AI-129: Add support for default values when specifying environment variables in config files

config.yaml

@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ log:
 
 shared_config:
   - broker_config: &broker_connection
-      broker_connection_share: ${SOLACE_BROKER_URL}
       broker_type: solace
       broker_url: ${SOLACE_BROKER_URL}
       broker_username: ${SOLACE_BROKER_USERNAME}

docs/advanced_component_features.md

@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+# Advanced Component Features
+
+This document describes advanced features available to custom components in the Solace AI Connector.
+
+## Table of Contents
+- [Broker Request-Response](#broker-request-response)
+- [Cache Manager](#cache-manager)
+- [Timer Features](#timer-features)
+
+## Broker Request-Response
+
+Components can perform a request and get a response from the broker using the `do_broker_request_response` method. This method supports both simple request-response and streamed responses. To use this feature, the component's configuration must include a `broker_request_response` section. For details on how to configure this section, refer to the [Broker Request-Response Configuration](configuration.md#broker-request-response-configuration) in the configuration documentation.
+
+This feature would be used in the invoke method of a custom component. When the `do_broker_request_response` method is called, the component will send a message to the broker and then block until a response (or a series of streamed chunks) is received. This makes it very easy to call services that are available via the broker.
+
+### Usage
+
+```python
+response = self.do_broker_request_response(message, stream=False)
+```
+
+For streamed responses:
+
+```python
+for chunk, is_last in self.do_broker_request_response(message, stream=True, streaming_complete_expression="input.payload:streaming.last_message"):
+    # Process each chunk
+    if is_last:
+        break
+```
+
+### Parameters
+
+- `message`: The message to send to the broker. This must have a topic and payload.
+- `stream` (optional): Boolean indicating whether to expect a streamed response. Default is False.
+- `streaming_complete_expression` (optional): An expression to evaluate on each response chunk to determine if it's the last one. This is required when `stream=True`.
+
+### Return Value
+
+- For non-streamed responses: Returns the response message.
+- For streamed responses: Returns a generator that yields tuples of (chunk, is_last). Each chunk is a fully formed message with the format of the response. `is_last` is a boolean indicating if the chunk is the last one.
+
+## Memory Cache
+
+The cache service provides a flexible way to store and retrieve data with optional expiration. It supports different storage backends and offers features like automatic expiry checks.
+
+### Features
+
+1. Multiple storage backends:
+   - In-memory storage
+   - SQLAlchemy-based storage (for persistent storage)
+
+2. Key-value storage with metadata and expiry support
+3. Automatic expiry checks in a background thread
+4. Thread-safe operations
+
+### Usage
+
+Components can access the cache service through `self.cache_service`. Here are some common operations:
+
+```python
+# Set a value with expiry
+self.cache_service.set("key", "value", expiry=300)  # Expires in 300 seconds
+
+# Get a value
+value = self.cache_service.get("key")
+
+# Delete a value
+self.cache_service.delete("key")
+
+# Get all values (including metadata and expiry)
+all_data = self.cache_service.get_all()
+```
+
+### Configuration
+
+The cache service can be configured in the main configuration file:
+
+```yaml
+cache:
+  backend: "memory"  # or "sqlalchemy"
+  connection_string: "sqlite:///cache.db"  # for SQLAlchemy backend
+```
+
+## Timer Features
+
+The timer manager allows components to schedule one-time or recurring timer events. This is useful for implementing delayed actions, periodic tasks, or timeouts.
+
+### Features
+
+1. One-time and recurring timers
+2. Customizable timer IDs for easy management
+3. Optional payloads for timer events
+
+### Usage
+
+Components can access the timer manager through `self.timer_manager`. Here are some common operations:
+
+```python
+# Add a one-time timer
+self.add_timer(delay_ms=5000, timer_id="my_timer", payload={"key": "value"})
+
+# Add a recurring timer
+self.add_timer(delay_ms=5000, timer_id="recurring_timer", interval_ms=10000, payload={"type": "recurring"})
+
+# Cancel a timer
+self.cancel_timer(timer_id="my_timer")
+```
+
+### Handling Timer Events
+
+To handle timer events, components should implement the `handle_timer_event` method:
+
+```python
+def handle_timer_event(self, timer_data):
+    timer_id = timer_data["timer_id"]
+    payload = timer_data["payload"]
+    # Process the timer event
+```
+
+Timer events are automatically dispatched to the appropriate component by the timer manager.

docs/configuration.md

@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ Each component configuration is a dictionary with the following keys:
 - `input_selection`: <dictionary> - A `source_expression` or `source_value` to use as the input to the component. Check [Expression Syntax](#expression-syntax) for more details. [Optional: If not specified, the complete previous component output will be used]
 - `queue_depth`: <int> - The depth of the input queue for the component.
 - `num_instances`: <int> - The number of instances of the component to run (Starts multiple threads to process messages)
-
+- `broker_request_response`: <dictionary> - Configuration for the broker request-response functionality. [Optional]
 
 ### component_module
 
@@ -359,6 +359,37 @@ The `queue_depth` is an integer that specifies the depth of the input queue for
 
 The `num_instances` is an integer that specifies the number of instances of the component to run. This is the number of threads that will be started to process messages from the input queue. By default, the number of instances is 1.
 
