DDD source formats¶
Dialogue Domain Descriptions (DDDs) provide the ontology and domain rules consumed by TDM/DME, together with service-operation declarations used by plans. This reference is based on Tala 31.0.1 (tag 31.0.1). The XML/JSON schemas, compiler, model code, and tests in that tag are the source of truth.
Components¶
| Component | XML source | Purpose | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | domain.xml | Goals, plans, conditions, questions, queries, and DDD dependencies | Domain overview · Declaration index · Plan-item index |
| Ontology | ontology.xml | Sorts, predicates, individuals, and actions | Ontology overview |
| Service interface | service_interface.xml | Service actions, queries, validators, parameters, and targets | Service Interface overview |
The XML components have separate roots and schemas. Tala 31.0.1 includes XSDs for domain.xml, ontology.xml, and service_interface.xml in tala/ddd/schemas/.
XML loading¶
Tala validates and compiles the XML DDD components into model objects. Domain logic names ontology concepts, and service plan items name operations declared by the service interface. Therefore, editing one component often requires checking its references in the other components as well.
An XSD-valid document is only structurally valid. The XML compiler applies additional semantic checks; an XSD-valid document alone does not establish that a bundle loads or behaves as intended.
DDD JSON¶
Tala 31.0.1 also supports a JSON definition format. It uses the same component roots—domain, ontology, and service_interface—and may be stored as a bundle or in separate files. Tala's JSON compiler translates these components into the XML compiler path. See DDD JSON for structure, schema status, and examples.
DDD JSON is definition syntax. The JSON:API model representation used for compiled/runtime interchange is a different, internal serialization format.