Tag: API

  • Intelligent Order Monitoring Langchain LLM tools

    Building Intelligent Order Monitoring: A LangChain Agent for Checks
    In today’s fast-paced e-commerce landscape, staying on top of new orders is crucial for efficient operations and timely fulfillment. While traditional monitoring systems often rely on static dashboards and manual checks, the power of Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic frameworks like LangChain offers a more intelligent and dynamic approach. This article explores how to build a LangChain agent capable of autonomously checking a database for new orders, providing a foundation for proactive notifications and streamlined workflows.
    The Need for Intelligent Order Monitoring
    Manually sifting through database entries or relying solely on periodic reports can be inefficient and prone to delays. An intelligent agent can proactively query the database based on natural language instructions, providing real-time insights and paving the way for automated responses.
    Introducing LangChain: The Agentic Framework
    LangChain is a powerful framework for developing applications powered by LLMs. Its modularity allows developers to combine LLMs with various tools and build sophisticated agents capable of reasoning and taking actions. In the context of order monitoring, LangChain can orchestrate the process of understanding a user’s request, querying the database, and presenting the results in a human-readable format.
    Building the Order Checking Agent: A Step-by-Step Guide
    Let’s delve into the components required to construct a LangChain agent for checking a database for new orders. We’ll use and LangChain, focusing on the core concepts.

    1. Initializing the Language Model:
      The heart of our agent is an , responsible for understanding the user’s intent and formulating database queries. LangChain seamlessly integrates with various LLM providers, such as OpenAI.
      from langchain.llms import OpenAI
      import os

    Set your OpenAI key

    os.environ[“OPENAI_API_KEY”] = “YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY”

    Initialize the LLM

    llm = OpenAI(model_name=”gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct”, temperature=0.2)

    We choose a model like gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct and set a lower temperature for more focused and factual responses suitable for data retrieval.

    1. Defining the Database Interaction Tool:
      To interact with the database, the agent needs a tool. LangChain offers integrations with various database types. For illustrative purposes, we’ll use a Python function that simulates querying a database. In a real-world scenario, you would leverage LangChain’s specific database tools (e.g., SQLDatabaseTool for SQL databases).
      import json
      from datetime import datetime, timedelta

    def query_database(query: str) -> str:
    “””Simulates querying a database for new orders.”””
    print(f”\n— Simulating Database Query: {query} —“)
    # In a real application, this would connect to your database.
    # Returning mock data for this example.
    now = datetime.now()
    mock_orders = [
    {“order_id”: “ORD-20250420-001”, “customer”: “Alice Smith”, “created_at”: now.isoformat(), “status”: “pending”},
    {“order_id”: “ORD-20250419-002”, “customer”: “Bob Johnson”, “created_at”: now.isoformat(), “status”: “completed”},
    ]
    if “new orders” in query.lower() or “today” in query.lower():
    new_orders = [order for order in mock_orders if datetime.fromisoformat(order[“created_at”]).date() == now.date()]
    return json.dumps(new_orders)
    else:
    return “No specific criteria found in the query.”

    from langchain.agents import Tool

    database_tool = Tool(
    name=”check_new_orders_db”,
    func=query_database,
    description=”Use this tool to query the database for new orders. Input should be a natural language query describing the orders you want to find (e.g., ‘new orders today’).”,
    )

    This query_database function simulates retrieving new orders placed on the current date (April 20, 2025, based on the provided context). The Tool wrapper makes this function accessible to the LangChain agent.

    1. Crafting the Agent’s Prompt:
      The prompt guides the agent on how to use the available tools. We need to instruct it to understand the user’s request and utilize the check_new_orders_db tool appropriately.
      from langchain.prompts import PromptTemplate

    prompt_template = PromptTemplate(
    input_variables=[“input”, “agent_scratchpad”],
    template=”””You are an agent responsible for checking a database for order information.

    When the user asks to check for new orders, you should:

    1. Formulate a natural language query that accurately reflects the user’s request (e.g., “new orders today”).
    2. Use the ‘check_new_orders_db’ tool with this query to retrieve the relevant order data.
    3. Present the retrieved order information to the user in a clear and concise manner.

    Use the following format:

    Input: the input to the agent
    Thought: you should always think what to do
    Action: the action to take, should be one of [{tool_names}]
    Action Input: the input to the tool
    Observation: the result of the action
    … (this Thought/Action/Observation can repeat N times)
    Thought: I am now ready to give the final answer
    Final Answer: the final answer to the input

    User Query: {input}

    {agent_scratchpad}”””,
    )

    This prompt instructs the agent to translate the user’s request into a query for the database_tool and then present the findings.

    1. Initializing the Agent:
      Finally, we initialize the LangChain agent, providing it with the LLM, the available tools, and the prompt. We’ll use the zero-shot-react-description agent type, which relies on the tool descriptions to determine which tool to use.
      from langchain.agents import initialize_agent

    agent = initialize_agent(
    llm=llm,
    tools=[database_tool],
    agent=”zero-shot-react-description”,
    prompt=prompt_template,
    verbose=True, # Set to True to see the agent’s thought process
    )

    Setting verbose=True allows us to observe the agent’s internal reasoning steps.

    1. Example Usage:
      Now, we can test our agent with a user query:
      if name == “main“:
      result = agent.run(input=”Check for new orders.”)
      print(f”\nAgent Result: {result}”)

    When executed, the agent will process the input, realize it needs to query the database, use the check_new_orders_db tool with a relevant query (“new orders today” based on the current time), and then present the retrieved order information.
    Moving Towards a Real-World Application:
    To transition this example to a production environment, several key steps are necessary:

    • Integrate with a Real Database: Replace the query_database function with LangChain’s appropriate database integration tool (e.g., SQLDatabaseTool), providing the necessary connection details.
    • Refine the Prompt: Enhance the prompt to handle more complex queries and instructions.
    • Add Error Handling: Implement robust error handling for database interactions and LLM calls.
    • Integrate with Notification Systems: Extend the agent to not only check for new orders but also trigger notifications using a separate tool (as demonstrated in the previous example).
    • Consider Security: When connecting to real databases, ensure proper security measures are in place to protect sensitive information.
      Conclusion:
      Leveraging LangChain, we can build intelligent agents capable of interacting with databases in a natural language-driven manner. This example demonstrates the fundamental steps involved in creating an agent to check for new orders. By integrating with real-world databases and notification systems, this approach can significantly enhance order monitoring processes, enabling proactive responses and more efficient operations. As LLM capabilities continue to evolve, the potential for creating even more sophisticated and autonomous order management agents is immense.
  • Building a Hilariously Insightful Image Recognition Chatbot with Spring AI

    Building a Hilariously Insightful Image Recognition with Spring (and a Touch of Sass)
    While Spring AI’s current spotlight shines on language models, the underlying principles of integration and modularity allow us to construct fascinating applications that extend beyond text. In this article, we’ll embark on a whimsical journey to build an image recognition chatbot powered by a cloud vision and infused with a healthy dose of humor, courtesy of our very own witty “chat client.”
    Core Concepts Revisited:

    • Image Recognition API: The workhorse of our chatbot, a cloud-based service (like Google Cloud Vision AI, Rekognition, or Computer Vision) capable of analyzing images for object detection, classification, captioning, and more.
    • Spring Integration: We’ll leverage the Spring framework to manage components, handle API interactions, and serve our humorous chatbot.
    • Humorous Response Generation: A dedicated component that takes the raw analysis results and transforms them into witty, sarcastic, or otherwise amusing commentary.
      Setting Up Our Spring Boot Project:
      As before, let’s start with a new Spring Boot project. Include dependencies for web handling, file uploads (if needed), and the client library for your chosen cloud vision API. For this example, we’ll use the Google Cloud Vision API. Add the following to your pom.xml:
      org.springframework.boot spring-boot-starter-web org.springframework.boot spring-boot-starter-tomcat org.apache.tomcat.embed tomcat-embed-jasper org.springframework.boot spring-boot-starter-thymeleaf com.google.cloud google-cloud-vision 3.1.0 org.springframework.boot spring-boot-starter-test test

    Integrating with the Google Cloud Vision API:
    First, ensure you have a Google Cloud project set up with the Cloud Vision API enabled and have downloaded your service account key JSON file.
    Now, let’s create the ImageRecognitionClient to interact with the Google Cloud Vision API:
    package com.example.imagechatbot;

    import com.google.cloud.vision.v1.*;
    import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
    import org.springframework.core.io.Resource;
    import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;

    import javax.annotation.PostConstruct;
    import java.io.IOException;
    import java.nio.file.Files;
    import java.util.ArrayList;
    import java.util.List;

    @Service
    public class ImageRecognitionClient {

    private ImageAnnotatorClient visionClient;
    
    @Value("classpath:${gcp.vision.credentials.path}")
    private Resource credentialsResource;
    
    @PostConstruct
    public void initializeVisionClient() throws IOException {
        try {
            String credentialsJson = new String(Files.readAllBytes(credentialsResource.getFile().toPath()));
            visionClient = ImageAnnotatorClient.create(
                    ImageAnnotatorSettings.newBuilder()
                            .setCredentialsProvider(() -> com.google.auth.oauth2.ServiceAccountCredentials.fromStream(credentialsResource.getInputStream()))
                            .build()
            );
        } catch (IOException e) {
            System.error.println("Failed to initialize Vision API client: " + e.getMessage());
            throw e;
        }
    }
    
    public ImageAnalysisResult analyze(byte&lsqb;] imageBytes, List<Feature.Type> features) throws IOException {
        ByteString imgBytes = ByteString.copyFrom(imageBytes);
        Image image = Image.newBuilder().setContent(imgBytes).build();
        List<AnnotateImageRequest> requests = new ArrayList<>();
        List<Feature> featureList = features.stream().map(f -> Feature.newBuilder().setType(f).build()).toList();
        requests.add(AnnotateImageRequest.newBuilder().setImage(image).addAllFeatures(featureList).build());
    
        BatchAnnotateImagesResponse response = visionClient.batchAnnotateImages(requests);
        return processResponse(response);
    }
    
    public ImageAnalysisResult analyze(String imageUrl, List<Feature.Type> features) throws IOException {
        ImageSource imgSource = ImageSource.newBuilder().setImageUri(imageUrl).build();
        Image image = Image.newBuilder().setSource(imgSource).build();
        List<AnnotateImageRequest> requests = new ArrayList<>();
        List<Feature> featureList = features.stream().map(f -> Feature.newBuilder().setType(f).build()).toList();
        requests.add(AnnotateImageRequest.newBuilder().setImage(image).addAllFeatures(featureList).build());
    
        BatchAnnotateImagesResponse response = visionClient.batchAnnotateImages(requests);
        return processResponse(response);
    }
    
    private ImageAnalysisResult processResponse(BatchAnnotateImagesResponse response) {
        ImageAnalysisResult result = new ImageAnalysisResult();
        for (AnnotateImageResponse res : response.getResponsesList()) {
            if (res.hasError()) {
                System.err.println("Error: " + res.getError().getMessage());
                return result; // Return empty result in case of error
            }
    
            List<DetectedObject> detectedObjects = new ArrayList<>();
            for (ObjectLocalization detection : res.getObjectLocalizationAnnotationsList()) {
                detectedObjects.add(new DetectedObject(detection.getName(), detection.getScore()));
            }
            result.setObjectDetections(detectedObjects);
    
            if (res.hasTextAnnotations()) {
                result.setExtractedText(res.getTextAnnotationsList().get(0).getDescription());
            }
    
            if (res.hasImagePropertiesAnnotation()) {
                ColorInfo dominantColor = res.getImagePropertiesAnnotation().getDominantColors().getColorsList().get(0);
                result.setDominantColor(String.format("rgb(%d, %d, %d)",
                        (int) (dominantColor.getColor().getRed() * 255),
                        (int) (dominantColor.getColor().getGreen() * 255),
                        (int) (dominantColor.getColor().getBlue() * 255)));
            }
    
            if (res.hasCropHintsAnnotation() && !res.getCropHintsAnnotation().getCropHintsList().isEmpty()) {
                result.setCropHint(res.getCropHintsAnnotation().getCropHintsList().get(0).getBoundingPoly().getVerticesList().toString());
            }
    
            if (res.hasSafeSearchAnnotation()) {
                SafeSearchAnnotation safeSearch = res.getSafeSearchAnnotation();
                result.setSafeSearchVerdict(String.format("Adult: %s, Spoof: %s, Medical: %s, Violence: %s, Racy: %s",
                        safeSearch.getAdult().name(), safeSearch.getSpoof().name(), safeSearch.getMedical().name(),
                        safeSearch.getViolence().name(), safeSearch.getRacy().name()));
            }
    
            if (res.hasLabelAnnotations()) {
                List<String> labels = res.getLabelAnnotationsList().stream().map(LabelAnnotation::getDescription).toList();
                result.setLabels(labels);
            }
        }
        return result;
    }

    }

    package com.example.imagechatbot;

    import java.util.List;

    public class ImageAnalysisResult {
    private List objectDetections;
    private String extractedText;
    private String dominantColor;
    private String cropHint;
    private String safeSearchVerdict;
    private List labels;

    // Getters and setters
    
    public List<DetectedObject> getObjectDetections() { return objectDetections; }
    public void setObjectDetections(List<DetectedObject> objectDetections) { this.objectDetections = objectDetections; }
    public String getExtractedText() { return extractedText; }
    public void setExtractedText(String extractedText) { this.extractedText = extractedText; }
    public String getDominantColor() { return dominantColor; }
    public void setDominantColor(String dominantColor) { this.dominantColor = dominantColor; }
    public String getCropHint() { return cropHint; }
    public void setCropHint(String cropHint) { this.cropHint = cropHint; }
    public String getSafeSearchVerdict() { return safeSearchVerdict; }
    public void setSafeSearchVerdict(String safeSearchVerdict) { this.safeSearchVerdict = safeSearchVerdict; }
    public List<String> getLabels() { return labels; }
    public void setLabels(List<String> labels) { this.labels = labels; }

    }

    package com.example.imagechatbot;

    public class DetectedObject {
    private String name;
    private float confidence;

    public DetectedObject(String name, float confidence) {
        this.name = name;
        this.confidence = confidence;
    }
    
    // Getters
    public String getName() { return name; }
    public float getConfidence() { return confidence; }

    }

    Remember to configure the gcp.vision.credentials.path in your application.properties file to point to your Google Cloud service account key JSON file.
    Crafting the Humorous Chat Client:
    Now, let’s implement our HumorousResponseGenerator to add that much-needed comedic flair to the AI’s findings.
    package com.example.imagechatbot;

    import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;

    import java.util.List;

    @Service
    public class HumorousResponseGenerator {

    public String generateHumorousResponse(ImageAnalysisResult result) {
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
    
        if (result.getObjectDetections() != null && !result.getObjectDetections().isEmpty()) {
            sb.append("Alright, buckle up, folks! The AI, after intense digital contemplation, has spotted:\n");
            for (DetectedObject obj : result.getObjectDetections()) {
                sb.append("- A '").append(obj.getName()).append("' (with a ").append(String.format("%.2f", obj.getConfidence() * 100)).append("% certainty). So, you know, maybe.\n");
            }
        } else {
            sb.append("The AI peered into the digital abyss and found... nada. Either the image is a profound statement on the void, or it's just blurry.");
        }
    
        if (result.getExtractedText() != null) {
            sb.append("\nIt also managed to decipher some ancient runes: '").append(result.getExtractedText()).append("'. The wisdom of the ages, right there.");
        }
    
        if (result.getDominantColor() != null) {
            sb.append("\nThe artistic highlight? The dominant color is apparently ").append(result.getDominantColor()).append(". Groundbreaking stuff.");
        }
    
        if (result.getSafeSearchVerdict() != null) {
            sb.append("\nGood news, everyone! According to the AI's highly sensitive sensors: ").append(result.getSafeSearchVerdict()).append(". We're all safe (for now).");
        }
    
        if (result.getLabels() != null && !result.getLabels().isEmpty()) {
            sb.append("\nAnd finally, the AI's attempt at summarizing the essence of the image: '").append(String.join(", ", result.getLabels())).append("'. Deep, I tell you, deep.");
        }
    
        return sb.toString();
    }

    }

    Wiring it All Together in the Controller:
    Finally, let’s connect our ImageChatController to use both the ImageRecognitionClient and the HumorousResponseGenerator.
    package com.example.imagechatbot;

    import com.google.cloud.vision.v1.Feature;
    import org.springframework.stereotype.Controller;
    import org.springframework.ui.Model;
    import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
    import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PostMapping;
    import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestParam;
    import org.springframework.web.multipart.MultipartFile;

    import java.io.IOException;
    import java.util.List;

