Primitives

Primitives are the atoms of the SymbolicAI API – small, orthogonal operations that can be freely combined to express very rich behaviour. Every Symbol automatically inherits them, so there is no import-gymnastics required: just create a symbol and start hacking.

This page gives you a hands-on overview of the most useful primitives that ship with symai. All examples are copy-pastable – open a Python REPL and play with them! The table of contents below mirrors the internal organisation of symai/ops/primitives.py, so if you ever need more detail you know where to look.

❗️NOTE❗️We will focus mostly on the semantic behaviour of the primitives, but you can also use them in syntactic mode, which is the default. Syntactic mode behaves like a normal Python value, unless otherwise specified. Be sure to check the examples below to see how the primitives behave.

Supported Primitives - SymbolicAI

This table summarizes all supported primitives, grouped by category. Use Python operators in either syntactic (Symbol(...).syn or Symbol(...)) or semantic (Symbol(...).sem or Symbol(..., semantic=True)) mode. Semantic mode invokes neuro-symbolic reasoning. Checkmark columns show which mode is supported; description explains the behavior.

Primitive/Operator

1. Syntactic vs. Semantic Symbols

Symbol comes in two flavours:

Syntactic – behaves like a normal Python value (string, list, int ‐ whatever you passed in).
Semantic – is wired to the neuro-symbolic engine and therefore understands meaning and context.

Why is syntactic the default? Because Python operators (==, ~, &, …) are overloaded in symai. If we would immediately fire the engine for every bitshift or comparison, code would be slow and could produce surprising side-effects. Starting syntactic keeps things safe and fast; you opt-in to semantics only where you need them.

How to switch to the semantic view

At creation time

from symai import Symbol

s = Symbol("Cats are adorable", semantic=True) # already semantic

On demand with the .sem projection – the twin .syn flips you back:

s = Symbol("Cats are adorable") # default = syntactic
print(s.startswith("Cats")) # syntactic => True
print(s.sem.startswith("animal")) # semantic => True
print("feline" in s.sem) # semantic => True
result = (s / " ")[0] # syntactic operator split, syntactic index
print(result) # => 'Cats'

Because the projections return the same underlying object with just a different behavioural coat, you can weave complex chains of syntactic and semantic operations on a single symbol.

2. Inversion and Negation

Inversion (`~`)

s = Symbol("I am standing on the shoulders of giants.", semantic=True)
print(~s) # => Giants are standing on my shoulders.

Negation (`-`)

s = Symbol("I am happy.", semantic=True)
print(-s) # => I am not happy.

3. Comparison Operations

Equality (`==`) and Inequality (`!=`)

The equality and inequality operators showcase one of the most powerful aspects of semantic symbols: conceptual equivalence rather than just literal matching.

Semantic Equality - Conceptual Equivalence

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic greeting comparison - understands meaning
greeting_sem = Symbol('Hello there!', semantic=True)
greeting_variant = 'Hi there!'

print(greeting_sem == greeting_variant) # => True

# Semantic farewell comparison
farewell_sem = Symbol('Goodbye friend!', semantic=True)
farewell_variant = 'See you later!'

print(farewell_sem == farewell_variant) # => True

# Works with lists too - semantic understanding
list_sem = Symbol([1, 2, 3], semantic=True)
list_different = Symbol([3, 2, 1])

print(list_sem == list_different) # => False

Semantic Inequality (`!=`)

The inequality operator works as the logical inverse of equality with conceptual understanding:

# Semantic inequality - conceptual differences
greeting_sem = Symbol('Hello there!', semantic=True)
greeting_variant = 'Hi there!'

print(greeting_sem != greeting_variant) # => False

farewell_sem = Symbol('Goodbye friend!', semantic=True)
farewell_variant = 'See you later!'

print(farewell_sem != farewell_variant) # => False

Advanced Contextual Equality - Custom Context Comparison

Beyond basic semantic equality, symbols support contextual comparison where you can specify the context for evaluation:

from symai import Symbol

# Contextual greeting comparison
greeting = Symbol('Hello, good morning!')
similar_greeting = 'Hi there, good day!'

# Compare with specific greeting context
result = greeting.equals(similar_greeting, context='greeting context')
print(result) # => True

# Compare with different contexts for nuanced evaluation
formal_greeting = Symbol('Good morning, sir.')
casual_greeting = 'Hey, what\'s up?'

# Context-aware politeness comparison
politeness_comparison = formal_greeting.equals(casual_greeting, context='politeness level')
print(politeness_comparison) # => False

4. Membership Operations

The `in` Operator - Semantic Containment

The in operator demonstrates how semantic symbols can understand conceptual membership beyond literal substring or element matching.

Semantic Membership - Conceptual Containment

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic string containment - understands concepts
str_sem = Symbol('apple banana cherry', semantic=True)
concept_search = 'fruit'

print(concept_search in str_sem) # => True (understands apple/banana are fruits)

# Semantic list containment - conceptual understanding
list_sem = Symbol(['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'], semantic=True)

print(concept_search in list_sem) # => True (conceptual membership)

# More examples of semantic containment
animals_sem = Symbol('cat dog bird fish', semantic=True)
print('pet' in animals_sem)     # => True (cats and dogs are pets)
print('mammal' in animals_sem)  # => True (cat and dog are mammals)
print('vehicle' in animals_sem) # => False (no vehicles in the list)

Enhanced Semantic Containment - Multi-Type Support

The contains() method provides advanced semantic containment that works across different data types:

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic containment in text with concept understanding
text = Symbol('The vehicle moved quickly down the road')
print(text.contains('car')) # => True (vehicle can semantically contain car)

# Containment with mixed data types
mixed_data = Symbol([1, 'two', 3.0, True])
print(mixed_data.contains('two')) # => True (exact string match)
print(mixed_data.contains(True)) # => True (exact boolean match)

5. Ordering and Comparison Operations

Greater Than (`>`) and Less Than (`<`) and Greater or Equal (`>=`) and Less or Equal (`<=`)

Semantic symbols can understand abstract ordering and magnitude relationships beyond numeric comparisons.

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic size comparison - understands relative magnitude
large_sem = Symbol('enormous', semantic=True)
small_sem = Symbol('tiny', semantic=True)

print(large_sem > small_sem) # => True (enormous is conceptually larger than tiny)

# Semantic animal size comparison
cat_sem = Symbol('cat', semantic=True)
dog_sem = Symbol('dog', semantic=True)

print(cat_sem < dog_sem) # => True (dogs are generally larger than cats)

# Temperature comparisons - semantic understanding of hot/cold
cold_sem = Symbol('freezing', semantic=True)
hot_sem = Symbol('scorching', semantic=True)

print(cold_sem < hot_sem) # => True (freezing is less than scorching)

# Semantic number understanding
word_number = Symbol('fifty', semantic=True)
regular_number = 45

print(word_number > regular_number) # => True (understands "fifty" means 50)

# Speed comparisons with semantic understanding
fast_sem = Symbol('lightning speed', semantic=True)
slow_sem = Symbol('snail pace', semantic=True)

print(fast_sem >= slow_sem) # => True (lightning speed is much faster)

# Strength comparisons
weak_sem = Symbol('fragile', semantic=True)
strong_sem = Symbol('robust', semantic=True)

print(weak_sem <= strong_sem) # => True (fragile is weaker than robust)

6. Shift Operations - Semantic Inclusion

Left Shift (`<<`) and Right Shift (`>>`)

Shift operations perform semantic inclusion by incorporating one symbol's content into another. The direction of the operator indicates where the inclusion occurs - left shift (<<) prepends content, while right shift (>>) appends content.

Semantic Inclusion Operations

from symai import Symbol

# Left shift - prepend/include at the beginning
data_stream = Symbol('data stream', semantic=True)
left_direction = Symbol('left')
result = data_stream << left_direction
print(result) # => "left data stream"

# Right shift - append/include at the end
info_flow = Symbol('information flow', semantic=True)
right_direction = Symbol('right')
result = info_flow >> right_direction
print(result) # => "information flow right"

# Priority and urgency - prepend urgent to task
priority_task = Symbol('high priority task', semantic=True)
urgency = Symbol('urgent')
result = priority_task << urgency
print(result) # => "urgent high priority task"

# Process flow - append downstream to processing
data_process = Symbol('data processing', semantic=True)
downstream = Symbol('downstream')
result = data_process >> downstream
print(result) # => "data processing downstream"

Practical Use Cases

The shift operators provide a consistent way to indicate inclusion direction in high-level design:

Left Shift (<<): Use when you want to prepend, prioritize, or add context before
Right Shift (>>): Use when you want to append, extend, or add context after

This semantic approach allows for intuitive text manipulation and content combination while maintaining clear directional intent in your code design.

7. Bitwise and Logical Operations

Bitwise operators (&, |, ^) work with both numeric values and logical statements, providing mathematical bitwise operations for integers and logical inference for semantic symbols.

Bitwise AND (`&`) - Intersection and Logical Conjunction

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic logical conjunction - combining facts and rules
horn_rule = Symbol('The horn only sounds on Sundays.', semantic=True)
observation = Symbol('I hear the horn.')
conclusion = horn_rule & observation # => Logical inference

# Combining evidence
evidence1 = Symbol('The suspect was seen at the scene.', semantic=True)
evidence2 = Symbol('His fingerprints were found.')
combined_evidence = evidence1 & evidence2 # => Combined evidence

Bitwise OR (`|`) - Union and Logical Disjunction

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic logical disjunction - alternative possibilities
option1 = Symbol('It might rain today.', semantic=True)
option2 = Symbol('It could be sunny.')
possibilities = option1 | option2 # => Multiple possibilities

# Alternative scenarios
scenario1 = Symbol('The meeting could be postponed.', semantic=True)
scenario2 = Symbol('The meeting might be canceled.')
alternatives = scenario1 | scenario2 # => Alternative outcomes

Bitwise XOR (`^`) - Exclusive OR

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic exclusive choice - either/or scenarios
exclusive1 = Symbol('Either it will rain today.', semantic=True)
exclusive2 = Symbol('Or it will be sunny.')
either_or = exclusive1 ^ exclusive2 # => Exclusive alternative

# Contradictory statements
statement1 = Symbol('The door is open.', semantic=True)
statement2 = Symbol('The door is closed.')
contradiction = statement1 ^ statement2 # => Mutually exclusive states

8. Arithmetic Operations

Basic arithmetic operations (+, -) provide both syntactic combination and semantic mathematical interpretation.