+### Broker Request-Response Configuration
+
+The `broker_request_response` configuration allows components to perform request-response operations with a broker. It has the following structure:
+
+```yaml
+broker_request_response:
+  enabled: <boolean>
+  broker_config:
+    broker_type: <string>
+    broker_url: <string>
+    broker_username: <string>
+    broker_password: <string>
+    broker_vpn: <string>
+    payload_encoding: <string>
+    payload_format: <string>
+  request_expiry_ms: <int>
+```
+
+- `enabled`: Set to `true` to enable broker request-response functionality for the component.
+- `broker_config`: Configuration for the broker connection.
+  - `broker_type`: Type of the broker (e.g., "solace").
+  - `broker_url`: URL of the broker.
+  - `broker_username`: Username for broker authentication.
+  - `broker_password`: Password for broker authentication.
+  - `broker_vpn`: VPN name for the broker connection.
+  - `payload_encoding`: Encoding for the payload (e.g., "utf-8", "base64").
+  - `payload_format`: Format of the payload (e.g., "json", "text").
+- `request_expiry_ms`: Expiry time for requests in milliseconds.
+
+For more details on using this functionality, see the [Advanced Component Features](advanced_component_features.md#broker-request-response) documentation.
+
 ### Built-in components
 
 The AI Event Connector comes with a number of built-in components that can be used to process messages. For a list of all built-in components, see the [Components](components/index.md) documentation.

docs/custom_components.md

@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+# Custom Components
+
+## Purpose
+
+Custom components provide a way to extend the functionality of the Solace AI Connector beyond what's possible with the built-in components and configuration options. Sometimes, it's easier and more efficient to add custom code than to build a complex configuration file, especially for specialized or unique processing requirements.
+
+## Requirements of a Custom Component
+
+To create a custom component, you need to follow these requirements:
+
+1. **Inherit from ComponentBase**: Your custom component class should inherit from the `ComponentBase` class.
+
+2. **Info Section**: Define an `info` dictionary with the following keys:
+   - `class_name`: The name of your custom component class.
+   - `config_parameters`: A list of dictionaries describing the configuration parameters for your component.
+   - `input_schema`: A dictionary describing the expected input schema.
+   - `output_schema`: A dictionary describing the expected output schema.
+
+3. **Implement the `invoke` method**: This is the main method where your component's logic will be implemented.
+
+Here's a basic template for a custom component:
+
+```python
+from solace_ai_connector.components.component_base import ComponentBase
+
+info = {
+    "class_name": "MyCustomComponent",
+    "config_parameters": [
+        {
+            "name": "my_param",
+            "type": "string",
+            "required": True,
+            "description": "A custom parameter"
+        }
+    ],
+    "input_schema": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "input_data": {"type": "string"}
+        }
+    },
+    "output_schema": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "output_data": {"type": "string"}
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+class MyCustomComponent(ComponentBase):
+    def __init__(self, **kwargs):
+        super().__init__(info, **kwargs)
+        self.my_param = self.get_config("my_param")
+
+    def invoke(self, message, data):
+        # Your custom logic here
+        result = f"{self.my_param}: {data['input_data']}"
+        return {"output_data": result}
+```
+
+## Overrideable Methods
+
+While the `invoke` method is the main one you'll implement, there are several other methods you can override to customize your component's behavior:
+
+1. `invoke(self, message, data)`: The main processing method for your component.
+2. `get_next_event(self)`: Customize how your component receives events.
+3. `send_message(self, message)`: Customize how your component sends messages to the next component.
+4. `handle_timer_event(self, timer_data)`: Handle timer events if your component uses timers.
+5. `handle_cache_expiry_event(self, timer_data)`: Handle cache expiry events if your component uses the cache service.
+6. `process_pre_invoke(self, message)`: Customize preprocessing before `invoke` is called.
+7. `process_post_invoke(self, result, message)`: Customize postprocessing after `invoke` is called.
+
+## Advanced Features
+
+Custom components can take advantage of advanced features provided by the Solace AI Connector. These include:
+
+- Broker request-response functionality
+- Cache services
+- Timer management
+
+For more information on these advanced features and how to use them in your custom components, please refer to the [Advanced Component Features](advanced_component_features.md) documentation.
+
+By creating custom components, you can extend the Solace AI Connector to meet your specific needs while still benefiting from the framework's built-in capabilities for event processing, flow management, and integration with Solace event brokers.
+
+## Example
+
+See the [Tips and Tricks page](tips_and_tricks.md) for an example of creating a custom component.
+
+
+[]

docs/getting_started.md

@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ area in the Subscriber side of the "Try me!" page.
 Download the OpenAI connector example configuration file:
 
 ```sh
-curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SolaceLabs/solace-ai-connector/main/examples/llm/openai_chat.yaml > openai_chat.yaml
+curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SolaceLabs/solace-ai-connector/refs/heads/main/examples/llm/langchain_openai_with_history_chat.yaml > langchain_openai_with_history_chat.yaml
 ```
 
 For this one, you need to also define the following additional environment variables:
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ pip install langchain_openai openai
 Run the connector:
 
 ```sh
-solace-ai-connector openai_chat.yaml
+solace-ai-connector langchain_openai_with_history_chat.yaml
 ```
 
 Use the "Try Me!" function on the broker's browser UI (or some other means) to publish an event like this: