, creating new constants, halting the image, etc. In order to gain full access, it is necessary to login to the CYC® image using your CYC® constant. Users logged in with a default login constant (not #$Guest) do have full access, but it's still a good idea to login with your own CYC® constant.

Logging In

To access the Login Area, click on the Login link in the Toolbar frame at the top of the screen. The first line of the login page shows what your current login is. If you have just started up the image, this will either say "Guest" or the name of the default login constant; likewise if this is the first time you are accessing from your machine an image that someone else has started up elsewhere.

To change identities (including from or to #$Guest), enter the name of your CYC® constant in the type-in pane provided (minus the "#$"), then press the (Submit) button. For example, the user Fred Smith might be represented in the KB as #$FredSmith. To login, Fred would type "FredSmith" in the input window.

If you do not currently have a CYC® constant, you can create one as follows:

Note: Creating a new user constant is the same as performing any other operation on the CYC® KB: the change is only to the local image unless it's transmitted at some point. If you want your constant to become part of CYC® (if you're using a distributed AI architecture, like at Cycorp), be sure that you are in a mode that will allow transmission of operations to the master transcript. The recommended way to do this is to set the communication mode to Storing and Receiving, create your constant, go to the Communication page and select "Send stored operations now", and click on the "Submit" button. Alternately, you can set the communication mode to Sending and Receiving from the beginnning. If for some reason you create your constant and then restart your image prior to the next dump, you won't be able to log in using your new constant until your machine has received the creation operation from the master transcript. Remember that you'll have to switch to a receiving mode to get any operations. Do not create yourself a second time, as this will cause an error. For details on transcripts, communication modes, and dumps, see The CYC® Agenda and CYC® Transcripts. For help changing communication modes, click on the "Mode" link in the Agenda Status Bar and see the New Mode Area Help available there.

Selecting a Project

Certain versions of CYC® will allow the user to select a project heading under which KE work should be logged. If this feature is available, the link "Current Project" will appear below the user login section, with the currently selected project listed to the right of the link. The default value is "General Cyc KE". To select a new project heading, simply click on the "Current Project" link to go to the Choose KE Project page, then select a project from the list shown. To see a full desciption in the CYC® KB of the current project (when other than "none"), click on the project name itself.

Sharing a CYC® Image

At the bottom of the page is a list of users who are logged into the current image. Both their username and machine are listed. This is important because two users on the same image will share transcripts, communication modes, etc, and so it is necessary to coordinate knowledge entry between users of a shared image. (Simply browsing on a shared image presents no complications, however.)


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