Addition (`+`) and Subtraction (`-`)

from symai import Symbol

enemy_text = Symbol('Hello my enemy', semantic=True)
result = enemy_text - 'enemy' + 'friend'
print(result) # => "Hello my friend"

String Manipulation (`@`, `/`)

The following are syntactic sugar for string concatenation and splitting:

from symai import Symbol

string = Symbol('Hello my ') @ 'friend' # Concatenation
split_string = string / ' ' # ['Hello', 'my', 'friend']

9. Indexing and Slicing Operations

The indexing and slicing operations (__getitem__, __setitem__, __delitem__) provide both syntactic data access and semantic key matching for dictionaries and lists.

Getting Items (`symbol[key]`)

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic dictionary access - finds conceptually related keys
sym_person = Symbol({'name': 'Alice', 'age': 30, 'city': 'NYC'}, semantic=True)
name_result = sym_person['Return any names'] # => 'Alice'
identity_result = sym_person['identity'] # => 'Alice' (matches 'name')
profession_result = sym_person['profession'] # => might return 'age' or relevant info

# Semantic list access - finds conceptually matching items
sym_animals = Symbol(['cat', 'dog', 'bird', 'fish'], semantic=True)
pet_result = sym_animals['domestic animal']

# Color matching example
sym_colors = Symbol({'red': '#FF0000', 'green': '#00FF00', 'blue': '#0000FF'}, semantic=True)
primary_color = sym_colors['primary color'] # => one of the hex values

Setting Items (`symbol[key] = value`)

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic dictionary modification - maps to conceptually similar keys
sym_weather = Symbol({'temperature': 20, 'humidity': 60, 'pressure': 1013}, semantic=True)
sym_weather['Change the temperature'] = 25 # => maps to 'temperature' key

Deleting Items (`del symbol[key]`)

from symai import Symbol

# Semantic dictionary deletion - removes conceptually matching keys
sym_person = Symbol({'first_name': 'John', 'last_name': 'Doe', 'age': 30}, semantic=True)
del sym_person['surname'] # => removes 'last_name' (conceptually equivalent)
# => {'first_name': 'John', 'age': 30}

10. Type Checking Operations

Semantic Type Validation (`isinstanceof`)

The isinstanceof() method provides semantic type checking that goes beyond traditional Python type checking to understand conceptual types:

from symai import Symbol

# Basic semantic type checking
number_sym = Symbol(42)
print(number_sym.isinstanceof('number')) # => True
print(number_sym.isinstanceof('string')) # => False

# Collection type checking
list_sym = Symbol(['apple', 'banana', 'cherry'])
print(list_sym.isinstanceof('list')) # => True

# Boolean/logical type checking
bool_sym = Symbol(True)
print(bool_sym.isinstanceof('logical value')) # => True

# Complex semantic type recognition
person_data = Symbol({'name': 'John', 'age': 30})
print(person_data.isinstanceof('person data')) # => True

# More natural language type queries
user_info = Symbol({'name': 'Alice', 'age': 25, 'city': 'Wonderland'})
print(user_info.isinstanceof('person')) # => True (understands structure represents a person)

11. Basic Symbolic Manipulations

The interpret() method provides a way to interpret and process symbolic expressions. Each step is atomic, meaning you can build complex interpretations by chaining them together.

from symai import Symbol

# Symbolic reasoning and analogies
analogy = Symbol('gravity : Earth :: radiation : ?')
result = analogy.interpret()
print(result) # => Sun (or similar celestial body)

# Mathematical expression interpretation
math_expr = Symbol("∫(3x² + 2x - 5)dx")
solution = math_expr.interpret()
print(solution) # => x³ + x² - 5x + C

Conditional Logic Processing

# Conditional interpretation with different inputs
conditional = Symbol("If x < 0 then 'negative' else if x == 0 then 'zero' else 'positive'")

# Test with different values
print(conditional.interpret("x = -5")) # => negative
print(conditional.interpret("x = 0"))  # => zero
print(conditional.interpret("x = 10")) # => positive

System Solving and Constraints

# Mathematical system solving
system = Symbol("Find values for x and y where: x + y = 10, x - y = 4")
solution = system.interpret()
print(solution) # => x = 7, y = 3

# Logical reasoning with philosophical questions
reasoning = Symbol('If every event has a cause, and the universe began with an event, what philosophical question arises?')
philosophical_insight = reasoning.interpret()
print(philosophical_insight) # => What caused the first cause? (First Cause Argument)

The interpret() method supports can accumulate steps into one symbol:

sym_accumulate = Symbol('Relativistic electron formula')
result1 = sym_accumulate.interpret(accumulate=True)
result2 = result1.interpret('Assume the momentum to be extremely large', accumulate=True)
result3 = result2.interpret('Expand the formula to account for both mass and momentum', accumulate=True) # Ideally, we should get back to the original formula
all_results = sym_accumulate.get_results() # get all accumulated results (3)
sym_accumulate.clear_results()

12. Data Processing and Manipulation Operations

Text Cleaning and Normalization (`clean`)

The clean() method normalizes whitespace, removes extra spaces, and standardizes text formatting:

sym_dirty = Symbol("This text has   multiple    spaces and\n\nextra newlines.\t\tAnd tabs.")
cleaned = sym_dirty.clean()
# => "This text has multiple spaces and extra newlines. And tabs."

Content Summarization (`summarize`)

The summarize() method creates concise summaries of longer content, with optional context for focused summarization:

sym_long = Symbol("Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language...")
summarized = sym_long.summarize()
# Creates a shorter version maintaining key information

# With context for focused summarization
context_summarized = sym_long.summarize(context="Focus on Python's use in data science")
# Emphasizes data science aspects in the summary

Content Outlining (`outline`)

The outline() method extracts structure and key points from hierarchical content:

sym_complex = Symbol("""
#Introduction to Machine Learning
Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence...
## Supervised Learning
### Classification
### Regression
## Unsupervised Learning
""")
outlined = sym_complex.outline()
# => ['- Machine Learning: subset of AI...', '- Supervised Learning: training...', ...]

Content Filtering (`filter`)

The filter() method selectively includes or excludes content based on criteria:

sym_mixed = Symbol("Dogs are loyal pets. Cats are independent pets. Hamsters are small pets.")

# Exclude content matching criteria (default behavior)
filtered_ex = sym_mixed.filter(criteria="Cats")
# => "Dogs are loyal pets. Hamsters are small pets."

# Include only content matching criteria
filtered_in = sym_mixed.filter(criteria="Dogs", include=True)
# => "Dogs are loyal pets."

Content Modification (`modify`)

The modify() method applies specified changes to content:

sym_original = Symbol("The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.")
changes = "Change 'quick' to 'fast' and 'lazy' to 'sleeping'"
modified = sym_original.modify(changes=changes)
# => "The fast brown fox jumps over the sleeping dog."

Text Replacement (`replace`)

The replace() method substitutes specific text with new content:

sym_replace = Symbol("Python is a programming language. Python is easy to learn.")
replaced = sym_replace.replace("Python", "JavaScript")
# => "JavaScript is a programming language. JavaScript is easy to learn."

Content Removal (`remove`)

The remove() method eliminates specified content:

sym_extra = Symbol("This text contains [unnecessary information] that should be removed.")
removed = sym_extra.remove("[unnecessary information] ")
# => "This text contains that should be removed."

Content Addition (`include`, `combine`)

Both methods add content, with subtle differences in behavior:

sym_base = Symbol("This is the main content.")

# Include additional information
included = sym_base.include("This is additional information.")
# => "This is the main content. This is additional information."

# Combine with other content
combined = sym_base.combine("Second part of the content.")
# => "This is the main content. Second part of the content."

13. Pattern Matching and Intelligence Operations

Content Ranking (`rank`)

The rank() method orders content based on specified measures and criteria:

sym_numbers = Symbol("""
5. Learn Python basics
1. Install Python
3. Practice coding
2. Set up IDE
4. Join community
""")
ranked = sym_numbers.rank(measure='difficulty', order='desc')
# => Reorders by difficulty (descending)

# Ranking by priority
sym_tasks = Symbol("""
Important task: Complete project proposal
Urgent task: Fix critical bug
Optional task: Update documentation
Critical task: Deploy hotfix
""")
ranked_priority = sym_tasks.rank(measure='priority', order='asc')

Pattern Extraction (`extract`)

The extract() method identifies and extracts specific patterns or information types:

# Extract specific patterns like dates
sym_text = Symbol("""
Project deadline: 2024-03-15
Budget allocated: $50,000
Team size: 8 people
Status: In Progress
""")
extracted_dates = sym_text.extract("dates and deadlines")
# => "2024-03-15"

Code Correction (`correct`)

The correct() method automatically fixes code errors based on exceptions:

# Fix syntax errors
sym_code = Symbol("""
def calculate_sum(a b):
    return a + b
""")
corrected = sym_code.correct("Fix the code", exception=SyntaxError)
# => "def calculate_sum(a, b):\n    return a + b"

# Fix type errors
sym_type_error = Symbol("""
def process_data(items):
    return items.sort()
result = process_data([3, 1, 2])
print(result + 1) # TypeError: NoneType + int
""")
corrected_type = sym_type_error.correct("Fix the code", exception=TypeError)
# => Uses sorted() instead of sort() to return the sorted list

Language Translation (`translate`)

The translate() method converts content between languages:

sym_english = Symbol("Hello, how are you today?")
translated = sym_english.translate("Spanish")
# => "Hola, ¿cómo estás hoy?"

Multi-Choice Classification (`choice`)

The choice() method classifies content into predefined categories:

sym_weather = Symbol("Temperature: 85°F, Humidity: 70%, Conditions: Sunny")
cases = ["hot and humid", "mild", "cold and dry"]
weather_choice = sym_weather.choice(cases=cases, default="mild")
# => "hot and humid"

# Sentiment analysis
sym_sentiment = Symbol("This product exceeded all my expectations! Absolutely wonderful!")
sentiment_cases = ["positive", "neutral", "negative"]
sentiment_choice = sym_sentiment.choice(cases=sentiment_cases, default="neutral")
# => "positive"

12. Data Processing and Manipulation Operations

Text Cleaning and Normalization (`clean`)

The clean() method normalizes whitespace, removes extra spaces, and standardizes text formatting:

sym_dirty = Symbol("This text has   multiple    spaces and\n\nextra newlines.\t\tAnd tabs.")
cleaned = sym_dirty.clean()
# => "This text has multiple spaces and extra newlines. And tabs."