    @Controller
    public class ImageChatController {

    private final ImageRecognitionClient imageRecognitionClient;
    private final HumorousResponseGenerator humorousResponseGenerator;
    
    public ImageChatController(ImageRecognitionClient imageRecognitionClient, HumorousResponseGenerator humorousResponseGenerator) {
        this.imageRecognitionClient = imageRecognitionClient;
        this.humorousResponseGenerator = humorousResponseGenerator;
    }
    
    @GetMapping("/")
    public String showUploadForm() {
        return "uploadForm";
    }
    
    @PostMapping("/analyzeImage")
    public String analyzeUploadedImage(@RequestParam("imageFile") MultipartFile imageFile, Model model) throws IOException {
        if (!imageFile.isEmpty()) {
            byte&lsqb;] imageBytes = imageFile.getBytes();
            ImageAnalysisResult analysisResult = imageRecognitionClient.analyze(imageBytes, List.of(Feature.Type.OBJECT_LOCALIZATION, Feature.Type.TEXT_DETECTION, Feature.Type.IMAGE_PROPERTIES, Feature.Type.SAFE_SEARCH_DETECTION, Feature.Type.LABEL_DETECTION));
            String humorousResponse = humorousResponseGenerator.generateHumorousResponse(analysisResult);
            model.addAttribute("analysisResult", humorousResponse);
        } else {
            model.addAttribute("errorMessage", "Please upload an image.");
        }
        return "analysisResult";
    }
    
    @GetMapping("/analyzeImageUrlForm")
    public String showImageUrlForm() {
        return "imageUrlForm";
    }
    
    @PostMapping("/analyzeImageUrl")
    public String analyzeImageFromUrl(@RequestParam("imageUrl") String imageUrl, Model model) throws IOException {
        if (!imageUrl.isEmpty()) {
            ImageAnalysisResult analysisResult = imageRecognitionClient.analyze(imageUrl, List.of(Feature.Type.OBJECT_LOCALIZATION, Feature.Type.TEXT_DETECTION, Feature.Type.IMAGE_PROPERTIES, Feature.Type.SAFE_SEARCH_DETECTION, Feature.Type.LABEL_DETECTION));
            String humorousResponse = humorousResponseGenerator.generateHumorousResponse(analysisResult);
            model.addAttribute("analysisResult", humorousResponse);
        } else {
            model.addAttribute("errorMessage", "Please provide an image URL.");
        }
        return "analysisResult";
    }

    }

    Basic Thymeleaf Templates:
    Create the following Thymeleaf templates in your src/main/resources/templates directory:
    uploadForm.html:

    Upload Image

    Upload an Image for Hilarious Analysis

    Analyze!

    imageUrlForm.html:

    Analyze Image via URL

    Provide an Image URL for Witty Interpretation

    Image URL: Analyze!

    analysisResult.html:

    Analysis Result

    Image Analysis (with Commentary)

    Upload Another Image

    Analyze Image from URL

    Configuration:
    In your src/main/resources/application.properties, add the path to your Google Cloud service account key file:
    gcp.vision.credentials.path=path/to/your/serviceAccountKey.json

    Replace path/to/your/serviceAccountKey.json with the actual path to your credentials file.
    Conclusion:
    While Spring AI’s direct image processing capabilities might evolve, this example vividly demonstrates how you can leverage the framework’s robust features to build an image recognition chatbot with a humorous twist. By cleanly separating the concerns of API interaction (within ImageRecognitionClient) and witty response generation (HumorousResponseGenerator), we’ve crafted a modular and (hopefully) entertaining application. Remember to replace the Google Cloud Vision API integration with your preferred cloud provider’s SDK if needed. Now, go forth and build a chatbot that not only sees but also makes you chuckle!

  • Spring AI chatbot with RAG and FAQ

    Demonstrate the concepts of building a Spring with both general knowledge and an FAQ section into a single comprehensive article.
    Building a Powerful Spring AI Chatbot with RAG and FAQ
    Large Language Models (LLMs) offer incredible potential for building intelligent chatbots. However, to create truly useful and context-aware chatbots, especially for specific domains, we often need to ground their responses in relevant knowledge. This is where Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) comes into play. Furthermore, for common inquiries, a direct Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) mechanism can provide faster and more accurate answers. This article will guide you through building a Spring AI chatbot that leverages both RAG for general knowledge and a dedicated FAQ section.
    Core Concepts:

    • Large Language Models (LLMs): The AI brains behind the chatbot, capable of generating human-like text. Spring AI provides abstractions to interact with various providers.
    • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG): A process of augmenting the LLM’s knowledge by retrieving relevant documents from a knowledge base and including them in the prompt. This allows the chatbot to answer questions based on specific information.
    • Document Loading: The process of ingesting your knowledge base (e.g., PDFs, text files, web pages) into a format Spring AI can process.
    • Text Embedding: Converting text into numerical vector representations that capture its semantic meaning. This enables efficient similarity searching.
    • Vector Store: A optimized for storing and querying vector embeddings.
    • Retrieval: The process of searching the vector store for embeddings similar to the user’s query.
    • Prompt Engineering: Crafting effective prompts that guide the LLM to generate accurate and relevant responses, often including retrieved context.
    • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): A predefined set of common questions and their answers, allowing for direct retrieval for common inquiries.
      Setting Up Your Spring AI Project:
    • Create a Spring Boot Project: Start with a new Spring Boot project using Spring Initializr (https://start.spring.io/). Include the necessary Spring AI dependencies for your chosen LLM provider (e.g., spring-ai-openai, spring-ai-anthropic) and a vector store implementation (e.g., spring-ai-chromadb).
      org.springframework.ai spring-ai-openai runtime org.springframework.ai spring-ai-chromadb org.springframework.boot spring-boot-starter-web com.fasterxml.jackson.core jackson-databind org.springframework.boot spring-boot-starter-test test
    • Configure Keys and Vector Store: Configure your LLM provider’s API key and the settings for your chosen vector store in your application.properties or application.yml file.
      spring.ai.openai.api-key=YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY
      spring.ai.openai.embedding.options.model=text-embedding-3-small

    spring.ai.vectorstore.chroma.host=localhost
    spring.ai.vectorstore.chroma.port=8000

    Implementing RAG for General Knowledge:

    • Document Loading and Indexing Service: Create a service to load your knowledge base documents, embed their content, and store them in the vector store.
      @Service
      public class DocumentService { private final PdfLoader pdfLoader;
      private final EmbeddingClient embeddingClient;
      private final VectorStore vectorStore; public DocumentService(PdfLoader pdfLoader, EmbeddingClient embeddingClient, VectorStore vectorStore) {
      this.pdfLoader = pdfLoader;
      this.embeddingClient = embeddingClient;
      this.vectorStore = vectorStore;
      } @PostConstruct
      public void loadAndIndexDocuments() throws IOException {
      List documents = pdfLoader.load(new FileSystemResource(“path/to/your/documents.pdf”));
      List embeddings = embeddingClient.embed(documents.stream().map(Document::getContent).toList());
      vectorStore.add(embeddings, documents);
      System.out.println(“General knowledge documents loaded and indexed.”);
      }
      }
    • Chat Endpoint with RAG: Implement your chat endpoint to retrieve relevant documents based on the user’s query and include them in the prompt sent to the LLM.
      @RestController
      public class ChatController { private final ChatClient chatClient;
      private final VectorStore vectorStore;
      private final EmbeddingClient embeddingClient; public ChatController(ChatClient chatClient, VectorStore vectorStore, EmbeddingClient embeddingClient) {
      this.chatClient = chatClient;
      this.vectorStore = vectorStore;
      this.embeddingClient = embeddingClient;
      } @GetMapping(“/chat”)
      public String chat(@RequestParam(“message”) String message) {
      Embedding queryEmbedding = embeddingClient.embed(message);
      List searchResults = vectorStore.similaritySearch(queryEmbedding.getVector(), 3); String context = searchResults.stream() .map(SearchResult::getContent) .collect(Collectors.joining("\n\n")); Prompt prompt = new PromptTemplate(""" Answer the question based on the context provided. Context: {context} Question: {question} """) .create(Map.of("context", context, "question", message));ChatResponse response = chatClient.call(prompt); return response.getResult().getOutput().getContent(); }
      }

    Integrating an FAQ Section:

