/**
* Returns the response to a non-internal input, using a Responder.
*
* @param input the "non-internal" (possibly multi-sentence, non-substituted) input
* @param userid the userid for whom the response will be generated
* @param botid the botid from which to get the response
* @param responder the Responder who cares about this response
*/
public static synchronized String getResponse(
String input, String userid, String botid, Responder responder) {
// Get the specified bot object.
Bot bot = Bots.getBot(botid);
// Split sentences (after performing substitutions and responder pre-processing).
ArrayList sentenceList =
bot.sentenceSplit(bot.applyInputSubstitutions(responder.preprocess(input, HOST_NAME)));
// Get an iterator on the replies.
Iterator replies = getReplies(sentenceList, userid, botid).iterator();
// Start by assuming an empty response.
String response = EMPTY_STRING;
// Get an iterator over the input sentences.
Iterator sentences = sentenceList.iterator();
// For each input sentence...
while (sentences.hasNext()) {
// ...ask the responder to append the reply to the response, and accumulate the result.
response = responder.append((String) sentences.next(), (String) replies.next(), response);
}
// Log the response.
responder.log(input, response, HOST_NAME, userid, botid);
// Finally, ask the responder to postprocess the response, and return the result.
response = responder.postprocess(response);
// Return the response (may be just EMPTY_STRING!)
return response;
}