Content Summarization (`summarize`)

The summarize() method creates concise summaries of longer content, with optional context for focused summarization:

sym_long = Symbol("Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language...")
summarized = sym_long.summarize()
# Creates a shorter version maintaining key information

# With context for focused summarization
context_summarized = sym_long.summarize(context="Focus on Python's use in data science")
# Emphasizes data science aspects in the summary

Content Outlining (`outline`)

The outline() method extracts structure and key points from hierarchical content:

sym_complex = Symbol("""
#Introduction to Machine Learning
Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence...
## Supervised Learning
### Classification
### Regression
## Unsupervised Learning
""")
outlined = sym_complex.outline()
# => ['- Machine Learning: subset of AI...', '- Supervised Learning: training...', ...]

Content Filtering (`filter`)

The filter() method selectively includes or excludes content based on criteria:

sym_mixed = Symbol("Dogs are loyal pets. Cats are independent pets. Hamsters are small pets.")

# Exclude content matching criteria (default behavior)
filtered_ex = sym_mixed.filter(criteria="Cats")
# => "Dogs are loyal pets. Hamsters are small pets."

# Include only content matching criteria
filtered_in = sym_mixed.filter(criteria="Dogs", include=True)
# => "Dogs are loyal pets."

Content Modification (`modify`)

The modify() method applies specified changes to content:

sym_original = Symbol("The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.")
changes = "Change 'quick' to 'fast' and 'lazy' to 'sleeping'"
modified = sym_original.modify(changes=changes)
# => "The fast brown fox jumps over the sleeping dog."

Text Replacement (`replace`)

The replace() method substitutes specific text with new content:

sym_replace = Symbol("Python is a programming language. Python is easy to learn.")
replaced = sym_replace.replace("Python", "JavaScript")
# => "JavaScript is a programming language. JavaScript is easy to learn."

Content Removal (`remove`)

The remove() method eliminates specified content:

sym_extra = Symbol("This text contains [unnecessary information] that should be removed.")
removed = sym_extra.remove("[unnecessary information] ")
# => "This text contains that should be removed."

Content Addition (`include`, `combine`)

Both methods add content, with subtle differences in behavior:

sym_base = Symbol("This is the main content.")

# Include additional information
included = sym_base.include("This is additional information.")
# => "This is the main content. This is additional information."

# Combine with other content
combined = sym_base.combine("Second part of the content.")
# => "This is the main content. Second part of the content."

Semantic Mapping (`map`)

The map operation applies semantic transformations to each element in an iterable based on natural language instructions. It preserves the container type and leaves non-matching elements unchanged.

# Transform characters in strings
text = Symbol("hello world")
result = text.map('convert vowels to numbers: a=1, e=2, i=3, o=4, u=5')
# => "h2ll4 w4rld"

# Transform case selectively
caps_text = Symbol("PROGRAMMING")
result = caps_text.map('make consonants lowercase, keep vowels uppercase')
# => "prOgrAmmIng"

# Transform fruits to vegetables, leave animals unchanged
mixed_list = Symbol(['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'cat', 'dog'])
result = mixed_list.map('convert all fruits to vegetables')
# => ['carrot', 'broccoli', 'spinach', 'cat', 'dog']

# Work with dictionaries - transforms values, preserves keys
fruit_dict = Symbol({'item1': 'apple', 'item2': 'banana', 'item3': 'cat'})
result = fruit_dict.map('convert fruits to vegetables')
# => {'item1': 'carrot', 'item2': 'broccoli', 'item3': 'cat'}

# Preserve container types
emotions_tuple = Symbol(('happy', 'sad', 'angry'))
weather = emotions_tuple.map('convert emotions to weather')
# => ('sunny', 'rainy', 'stormy')

Supported Types:

Strings: "abc" → "xyz" (character-by-character transformation)
Lists: [...] → [...]
Tuples: (...) → (...)
Sets: {...} → {...}
Dictionaries: {key: value} → {key: transformed_value}

Note: For strings, transformations apply to individual characters and the result is joined back into a string. For dictionaries, transformations apply to values while preserving keys.

Pattern Extraction (`extract`)

The extract() method identifies and extracts specific patterns or information types:

sym_contact = Symbol("""
Contact Information:
Email: john.doe@email.com
Phone: +1-555-0123
Address: 123 Main St, City
""")
extracted = sym_contact.extract("contact details")
# => "Email: john.doe@email.com | Phone: +1-555-0123 | Address: 123 Main St, City"

# Extract specific patterns like dates
sym_text = Symbol("""
Project deadline: 2024-03-15
Budget allocated: $50,000
Team size: 8 people
Status: In Progress
""")
extracted_dates = sym_text.extract("dates and deadlines")
# => "2024-03-15"

Code Correction (`correct`)

The correct() method automatically fixes code errors based on exceptions:

# Fix syntax errors
sym_code = Symbol("""
def calculate_sum(a b):
    return a + b
""")
corrected = sym_code.correct("Fix the code", exception=SyntaxError)
# => "def calculate_sum(a, b):\n    return a + b"

# Fix type errors
sym_type_error = Symbol("""
def process_data(items):
    return items.sort()
result = process_data([3, 1, 2])
print(result + 1) # TypeError: NoneType + int
""")
corrected_type = sym_type_error.correct("Fix the code", exception=TypeError)
# => Uses sorted() instead of sort() to return the sorted list

Language Translation (`translate`)

The translate() method converts content between languages with optional formality control:

sym_english = Symbol("Hello, how are you today?")
translated = sym_english.translate("Spanish")
# => "Hola, ¿cómo estás hoy?"

# Formal translation
sym_informal = Symbol("Hey there! What's up?")
translated_formal = sym_informal.translate("French", formal=True)
# => "Salut ! Quoi de neuf ?" (Note: maintains appropriate formality)

Multi-Choice Classification (`choice`)

The choice() method classifies content into predefined categories:

sym_weather = Symbol("Temperature: 85°F, Humidity: 70%, Conditions: Sunny")
cases = ["hot and humid", "mild", "cold and dry"]
weather_choice = sym_weather.choice(cases=cases, default="mild")
# => "hot and humid"

# Sentiment analysis
sym_sentiment = Symbol("This product exceeded all my expectations! Absolutely wonderful!")
sentiment_cases = ["positive", "neutral", "negative"]
sentiment_choice = sym_sentiment.choice(cases=sentiment_cases, default="neutral")
# => "positive"

Format Conversion (`convert`)

The convert() method transforms data between different formats:

sym_json = Symbol('{"name": "John", "age": 30, "city": "New York"}')

yaml_converted = sym_json.convert("YAML")
# => "name: John\nage: 30\ncity: New York"

xml_converted = sym_json.convert("XML")
# => "<data>\n  <name>John</name>\n  <age>30</age>\n  <city>New York</city>\n</data>"

# Convert CSV to HTML table
sym_csv = Symbol("Name,Age,Department\nAlice,28,Engineering\nBob,35,Marketing")
table_converted = sym_csv.convert("HTML table")
# => Complete HTML table with thead and tbody

Content Transcription (`transcribe`)

The transcribe() method modifies content style, tone, and formality:

sym_informal = Symbol("Hey there! How's it going? Hope you're doing well!")
formal_transcribed = sym_informal.transcribe("make it formal and professional")
# => "I hope this message finds you well."

sym_technical = Symbol("The system crashed because of insufficient memory allocation.")
simple_transcribed = sym_technical.transcribe("explain in simple terms for non-technical audience")
# => "The system stopped working because it didn't have enough digital space to run properly."

15. Execution Control and Code Operations

Code Analysis (`analyze`)

The analyze() method provides insights into code issues and exceptions:

sym_code = Symbol("print('Hello World')")
try:
    raise ValueError("Sample error for testing")
except Exception as e:
    analyzed = sym_code.analyze(exception=e, query="What went wrong?")
# => Detailed analysis of the error context

Code Execution (`execute`, `fexecute`)

Execute Python code and return comprehensive results:

sym_code = Symbol("""
def run():
    return 2 + 3
res = run()
""")
executed = sym_code.execute()
# => {'globals': {...}, 'locals': {...}, 'locals_res': 5}

# Fallback execution
fexecuted = sym_code.fexecute()
# => Similar execution with fault tolerance

Code Simulation (`simulate`)

The simulate() method provides step-by-step execution traces:

sym_algorithm = Symbol("x = 5; y = 10; result = x + y")
simulated = sym_algorithm.simulate()
# => "Step 4: Set result = 15"

# Complex algorithm simulation
sym_fibonacci = Symbol("def fibonacci(n): return n if n <= 1 else fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2)")
algorithm_sim = sym_fibonacci.simulate()
# => Detailed pseudocode execution trace

Information Sufficiency (`sufficient`)

Check if provided information is adequate for specific purposes:

sym_info = Symbol("Product Name: UltraBook Pro\nPrice: $1299\nRAM: 16GB")
sufficient_check = sym_info.sufficient("Is this enough information to make a purchase decision?")
# => False (missing key details)

List Processing (`list`, `foreach`)

Extract and process lists based on criteria:

sym_employees = Symbol("""
Bob - Manager - $85000
Carol - Designer - $65000
David - Engineer - $72000
""")

engineers_list = sym_employees.list("employees who are engineers")
# => ['David']

# Apply operations to each item
sym_numbers = Symbol([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
squared_numbers = sym_numbers.foreach("each number", "square the number")
# => ['1', '4', '9', '16', '25']

Fault-Tolerant Execution (`ftry`)

Execute operations with retry logic and error handling:

sym_test = Symbol("test data")
# Automatically retries failed operations
ftry_result = sym_test.ftry(expression, retries=2)
# => Successful execution after potential retries

16. Dictionary Handling Operations

Dictionary Creation (`dict`)