    • Create FAQ Data: Define your frequently asked questions and answers (e.g., in faq.json in your resources folder).
      [
      {
      “question”: “What are your hours of operation?”,
      “answer”: “Our business hours are Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.”
      },
      {
      “question”: “Where are you located?”,
      “answer”: “We are located at 123 Main Street, Bentonville, AR.”
      },
      {
      “question”: “How do I contact customer support?”,
      “answer”: “You can contact our customer support team by emailing support@example.com or calling us at (555) 123-4567.”
      }
      ]
    • FAQ Loading and Indexing Service: Create a service to load and index your FAQ data in the vector store.
      @Service
      public class FAQService { private final EmbeddingClient embeddingClient;
      private final VectorStore vectorStore;
      private final ObjectMapper objectMapper; public FAQService(EmbeddingClient embeddingClient, VectorStore vectorStore, ObjectMapper objectMapper) {
      this.embeddingClient = embeddingClient;
      this.vectorStore = vectorStore;
      this.objectMapper = objectMapper;
      } @PostConstruct
      public void loadAndIndexFAQs() throws IOException {
      Resource faqResource = new ClassPathResource(“faq.json”);
      List faqEntries = objectMapper.readValue(faqResource.getInputStream(), new TypeReference>() {}); List<Document> faqDocuments = faqEntries.stream() .map(faq -> new Document(faq.getQuestion(), Map.of("answer", faq.getAnswer()))) .toList(); List<Embedding> faqEmbeddings = embeddingClient.embed(faqDocuments.stream().map(Document::getContent).toList()); vectorStore.add(faqEmbeddings, faqDocuments); System.out.println("FAQ data loaded and indexed."); } public record FAQEntry(String question, String answer) {}
      }
    • Prioritize FAQ in Chat Endpoint: Modify your chat endpoint to first check if the user’s query closely matches an FAQ before resorting to general knowledge RAG.
      @RestController
      public class ChatController { private final ChatClient chatClient;
      private final VectorStore vectorStore;
      private final EmbeddingClient embeddingClient; public ChatController(ChatClient chatClient, VectorStore vectorStore, EmbeddingClient embeddingClient) {
      this.chatClient = chatClient;
      this.vectorStore = vectorStore;
      this.embeddingClient = embeddingClient;
      } @GetMapping(“/chat”)
      public String chat(@RequestParam(“message”) String message) {
      Embedding queryEmbedding = embeddingClient.embed(message); // Search FAQ first List<SearchResult> faqSearchResults = vectorStore.similaritySearch(queryEmbedding.getVector(), 1); if (!faqSearchResults.isEmpty() && faqSearchResults.get(0).getScore() > 0.85) { return (String) faqSearchResults.get(0).getMetadata().get("answer"); } // If no good FAQ match, proceed with general knowledge RAG List<SearchResult> knowledgeBaseResults = vectorStore.similaritySearch(queryEmbedding.getVector(), 3); String context = knowledgeBaseResults.stream() .map(SearchResult::getContent) .collect(Collectors.joining("\n\n")); Prompt prompt = new PromptTemplate(""" Answer the question based on the context provided. Context: {context} Question: {question} """) .create(Map.of("context", context, "question", message));ChatResponse response = chatClient.call(prompt); return response.getResult().getOutput().getContent(); }
      }

    Conclusion:
    By combining the power of RAG with a dedicated FAQ section, you can build a Spring AI chatbot that is both knowledgeable about a broad range of topics (through RAG) and efficient in answering common questions directly. This approach leads to a more robust, accurate, and user-friendly chatbot experience. Remember to adapt the code and configurations to your specific data sources and requirements, and experiment with similarity thresholds to optimize the performance of your FAQ retrieval.

  • Vector Database Internals

    Vector databases are specialized databases designed to store, manage, and efficiently query high-dimensional vectors. These vectors are numerical representations of data, often generated by machine learning models to capture the semantic meaning of the underlying data (text, images, audio, etc.). Here’s a breakdown of the key internal components and concepts:

    1. Vector Embeddings:

    • At the core of a vector is the concept of a vector embedding. An embedding is a numerical representation of data, typically a high-dimensional array (a list or array of numbers).
    • These embeddings are created by models (often deep learning models) that are trained to capture the essential features or meaning of the data. For example:
      • Text: Words or sentences can be converted into embeddings where similar words have “close” vectors.
      • Images: Images can be represented as vectors where similar images (e.g., those with similar objects or scenes) have close vectors.
    • The dimensionality of these vectors can be quite high (hundreds or thousands of dimensions), allowing them to represent complex relationships in the data.

    2. Data Ingestion:

    • The process of getting data into a vector database involves the following steps:
      1. Data Source: The original data can come from various sources: text documents, images, audio files, etc.
      2. Embedding Generation: The data is passed through an embedding model to generate the corresponding vector embeddings.
      3. Storage: The vector embeddings, along with any associated metadata (e.g., the original text, a URL, or an ID), are stored in the vector database.

    3. Indexing:

    • To enable fast and efficient similarity search, vector databases use indexing techniques. Unlike traditional databases that rely on exact matching, vector databases need to find vectors that are “similar” to a given query vector.
    • Indexing organizes the vectors in a way that allows the database to quickly narrow down the search space and identify potential nearest neighbors.
    • Common indexing techniques include:
      • Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) Search: Since finding the exact nearest neighbors can be computationally expensive for high-dimensional data, vector databases often use ANN algorithms. These algorithms trade off some accuracy for a significant improvement in speed.
      • Inverted File Index (IVF): This method divides the vector space into clusters and assigns vectors to these clusters. During a search, the query vector is compared to the cluster centroids, and only the vectors within the most relevant clusters are considered.
      • Hierarchical Navigable Small World (HNSW): HNSW builds a multi-layered graph where each node represents a vector. The graph is structured in a way that allows for efficient navigation from a query vector to its nearest neighbors.
      • Product Quantization (PQ): PQ compresses vectors by dividing them into smaller sub-vectors and quantizing each sub-vector. This reduces the storage requirements and can speed up distance calculations.

    4. Similarity Search:

    • The core operation of a vector database is similarity search. Given a query vector, the database finds the k nearest neighbors (k-NN), which are the vectors in the database that are most similar to the query vector.
    • Distance Metrics: Similarity is measured using distance metrics, which quantify how “close” two vectors are in the high-dimensional space. Common distance metrics include:
      • Cosine Similarity: Measures the cosine of the angle between two vectors. It’s often used for text embeddings.
      • Euclidean Distance: Measures the straight-line distance between two vectors.
      • Dot Product: Calculates the dot product of two vectors.
    • The choice of distance metric depends on the specific application and the properties of the embeddings.

    5. Architecture:

    • A typical vector database architecture includes the following components:
      • Storage Layer: Responsible for storing the vector data. This may involve distributed storage systems to handle large datasets.
      • Indexing Layer: Implements the indexing algorithms to organize the vectors for efficient search.
      • Query Engine: Processes queries, performs similarity searches, and retrieves the nearest neighbors.
      • : Provides an interface for applications to interact with the database, including inserting data and performing queries.

    Key Advantages of Vector Databases:

    • Efficient Similarity Search: Optimized for finding similar vectors, which is crucial for many applications.
    • Handling Unstructured Data: Designed to work with the high-dimensional vector representations of unstructured data.
    • Scalability: Can handle large datasets with millions or billions of vectors.
    • Performance: Provide low-latency queries, even for complex similarity searches.
  • RAG to with sample FAQ and LLM

    import os
    from typing import List, Tuple
    from langchain.embeddings.openai import OpenAIEmbeddings
    from langchain.vectorstores import FAISS
    from langchain.chains import RetrievalQA
    from langchain.llms import OpenAI
    import json
    from langchain.prompts import PromptTemplate  # Import PromptTemplate
    
    
    def load_faq_data(data_path: str) -> List&lsqb;Tuple&lsqb;str, str]]:
        """
        Loads FAQ data from a JSON file.
    
        Args:
            data_path: Path to the JSON file.
    