Convert various data types into structured dictionaries:

sym_text = Symbol("I have apples, oranges, and bananas in my kitchen.")
dict_result = sym_text.dict("categorize fruits")
# => {'fruits': ['apples', 'oranges', 'bananas'], 'description': ['I have', 'in my kitchen.']}

sym_shopping = Symbol("milk, bread, eggs, apples, cheese, chicken, broccoli, rice")
food_dict = sym_shopping.dict("organize by food categories")
# => {'dairy': ['milk', 'cheese'], 'produce': ['apples', 'broccoli'], ...}

17. Template and Styling Operations

Template Substitution (`template`)

Replace placeholders in templates with Symbol values:

sym_name = Symbol("Alice")
template_str = "Hello {{placeholder}}, welcome to our service!"
templated_result = sym_name.template(template_str)
# => "Hello Alice, welcome to our service!"

# Custom placeholder
sym_product = Symbol("Premium Headphones")
custom_template = "Product: ***ITEM*** - Now available!"
custom_templated = sym_product.template(custom_template, placeholder="***ITEM***")
# => "Product: Premium Headphones - Now available!"

Content Styling (`style`)

Apply formatting and styling to content:

sym_content = Symbol("This is basic text that needs styling.")
styled_result = sym_content.style("Make this text bold and italic")
# => "***This is basic text that needs styling.***"

sym_code = Symbol("print('Hello World')")
styled_code = sym_code.style("Format as Python code with syntax highlighting", libraries=["python"])
# => "```python\nprint('Hello World')\n```"

18. Data Clustering Operations

Semantic Clustering (`cluster`)

Group similar items based on semantic similarity:

sym_fruits = Symbol(["apple", "banana", "cherry", "orange", "grape"])
clustered_result = sym_fruits.cluster(metric='cosine', min_cluster_size=2)
# => Groups semantically similar items together

sym_sentences = Symbol([
    "The weather is sunny today.",
    "It's raining heavily outside.",
    "Beautiful sunny weather today."
])
sentence_clusters = sym_sentences.cluster(min_cluster_size=2)
# => Groups similar sentiment/topic sentences

Under the hood, the cluster method uses sklearn's HDBSCAN algorithm. You can pass as kwargs any parameter that is accepted by the HDBSCAN class, such as min_samples, min_cluster_size, metric, etc.

19. Embedding and Similarity Operations

Embedding Generation (`embed`, `embedding`)

Create vector embeddings for semantic operations:

sym_text = Symbol("hello world")
embedded_result = sym_text.embed()
# => Embedding vectors with shape information

# Access embedding property
embedding_value = sym_text.embedding
# => NumPy array of embeddings

Similarity and Distance Calculations

Calculate semantic similarity and distance between symbols:

sym1 = Symbol("hello world")
sym2 = Symbol("hi there")

similarity_result = sym1.similarity(sym2, metric='cosine')
distance_result = sym1.distance(sym2, kernel='gaussian')

Embedding Packaging (`zip`)

Format embeddings for storage and retrieval:

sym_text = Symbol("hello world")
zip_result = sym_text.zip()
# => [(id, embedding_list, query_dict), ...]

20. Input/Output Handling Operations

File Operations (`open`)

Read file contents into Symbol values:

# Open file with path parameter
sym_empty = Symbol()
opened_result = sym_empty.open("/path/to/file.txt")
# => Symbol containing file contents

# Open file with path as Symbol value
sym_path = Symbol("/path/to/file.txt")
opened_from_value = sym_path.open()
# => Symbol containing file contents

User Input (`input`)

Handle interactive user input (requires user interaction):

sym = Symbol()
user_input = sym.input() # Prompts for user input

21. Persistence Operations

Saving Symbols (`save`)

Persist Symbol data to files with various options:

sym_test = Symbol("Hello, persistence test!")

# Save as pickle (serialized)
sym_test.save("/path/to/file.pkl", serialize=True)

# Save as text
sym_test.save("/path/to/file.txt", serialize=False)

# Control file replacement
sym_test.save("/path/to/file.txt", replace=False) # Creates new file with suffix
sym_test.save("/path/to/file.txt", replace=True)  # Overwrites existing file

Loading Symbols (`load`)

Load previously saved Symbol data:

loader_sym = Symbol()
loaded_sym = loader_sym.load("/path/to/file.pkl")
# => Restored Symbol with original data

Dynamic Function Expansion (`expand`)

Generate and attach new functions based on descriptions:

sym_task = Symbol("Calculate the fibonacci sequence up to 10 numbers")
func_name = sym_task.expand()
# => Generated function name, function attached as Symbol attribute

22. Output Processing Operations

Output Handling (`output`)

Process and format Symbol output with custom handlers:

sym_test = Symbol("Hello, output test!")