        Returns:
            A list of tuples, where each tuple contains a question and its answer.
        """
        try:
            with open(data_path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
                faq_data = json.load(f)
            if not isinstance(faq_data, list):
                raise ValueError("Expected a list of dictionaries in the JSON file.")
            for item in faq_data:
                if not isinstance(item, dict) or "question" not in item or "answer" not in item:
                    raise ValueError(
                        "Each item in the list should be a dictionary with 'question' and 'answer' keys."
                    )
            return &lsqb;(item&lsqb;"question"], item&lsqb;"answer"]) for item in faq_data]
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Error loading FAQ data from {data_path}: {e}")
            return &lsqb;]
    
    
    def chunk_faq_data(faq_data: List&lsqb;Tuple&lsqb;str, str]]) -> List&lsqb;str]:
        """
        Splits the FAQ data into chunks.  Each chunk contains one question and answer.
    
        Args:
            faq_data: A list of tuples, where each tuple contains a question and its answer.
    
        Returns:
            A list of strings, where each string is a question and answer concatenated.
        """
        return &lsqb;f"Question: {q}\nAnswer: {a}" for q, a in faq_data]
    
    
    
    def create_embeddings(chunks: List&lsqb;str]) -> OpenAIEmbeddings:
        """
        Creates embeddings for the text chunks using OpenAI.
    
        Args:
            chunks: A list of text chunks.
    
        Returns:
            An OpenAIEmbeddings object.
        """
        return OpenAIEmbeddings()
    
    
    
    def create_vector_store(chunks: List&lsqb;str], embeddings: OpenAIEmbeddings) -> FAISS:
        """
        Creates a vector store from the text chunks and embeddings using FAISS.
    
        Args:
            chunks: A list of text chunks.
            embeddings: An OpenAIEmbeddings object.
    
        Returns:
            A FAISS vector store.
        """
        return FAISS.from_texts(chunks, embeddings)
    
    
    
    def create_rag_chain(vector_store: FAISS, : OpenAI) -> RetrievalQA:
        """
        Creates a  chain using the vector store and a language model.
        Adjusted for FAQ format.
    
        Args:
            vector_store: A FAISS vector store.
            llm: An OpenAI language model.
    
        Returns:
            A RetrievalQA chain.
        """
        prompt_template = """Use the following pieces of context to answer the question.
        If you don't know the answer, just say that you don't know, don't try to make up an answer.
    
        Context:
        {context}
    
        Question:
        {question}
    
        Helpful Answer:"""
    
    
        PROMPT = PromptTemplate(template=prompt_template, input_variables=&lsqb;"context", "question"])
    
        return RetrievalQA.from_chain_type(
            llm=llm,
            chain_type="stuff",
            retriever=vector_store.as_retriever(),
            chain_type_kwargs={"prompt": PROMPT},
            return_source_documents=True,
        )
    
    
    
    def rag_query(rag_chain: RetrievalQA, query: str) -> str:
        """
        Queries the RAG chain.
    
        Args:
            rag_chain: A RetrievalQA chain.
            query: The query string.
    
        Returns:
            The answer from the RAG chain.
        """
        result = rag_chain(query)
        return result&lsqb;"result"]
    
    
    
    def main(data_path: str, query: str) -> str:
        """
        Main function to run the RAG process with FAQ data and OpenAI.
    
        Args:
            data_path: Path to the JSON file.
            query: The query string.
    
        Returns:
            The answer to the query using RAG.
        """
        faq_data = load_faq_data(data_path)
        if not faq_data:
            return "No data loaded. Please check the data path."
        chunks = chunk_faq_data(faq_data)
        embeddings = create_embeddings(chunks)
        vector_store = create_vector_store(chunks, embeddings)
        llm = OpenAI(temperature=0)
        rag_chain = create_rag_chain(vector_store, llm)
        answer = rag_query(rag_chain, query)
        return answer
    
    
    
    if __name__ == "__main__":
        # Example usage
        data_path = "data/faq.json"
        query = "What is the return policy?"
        answer = main(data_path, query)
        print(f"Query: {query}")
        print(f"Answer: {answer}")
    

    Code Explanation: RAG with FAQ and OpenAI

    This code implements a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) system specifically designed to answer questions from an FAQ dataset using OpenAI’s language models. Here’s a step-by-step explanation of the code:

    1. Import Libraries:

    • os: Used for interacting with the operating system, specifically for accessing environment variables (like your OpenAI key).
    • typing: Used for type hinting, which improves code readability and helps with error checking.
    • langchain: A framework for developing applications powered by language models. It provides modules for various tasks, including:
      • OpenAIEmbeddings: For generating numerical representations (embeddings) of text using OpenAI.
      • FAISS: For creating and managing a vector store, which allows for efficient similarity search.
      • RetrievalQA: For creating a retrieval-based question answering chain.
      • OpenAI: For interacting with OpenAI’s language models.
      • PromptTemplate: For creating reusable prompt structures.
    • json: For working with JSON data, as the FAQ data is expected to be in JSON format.

    2. load_faq_data(data_path):

    • Loads FAQ data from a JSON file.
    • It expects the JSON file to contain a list of dictionaries, where each dictionary has a "question" and an "answer" key.
    • It performs error handling to ensure the file exists and the data is in the correct format.
    • It returns a list of tuples, where each tuple contains a question and its corresponding answer.

    3. chunk_faq_data(faq_data):

    • Prepares the FAQ data for embedding.
    • Each FAQ question-answer pair is treated as a single chunk.
    • It formats each question-answer pair into a string like "Question: {q}\nAnswer: {a}".
    • It returns a list of these formatted strings.

    4. create_embeddings(chunks):

    • Uses OpenAI’s OpenAIEmbeddings to convert the text chunks (from the FAQ data) into numerical vectors (embeddings).
    • Embeddings capture the semantic meaning of the text.

    5. create_vector_store(chunks, embeddings):

    • Creates a vector store using FAISS.
    • The vector store stores the text chunks along with their corresponding embeddings.
    • FAISS enables efficient similarity search.

    6. create_rag_chain(vector_store, llm):

    • Creates the RAG chain, combining the vector store with a language model.
    • It uses Langchain’s RetrievalQA chain:
      • Retrieves relevant chunks from the vector_store based on the query.
      • Feeds the retrieved chunks and the query to the llm (OpenAI).
      • The LLM generates an answer.
    • It uses a custom PromptTemplate to structure the input to the LLM, telling it to answer from the context and say “I don’t know” if the answer isn’t present.
    • It sets return_source_documents=True to include the retrieved source documents in the output.

    7. rag_query(rag_chain, query):

    • Takes the RAG chain and a user query as input.
    • Runs the query against the chain to get the answer.
    • Extracts the answer from the result.

    8. main(data_path, query):

    • Orchestrates the RAG process:
      • Loads the FAQ data.
      • Prepares the data into chunks.
      • Creates embeddings and the vector store.
      • Creates the RAG chain using OpenAI.
      • Runs the query and prints the result.

    In essence, this code automates answering questions from an FAQ by:

    Using a language model to generate answers based on the most relevant FAQ entries.

    Loading and formatting the FAQ data.

    Converting the FAQ entries into a searchable format.

    To use this code with your FAQ data:

    1. Create a JSON file:
      • Create a JSON file (e.g., faq.json) with your FAQ data in the following format:
      JSON[ {"question": "What is your return policy?", "answer": "We accept returns within 30 days of purchase."}, {"question": "How do I track my order?", "answer": "You can track your order using the tracking number provided in your shipping confirmation email."}, {"question": "What are your shipping costs?", "answer": "Shipping costs vary depending on the shipping method and destination."} ]
    2. Replace "data/faq.json":
      • In the if __name__ == "__main__": block, replace "data/faq.json" with the actual path to your JSON file.
    3. Modify the query:
      • Change the query variable to ask a question from your FAQ data.
    4. Run the code:
      • Run the Python script. It will load the FAQ data, create a vector store, and answer your query.
  • RAG with locally running LLM

    import os
    from typing import List, Tuple
    from langchain.embeddings.openai import OpenAIEmbeddings
    from langchain.vectorstores import FAISS
    from langchain.text_splitter import RecursiveCharacterTextSplitter
    from langchain.chains import RetrievalQA
    from langchain.llms import OpenAI, HuggingFacePipeline  # Import HuggingFacePipeline
    from transformers import pipeline  # Import pipeline from transformers
    
    # Load environment variables (replace with your actual  key or use a .env file)
    # os.environ&lsqb;"OPENAI_API_KEY"] = "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY"  # Remove OpenAI API key
    #  No longer needed, but keep for user's reference, in case they want to switch back.
    
    def load_data(data_path: str) -> str:
        """
        Loads data from a file.  Supports text, and markdown.  For other file types,
        add appropriate loaders.
    
        Args:
            data_path: Path to the data file.
    
        Returns:
            The loaded data as a string.
        """
        try:
            with open(data_path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
                data = f.read()
            return data
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Error loading data from {data_path}: {e}")
            return ""
    
    def chunk_data(data: str, chunk_size: int = 1000, chunk_overlap: int = 200) -> List&lsqb;str]:
        """
        Splits the data into chunks.
    
        Args:
            data: The data to be chunked.
            chunk_size: The size of each chunk.
            chunk_overlap: The overlap between chunks.
    
        Returns:
            A list of text chunks.
        """
        text_splitter = RecursiveCharacterTextSplitter(
            chunk_size=chunk_size, chunk_overlap=chunk_overlap
        )
        chunks = text_splitter.split_text(data)
        return chunks
    
    def create_embeddings(chunks: List&lsqb;str]) -> OpenAIEmbeddings:
        """
        Creates embeddings for the text chunks using OpenAI.
    
        Args:
            chunks: A list of text chunks.
    
        Returns:
            An OpenAIEmbeddings object.
        """
        embeddings = OpenAIEmbeddings()  #  Still using OpenAI embeddings for now,
        return embeddings                  #  but could be replaced with a local alternative.
    
    def create_vector_store(
        chunks: List&lsqb;str], embeddings: OpenAIEmbeddings
    ) -> FAISS:
        """
        Creates a vector store from the text chunks and embeddings using FAISS.
    
        Args:
            chunks: A list of text chunks.
            embeddings: An OpenAIEmbeddings object.
    
        Returns:
            A FAISS vector store.
        """
        vector_store = FAISS.from_texts(chunks, embeddings)
        return vector_store
    
    def create_rag_chain(
        vector_store: FAISS,
        ,  # Type hint as base LLM, can be either OpenAI or HuggingFacePipeline
    ) -> RetrievalQA:
        """
        Creates a  chain using the vector store and a language model.
    
        Args:
            vector_store: A FAISS vector store.
            llm: A language model (OpenAI or HuggingFace pipeline).
    
        Returns:
            A RetrievalQA chain.
        """
        rag_chain = RetrievalQA.from_chain_type(
            llm=llm, chain_type="stuff", retriever=vector_store.as_retriever()
        )
        return rag_chain
    
    def rag_query(rag_chain: RetrievalQA, query: str) -> str:
        """
        Queries the RAG chain.
    
        Args:
            rag_chain: A RetrievalQA chain.
            query: The query string.
    
        Returns:
            The answer from the RAG chain.
        """
        answer = rag_chain.run(query)
        return answer
    
    def main(data_path: str, query: str, use_local_llm: bool = False) -> str:
        """
        Main function to run the RAG process.  Now supports local LLMs.
    
        Args:
            data_path: Path to the data file.
            query: The query string.
            use_local_llm:  Flag to use a local LLM (Hugging Face).
                If False, uses OpenAI.  Defaults to False.
    
        Returns:
            The answer to the query using RAG.
        """
        data = load_data(data_path)
        if not data:
            return "No data loaded. Please check the data path."
        chunks = chunk_data(data)
        embeddings = create_embeddings(chunks)
        vector_store = create_vector_store(chunks, embeddings)
    
        if use_local_llm:
            #  Example of using a local LLM from Hugging Face.
            #  You'll need to choose a model and ensure you have the
            #  necessary libraries installed (transformers, etc.).
            #  This example uses a small, fast model; you'll likely want
            #  a larger one for better quality.  You may need to adjust
            #  the model name and device (CPU/GPU) depending on your system.
            local_llm = pipeline(
                "text-generation",
                model="distilgpt2",  #  A small, fast model for demonstration.
                device="cpu",  #  Use "cuda" for GPU if available.
                max_length=200,  #  Limit the output length.
            )
            llm = HuggingFacePipeline(pipeline=local_llm)
        else:
            llm = OpenAI(temperature=0)  # Use OpenAI if use_local_llm is False
    
        rag_chain = create_rag_chain(vector_store, llm)
        answer = rag_query(rag_chain, query)
        return answer
    
    if __name__ == "__main__":
        # Example usage
        data_path = "data/my_data.txt"  # Replace with your data file
        query = "What is the main topic of this document?"
        use_local_llm = True  # Set to True to use a local LLM, False for OpenAI
        answer = main(data_path, query, use_local_llm)
        print(f"Query: {query}")
        print(f"Answer: {answer}")
    

    Sample code to enable running the LLM locally. This will involve using a local LLM instead of OpenAI.

    Key Changes:

    • Imported HuggingFacePipeline and pipeline: These are needed to load and use a local LLM from Hugging Face.
    • Conditional LLM Loading: The main function now takes a use_local_llm argument. It uses an if statement to choose between loading an OpenAI LLM or a local Hugging Face LLM.
    • Hugging Face Pipeline Example: The code includes an example of how to load and configure a local LLM using the pipeline function from transformers. This example uses distilgpt2, a small, fast model for demonstration purposes. You’ll likely want to replace this with a more capable model.
    • device Argument: The device argument in the pipeline function is set to “cpu”. If you have a GPU, change this to “cuda” for significantly faster performance.
    • Removed OpenAI Key Requirement: The os.environ[“OPENAI_API_KEY”] line has been commented out because it’s no longer needed when using a local LLM. I’ve kept it in the code, commented out, as a helpful reminder for users who may want to switch back to using OpenAI.
    • Added use_local_llm to main and if __name__: The main function now accepts a boolean use_local_llm argument to determine whether to use a local LLM or OpenAI. The example usage in if __name__ now includes setting this flag.

    To run this code with a local LLM:

    1. Install transformers: If you don’t have it already, install the transformers library: pip install transformers.
    2. Choose a Model: Select a suitable LLM from Hugging Face (https://huggingface.co/models). The example code uses “distilgpt2”, but you’ll likely want a larger, more powerful model for better results. Consider models like gpt-2, gpt-j, or others that fit your hardware and needs.
    3. Modify Model Name: Replace “distilgpt2” in the code with the name of the model you’ve chosen.
    4. Set Device: If you have a GPU, change device=”cpu” to device=”cuda” for faster inference.
    5. Data Path and Query: Make sure data_path points to your data file and that query contains the question you want to ask.
    6. Run the Code: Run the script. The first time you run it with a new model, it will download the model files, which may take some time.

    Important Considerations:

    • Model Size and Hardware: Local LLMs can be very large, and running them efficiently requires significant hardware resources, especially RAM and GPU memory. Choose a model that fits your system’s capabilities.
    • Dependencies: Ensure you have all the necessary libraries installed, including transformers, torch (if using a GPU), and any other dependencies required by the specific model you choose.
    • Performance: Local LLMs may run slower than cloud-based LLMs like OpenAI, especially if you don’t have a powerful GPU.
    • Accuracy: The accuracy and quality of the results will depend on the specific local LLM you choose. Smaller, faster models may not be as accurate as larger ones.
  • Implementing RAG with vector database

    import os
    from typing import List, Tuple
    from langchain.embeddings.openai import OpenAIEmbeddings
    from langchain.vectorstores import FAISS
    from langchain.text_splitter import RecursiveCharacterTextSplitter
    from langchain.chains import RetrievalQA
    from langchain.llms import OpenAI
    
    # Load environment variables (replace with your actual  key or use a .env file)
    os.environ&lsqb;"OPENAI_API_KEY"] = "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY"  # Replace with your actual API key
    
    def load_data(data_path: str) -> str:
        """
        Loads data from a file.  Supports text, and markdown.  For other file types,
        add appropriate loaders.
    
        Args:
            data_path: Path to the data file.
    
        Returns:
            The loaded data as a string.
        """
        try:
            with open(data_path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
                data = f.read()
            return data
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"Error loading data from {data_path}: {e}")
            return ""
    
    def chunk_data(data: str, chunk_size: int = 1000, chunk_overlap: int = 200) -> List&lsqb;str]:
        """
        Splits the data into chunks.
    
        Args:
            data: The data to be chunked.
            chunk_size: The size of each chunk.
            chunk_overlap: The overlap between chunks.
    
        Returns:
            A list of text chunks.
        """
        text_splitter = RecursiveCharacterTextSplitter(
            chunk_size=chunk_size, chunk_overlap=chunk_overlap
        )
        chunks = text_splitter.split_text(data)
        return chunks
    
    def create_embeddings(chunks: List&lsqb;str]) -> OpenAIEmbeddings:
        """
        Creates embeddings for the text chunks using OpenAI.
    
        Args:
            chunks: A list of text chunks.
    
        Returns:
            An OpenAIEmbeddings object.
        """
        embeddings = OpenAIEmbeddings()
        return embeddings
    
    def create_vector_store(
        chunks: List&lsqb;str], embeddings: OpenAIEmbeddings
    ) -> FAISS:
        """
        Creates a vector store from the text chunks and embeddings using FAISS.
    
        Args:
            chunks: A list of text chunks.
            embeddings: An OpenAIEmbeddings object.
    
        Returns:
            A FAISS vector store.
        """
        vector_store = FAISS.from_texts(chunks, embeddings)
        return vector_store
    
    def create_rag_chain(
        vector_store: FAISS, : OpenAI = OpenAI(temperature=0)
    ) -> RetrievalQA:
        """
        Creates a  chain using the vector store and a language model.
    
        Args:
            vector_store: A FAISS vector store.
            llm: A language model (default: OpenAI with temperature=0).
    
        Returns:
            A RetrievalQA chain.
        """
        rag_chain = RetrievalQA.from_chain_type(
            llm=llm, chain_type="stuff", retriever=vector_store.as_retriever()
        )
        return rag_chain
    
    def rag_query(rag_chain: RetrievalQA, query: str) -> str:
        """
        Queries the RAG chain.
    
        Args:
            rag_chain: A RetrievalQA chain.
            query: The query string.
    
        Returns:
            The answer from the RAG chain.
        """
        answer = rag_chain.run(query)
        return answer
    
    def main(data_path: str, query: str) -> str:
        """
        Main function to run the RAG process.
    
        Args:
            data_path: Path to the data file.
            query: The query string.
    
        Returns:
            The answer to the query using RAG.
        """
        data = load_data(data_path)
        if not data:
            return "No data loaded. Please check the data path."
        chunks = chunk_data(data)
        embeddings = create_embeddings(chunks)
        vector_store = create_vector_store(chunks, embeddings)
        rag_chain = create_rag_chain(vector_store)
        answer = rag_query(rag_chain, query)
        return answer
    
    if __name__ == "__main__":
        # Example usage
        data_path = "data/my_data.txt"  # Replace with your data file
        query = "What is the main topic of this document?"
        answer = main(data_path, query)
        print(f"Query: {query}")
        print(f"Answer: {answer}")
    

    Explanation:

    1. Import Libraries: Imports necessary libraries, including os, typing, Langchain modules for embeddings, vector stores, text splitting, RAG chains, and LLMs.
    2. load_data(data_path):
    • Loads data from a file.
    • Supports text and markdown files. You can extend it to handle other file types.
    • Handles potential file loading errors.
    1. chunk_data(data, chunk_size, chunk_overlap):
    • Splits the input text into smaller, overlapping chunks.
    • This is crucial for handling long documents and improving retrieval accuracy.
    1. create_embeddings(chunks):
    • Generates numerical representations (embeddings) of the text chunks using OpenAI’s embedding model.
    • Embeddings capture the semantic meaning of the text.
    1. create_vector_store(chunks, embeddings):
    • Creates a vector store (FAISS) to store the text chunks and their corresponding embeddings.
    • FAISS allows for efficient similarity search, which is essential for retrieval.
    1. create_rag_chain(vector_store, llm):
    • Creates a RAG chain using Langchain’s RetrievalQA class.
    • This chain combines the vector store (for retrieval) with a language model (for generation).
    • The stuff chain type is used, which passes all retrieved documents to the LLM in the prompt. Other chain types are available for different use cases.
    1. rag_query(rag_chain, query):
    • Executes a query against the RAG chain.
    • The chain retrieves relevant chunks from the vector store and uses the LLM to generate an answer based on the retrieved information.
    1. main(data_path, query):
    • Orchestrates the entire RAG process: loads data, chunks it, creates embeddings and a vector store, creates the RAG chain, and queries it.
    1. if __name__ == “__main__”::
    • Provides an example of how to use the main function.
    • Replace “data/my_data.txt” with the actual path to your data file and modify the query.

    Key Points:

    • Vector : A vector database (like FAISS, in this example) is essential for efficient retrieval of relevant information based on semantic similarity.
    • Embeddings: Embeddings are numerical representations of text that capture its meaning. OpenAI’s embedding models are used here, but others are available.
    • Chunking: Chunking is necessary to break down large documents into smaller, more manageable pieces that can be effectively processed by the LLM.
    • RAG Chain: The RAG chain orchestrates the retrieval and generation steps, combining the capabilities of the vector store and the LLM.
    • Prompt Engineering: The retrieved information is combined with the user’s query in a prompt that is passed to the LLM. Effective prompt engineering is crucial for getting good results.

    Remember to:

    • Replace “YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY” with your actual OpenAI API key. Consider using a .env file for secure storage of your API key.
    • Replace “data/my_data.txt” with the path to your data file.
    • Modify the query to ask a question about your data.
    • Install the required libraries: langchain, openai, faiss-cpu (or faiss-gpu if you have a compatible GPU). pip install langchain openai faiss-cpu
  • Managing state in ReactJS

    Managing state in is crucial for building dynamic and interactive user interfaces. Here’s a breakdown of the common approaches, from simple to more complex:

    1. useState Hook (Functional Components):

    • This is the most fundamental way to manage state in functional components.
    • It allows you to declare state variables and update them.

    JavaScript

    import React, { useState } from 'react';
    
    function MyComponent() {
      const &lsqb;count, setCount] = useState(0);
    
      const increment = () => {
        setCount(count + 1);
      };
    
      return (
        <div>
          <p>Count: {count}</p>
          <button onClick={increment}>Increment</button>
        </div>
      );
    }
    
    • useState(0)1 initializes the count state variable to 0.
    • setCount is a function that lets you update the count state.

    2. Class Component this.state (Class Components):

    • Before hooks, class components used this.state to manage state.

    JavaScript

    import React, { Component } from 'react';
    
    class MyComponent extends Component {
      constructor(props) {
        super(props);
        this.state = {
          count: 0,
        };
      }
    
      increment = () => {
        this.setState({ count: this.state.count + 1 });
      };
    
      render() {
        return (
          <div>
            <p>Count: {this.state.count}</p>
            <button onClick={this.increment}>Increment</button>
          </div>
        );
      }
    }
    
    • this.state initializes the state.
    • this.setState() updates the state.

    3. useReducer Hook (Complex State):

    • useReducer is useful for managing more complex state logic, especially when state updates depend on previous state or involve multiple sub-values.
    • It’s similar to Redux’s reducer concept.

    JavaScript

    import React, { useReducer } from 'react';
    
    const initialState = { count: 0 };
    
    function reducer(state, action) {
      switch (action.type) {
        case 'increment':
          return { count: state.count + 1 };
        case 'decrement':
          return { count: state.count - 1 };
        default:
          return state;
      }
    }
    
    function MyComponent() {
      const &lsqb;state, dispatch] = useReducer(reducer, initialState);
    
      return (
        <div>
          <p>Count: {state.count}</p>
          <button onClick={() => dispatch({ type: 'increment' })}>Increment</button>
          <button onClick={() => dispatch({ type: 'decrement' })}>Decrement</button>
        </div>
      );
    }
    
    • A reducer function specifies how state should change based on actions.
    • dispatch sends actions to the reducer.

    4. Context (Global State):

    • The Context API allows you to share state between components without explicitly passing props through every level of the component tree.2
    • It’s suitable for application-wide state (e.g., themes, user authentication).

    JavaScript

    import React, { createContext, useContext, useState } from 'react';
    
    const CountContext = createContext();
    
    function CountProvider({ children }) {
      const &lsqb;count, setCount] = useState(0);
    
      return (
        <CountContext.Provider value={{ count, setCount }}>
          {children}
        </CountContext.Provider>
      );
    }
    
    function MyComponent() {
      const { count, setCount } = useContext(CountContext);
    
      return (
        <div>
          <p>Count: {count}</p>
          <button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>Increment</button>
        </div>
      );
    }
    
    • createContext3 creates a context object.
    • CountContext.Provider provides the state to components.
    • useContext consumes the context value.

    5. Redux/Zustand/Recoil (Complex Global State):

    • For very large and complex applications, state management libraries like Redux, Zustand, or Recoil can be beneficial.
    • They provide a centralized store for managing application-wide state and enforce a predictable state update pattern.
    • Zustand and Recoil are generally considered easier to implement than Redux.

    Choosing the Right Approach:

    • For simple component-level state, useState is usually sufficient.
    • For complex component-level state, useReducer can be helpful.
    • For sharing state between components without prop drilling, the Context API is a good option.
    • For very large and complex applications with global state, consider a state management library like Redux, Zustand or Recoil.

  • ReactJS Bits

    Alright, let’s dive into some questions! To give you the most helpful answers, I’ll cover a range of topics from basic to more advanced.

    Basic React Questions:

    1. What is ReactJS?
      • ReactJS is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It allows developers to create reusable UI components.1
    2. What are components in React?
      • Components are independent and reusable pieces of UI. They allow you to divide the UI into smaller, manageable parts.
    3. What is JSX?
      • JSX (JavaScript XML) is a syntax extension for JavaScript that looks similar to HTML. It’s used in React to describe what the UI should look like.2
    4. What are props?
      • Props (properties) are used to pass data from parent components to child components. They are read-only.
    5. What is state?
      • State is a JavaScript object that represents the internal data of a component. It can be changed within the component, causing the UI to re-render.
    6. What is the difference between props and state?
      • Props are read-only and passed from parent to child, while state is mutable and managed within the component.
    7. What is the virtual DOM?
      • The virtual DOM is a lightweight copy of the real DOM. React uses it to efficiently update the UI by only changing the parts that have changed.
    8. What are React hooks?
      • Hooks are functions that let you “hook into” React state and lifecycle features from function components.3 They allow you to use state and other React features without writing4 class components.

    Intermediate React Questions:

    1. What are some commonly used React hooks?
      • useState, useEffect, useContext, useReducer, useMemo, useCallback, and useRef.
    2. What is the useEffect hook used for?
      • The useEffect hook is used for performing side effects in function components, such as data fetching, subscriptions, or manually changing the DOM.5
    3. What is the purpose of keys in React lists?
      • Keys help React identify which items in a list have changed, added, or removed. This improves performance and prevents unexpected behavior.
    4. What is context ?
      • The Context API provides a way to share values like themes, user authentication, or preferred languages between components without having to pass them explicitly through every level of the component tree.
    5. What are controlled and uncontrolled components?
      • Controlled components have their form data handled by React state, while uncontrolled components have their form data handled by the DOM itself.
    6. What is React Router?
      • React Router is a library that enables navigation between different views or pages in a single-page application (SPA).

    Advanced React Questions:

    1. What is code splitting?
      • Code splitting is a technique that allows you to break your application into smaller chunks, loading them on demand. This improves performance by reducing the initial load time.
    2. What is server-side rendering (SSR) in React?
      • SSR renders React components on the server and sends the HTML to the client. This improves SEO and initial load time.
    3. What are React performance optimization techniques?
      • Using useMemo and useCallback to memoize expensive calculations and functions.
      • Using React.memo to prevent unnecessary re-renders of functional components.
      • Code splitting.
      • Virtualizing long lists.
    4. What is Redux?
      • Redux is a state management library that provides a predictable way to manage application state. It’s often used in large and complex React applications.
    5. What is a Higher-Order Component (HOC)?
      • A higher-order component is a function that takes a component and returns a new component with enhanced functionality.6
    6. What are React custom hooks?
      • Custom hooks are JavaScript functions that you create to reuse stateful logic. They allow you to extract component logic into reusable functions.

  • Apache Spark

    Let’s illustrate Apache with a classic “word count” example using PySpark (the for Spark). This example demonstrates the fundamental concepts of distributed data processing with Spark.

    Scenario:

    You have a large text file (or multiple files) and you want to count the occurrences of each unique word in the file(s).

    Steps:

    1. Initialize SparkSession: This is the entry point to Spark functionality.

    from pyspark.sql import SparkSession

    # Create a SparkSession
    spark = SparkSession.builder.appName("WordCount").getOrCreate()
    ```
    
    * `SparkSession.builder`: Provides a way to build a SparkSession.
    * `.appName("WordCount")`: Sets a name for your Spark application, useful for monitoring.
    * `.getOrCreate()`: Either gets an existing SparkSession or creates a new one if it doesn't exist.
    
    1. Load the Text File(s) into an RDD: Spark’s core data structure is the Resilient Distributed Dataset (RDD), which represents a fault-tolerant, parallel collection of elements. Python# Assuming you have a text file named "sample.txt" in the same directory file_path = "sample.txt" lines = spark.sparkContext.textFile(file_path)
      • spark.sparkContext: The entry point to the lower-level Spark functionality (RDD API).
      • .textFile(file_path): Reads the text file and creates an RDD where each element is a line from the file.
    2. Transform the RDD to Extract Words: You need to split each line into individual words. Pythonwords = lines.flatMap(lambda line: line.split())
      • .flatMap(): Applies a function to each element of the RDD and then flattens the results.
      • lambda line: line.split(): A simple anonymous function that takes a line of text and splits it into a list of words based on whitespace.
    3. Transform the RDD to Create Word-Count Pairs: To count the occurrences, you can create pairs of (word, 1) for each word. Pythonword_counts = words.map(lambda word: (word, 1))
      • .map(): Applies a function to each element of the RDD, producing a new RDD.
      • lambda word: (word, 1): Creates a tuple where the first element is the word and the second is the count (initialized to 1).
    4. Reduce by Key to Count Word Occurrences: Use the reduceByKey() transformation to aggregate the counts for each unique word. Pythonfinal_counts = word_counts.reduceByKey(lambda a, b: a + b)
      • .reduceByKey(): Merges the values for each key using a provided function.
      • lambda a, b: a + b: A function that takes two counts (a and b) for the same word and adds them together.
    5. Collect and Print the Results: To view the results on the driver node (your local machine or the Spark master), you can use the collect() action. Be cautious with collect() on very large datasets as it can overwhelm the driver’s memory. Pythonoutput = final_counts.collect() for (word, count) in output: print(f"{word}: {count}")
    6. Stop the SparkSession: It’s good practice to stop the SparkSession when your application finishes. Pythonspark.stop()

    Complete PySpark Code:

    Python

    from pyspark.sql import SparkSession
    
    # Create a SparkSession
    spark = SparkSession.builder.appName("WordCount").getOrCreate()
    
    # Assuming you have a text file named "sample.txt"
    file_path = "sample.txt"
    lines = spark.sparkContext.textFile(file_path)
    
    # Split each line into words
    words = lines.flatMap(lambda line: line.split())
    
    # Create (word, 1) pairs
    word_counts = words.map(lambda word: (word, 1))
    
    # Reduce by key to get the counts
    final_counts = word_counts.reduceByKey(lambda a, b: a + b)
    
    # Collect and print the results
    output = final_counts.collect()
    for (word, count) in output:
        print(f"{word}: {count}")
    
    # Stop the SparkSession
    spark.stop()
    

    Example sample.txt:

    This is a simple sample text file.
    This file has several words.
    Some words are repeated in this file.
    

    Expected Output:

    This: 2
    is: 1
    a: 1
    simple: 1
    sample: 1
    text: 1
    file.: 1
    file: 2
    has: 1
    several: 1
    words.: 1
    Some: 1
    words: 1
    are: 1
    repeated: 1
    in: 1
    this: 1
    file.: 1
    

    Explanation of Spark Concepts Demonstrated:

    • SparkSession: The entry point for using Spark SQL and DataFrame APIs (though this example primarily uses the RDD API).
    • SparkContext: The entry point for lower-level Spark functionality and RDD operations.
    • RDD (Resilient Distributed Dataset): A fundamental data structure in Spark, representing an immutable, distributed collection of1 elements.
    • Transformations: Operations on RDDs that create new RDDs (e.g., flatMap, map, reduceByKey). Transformations are lazy, meaning they are not executed until an action is called.
    • Actions: Operations on RDDs that trigger computation and return a result to the driver program (e.g., collect).
    • flatMap(): Transforms each element to zero or more elements and then flattens the result.
    • map(): Applies a function to each element of the RDD.
    • reduceByKey(): Aggregates values with the same key using a specified function.
    • lambda functions: Small anonymous functions used for concise operations.

    This simple example illustrates the basic flow of a Spark application: load data, transform it in parallel across a cluster, and then perform an action to retrieve or save the results. For more complex tasks, you would chain together more transformations and actions.