# Basic output processing
result = sym_test.output()
# => Structured output with processed information

# Custom handler function
def custom_handler(input_dict):
   # Process the input dictionary
    pass

result_with_handler = sym_test.output(handler=custom_handler)
# => Output processed through custom handler

# With additional arguments
result_with_args = sym_test.output("arg1", "arg2", custom_param="value")
# => Output including method arguments and parameters

PreviousContracts NextOperations

Last updated 23 hours ago

Supported Primitives - SymbolicAI

1. Syntactic vs. Semantic Symbols

How to switch to the semantic view

2. Inversion and Negation

Inversion (~)

Negation (-)

3. Comparison Operations

Equality (==) and Inequality (!=)

Semantic Equality - Conceptual Equivalence

Semantic Inequality (!=)

Advanced Contextual Equality - Custom Context Comparison

4. Membership Operations

The in Operator - Semantic Containment

Semantic Membership - Conceptual Containment

Enhanced Semantic Containment - Multi-Type Support

5. Ordering and Comparison Operations

Greater Than (>) and Less Than (<) and Greater or Equal (>=) and Less or Equal (<=)

6. Shift Operations - Semantic Inclusion

Left Shift (<<) and Right Shift (>>)

Semantic Inclusion Operations

Practical Use Cases

7. Bitwise and Logical Operations

Bitwise AND (&) - Intersection and Logical Conjunction

Bitwise OR (|) - Union and Logical Disjunction

Bitwise XOR (^) - Exclusive OR

8. Arithmetic Operations

Addition (+) and Subtraction (-)

String Manipulation (@, /)

9. Indexing and Slicing Operations

Getting Items (symbol[key])

Setting Items (symbol[key] = value)

Deleting Items (del symbol[key])

10. Type Checking Operations

Semantic Type Validation (isinstanceof)

11. Basic Symbolic Manipulations

Conditional Logic Processing

System Solving and Constraints

12. Data Processing and Manipulation Operations

Text Cleaning and Normalization (clean)

Content Summarization (summarize)

Content Outlining (outline)

Content Filtering (filter)

Content Modification (modify)

Text Replacement (replace)

Content Removal (remove)

Content Addition (include, combine)

13. Pattern Matching and Intelligence Operations

Content Ranking (rank)

Pattern Extraction (extract)

Code Correction (correct)

Language Translation (translate)

Multi-Choice Classification (choice)

12. Data Processing and Manipulation Operations

Text Cleaning and Normalization (clean)

Content Summarization (summarize)

Content Outlining (outline)

Content Filtering (filter)

Content Modification (modify)

Text Replacement (replace)

Content Removal (remove)

Content Addition (include, combine)

Semantic Mapping (map)

Pattern Extraction (extract)

Code Correction (correct)

Language Translation (translate)

Multi-Choice Classification (choice)

Format Conversion (convert)

Content Transcription (transcribe)

15. Execution Control and Code Operations

Code Analysis (analyze)

Code Execution (execute, fexecute)

Code Simulation (simulate)

Information Sufficiency (sufficient)

List Processing (list, foreach)

Fault-Tolerant Execution (ftry)

16. Dictionary Handling Operations

Dictionary Creation (dict)

17. Template and Styling Operations

Template Substitution (template)

Content Styling (style)

Inversion (`~`)

Negation (`-`)

Equality (`==`) and Inequality (`!=`)

Semantic Inequality (`!=`)

The `in` Operator - Semantic Containment

Greater Than (`>`) and Less Than (`<`) and Greater or Equal (`>=`) and Less or Equal (`<=`)

Left Shift (`<<`) and Right Shift (`>>`)

Bitwise AND (`&`) - Intersection and Logical Conjunction

Bitwise OR (`|`) - Union and Logical Disjunction

Bitwise XOR (`^`) - Exclusive OR

Addition (`+`) and Subtraction (`-`)

String Manipulation (`@`, `/`)

Getting Items (`symbol[key]`)

Setting Items (`symbol[key] = value`)

Deleting Items (`del symbol[key]`)

Semantic Type Validation (`isinstanceof`)

Text Cleaning and Normalization (`clean`)

Content Summarization (`summarize`)

Content Outlining (`outline`)

Content Filtering (`filter`)

Content Modification (`modify`)

Text Replacement (`replace`)

Content Removal (`remove`)

Content Addition (`include`, `combine`)

Content Ranking (`rank`)

Pattern Extraction (`extract`)

Code Correction (`correct`)

Language Translation (`translate`)

Multi-Choice Classification (`choice`)

Text Cleaning and Normalization (`clean`)

Content Summarization (`summarize`)

Content Outlining (`outline`)

Content Filtering (`filter`)

Content Modification (`modify`)

Text Replacement (`replace`)

Content Removal (`remove`)

Content Addition (`include`, `combine`)

Semantic Mapping (`map`)

Pattern Extraction (`extract`)

Code Correction (`correct`)

Language Translation (`translate`)

Multi-Choice Classification (`choice`)

Format Conversion (`convert`)

Content Transcription (`transcribe`)

Code Analysis (`analyze`)

Code Execution (`execute`, `fexecute`)

Code Simulation (`simulate`)

Information Sufficiency (`sufficient`)

List Processing (`list`, `foreach`)

Fault-Tolerant Execution (`ftry`)

Dictionary Creation (`dict`)

Template Substitution (`template`)

Content Styling (`style`)

Semantic Clustering (`cluster`)

Embedding Generation (`embed`, `embedding`)

Embedding Packaging (`zip`)

File Operations (`open`)

User Input (`input`)

Saving Symbols (`save`)

Loading Symbols (`load`)

Dynamic Function Expansion (`expand`)

Output Handling (`output`)