-
-The `DecisionMaker` can be thought of as a `Wallet` manager plus "economic brain" of the AEA. It is responsible for the AEA's crypto-economic security and goal management, and it contains the preference and ownership representation of the AEA. The decision maker is the only component with access to the `Wallet`'s private keys.
-
-You can learn more about the decision maker here. In its simplest form, the decision maker acts like a `Wallet` with `Handler` to react to messages it receives from the skills.
-
-### Wallet
-
-The `Wallet` contains the private-public key pairs used by the AEA. Skills do not have access to the wallet, only the decision maker does.
-
-The agent has two sets of private keys, as configured in the `aea-config.yaml`:
-
-- `private_key_paths`: This is a dictionary mapping identifiers to the file paths of private keys used in the AEA. For each identifier, e.g. `fetchai`, the AEA can have one private key. The private keys listed here are available in the `Decision Maker` and the associated public keys and addresses are available in all skills. The AEA uses these keys to sign transactions and messages. These keys usually hold the AEAs funds.
-- `connection_private_key_paths`: This is a dictionary mapping identifiers to the file paths of private keys used in connections. For each identifier, e.g. `fetchai`, the `Multiplexer` can have one private key. The private keys listed here are available in the connections. The connections use these keys to secure message transport, for instance.
-
-It is the responsibility of the AEA's user to safe-guard the keys used and ensure that keys are only used in a single AEA. Using the same key across different AEAs will lead to various failure modes.
-
-Private keys can be encrypted at rest. The CLI commands used for interacting with the wallet allow specifying a password for encryption/decryption.
-
-### Identity
-
-The `Identity` is an abstraction that represents the identity of an AEA in the Open Economic Framework, backed by public-key cryptography. It contains the AEA's addresses as well as its name.
-
-The identity can be accessed in a `Skill` via the `AgentContext`.
-
-## Optional components used by AEAs
-
-### Contracts
-
-
-
-`Contracts` wrap smart contracts for third-party decentralized ledgers. In particular, they provide wrappers around the API or ABI of a smart contract. They expose an API to abstract implementation specifics of the ABI from the `Skills`.
-
-`Contracts` usually contain the logic to create contract transactions and make contract calls.
-
-`Contracts` can be added as packages. For more details on `Contracts` also read the `Contract` guide here.
-
-## Putting it together
-
-Taken together, the core components from this section and the first part provide the following simplified illustration of an AEA:
-
-
-
-## Next steps
-
-### Recommended
-
-We recommend you continue with the next step in the 'Getting Started' series:
-
-- How AEAs talk to each other - Interaction protocols
-
-### Relevant deep-dives
-
-Understanding the decision maker is vital to developing a goal oriented and crypto-economically safe AEA. You can learn more about the `DecisionMaker` in the following section:
-
-- Decision Maker
-
-
-Understanding `Contracts` is important when developing AEAs that make commitments or use smart contracts for other purposes. You can learn more about the `Contracts` agents use in the following section:
-
-- Contracts
-
-
-Note
-In the rest of the documentation, unless specified otherwise, we use the terms AEA and agent interchangeably to refer to AEA as defined above.
-Note
-This developer documentation is a work in progress. If you spot any errors please open an issue on Github or contact us in the developer Discord channel.
-
-
`AEA` objects communicate asynchronously via `Envelopes`.
An `Envelope` is the core object with which agents communicate. It is a vehicle for `Messages` with five attributes:
@@ -36,7 +32,7 @@ An `Envelope` is the core object
The framework provides one default `Protocol`, called `default` (current version `fetchai/default:1.1.6`). This `Protocol` provides a bare-bones implementation for an AEA `Protocol` which includes a `DefaultMessage` class and associated `DefaultSerializer` and `DefaultDialogue` classes.
-Additional `Protocols`, for new types of interactions, can be added as packages. For more details on `Protocols` you can read the protocol guide. To learn how you can easily automate protocol definition, head to the guide for the protocol generator.
+Additional `Protocols`, for new types of interactions, can be added as packages. For more details on `Protocols` you can read the protocol guide. To learn how you can easily automate protocol definition, head to the guide for the protocol generator. [ADD LINK]
Protocol specific `Messages`, wrapped in `Envelopes`, are sent and received to other agents, agent components and services via `Connections`.
@@ -46,22 +42,18 @@ A `Connection` wraps an
The framework provides one default `Connection`, called `stub` (current version `fetchai/stub:0.21.2`). It implements an I/O reader and writer to send `Messages` to the agent from a local file.
-Additional `Connections` can be added as packages. For more details on `Connections` read the `Connection` guide .
+Additional `Connections` can be added as packages. For more details on `Connections` read the `Connection` guide . [ADD LINK]
An AEA runs and manages `Connections` via a `Multiplexer`.
### Multiplexer
-
-
The `Multiplexer` is responsible for maintaining (potentially multiple) `Connections`.
It maintains an `InBox` and `OutBox`, which are, respectively, queues for incoming and outgoing `Envelopes` from the perspective of `Skills`.
### Skill
-
-
`Skills` are the core focus of the framework's extensibility as they implement business logic to deliver economic value for the AEA. They are self-contained capabilities that AEAs can dynamically take on board, in order to expand their effectiveness in different situations.
A `Skill` encapsulates implementations of the three abstract base classes `Handler`, `Behaviour`, `Model`, and is closely related with the abstract base class `Task`:
@@ -77,7 +69,7 @@ For instance, an AEA which is trading goods, could subscribe to more than one `S
The framework places no limits on the complexity of `Skills`. They can implement simple (e.g. `if-this-then-that`) logic or be complex (e.g. a deep learning model or reinforcement learning agent).
-The framework provides one default `Skill`, called `error`. Additional `Skills` can be added as packages. For more details on `Skills` head over to the `Skill` guide .
+The framework provides one default `Skill`, called `error`. Additional `Skills` can be added as packages. For more details on `Skills` head over to the `Skill` guide . [ADD LINK]
### Agent loop
@@ -89,29 +81,41 @@ The `AgentLoop` performs a
The `AgentLoop` and `Multiplexer` are decoupled via the `InBox` and `OutBox`, and both are maintained by the `Runtime`.
-## Next steps
+### Decision Maker
+
+The `DecisionMaker` can be thought of as a `Wallet` manager plus "economic brain" of the AEA. It is responsible for the AEA's crypto-economic security and goal management, and it contains the preference and ownership representation of the AEA. The decision maker is the only component with access to the `Wallet`'s private keys.
+
+You can learn more about the decision maker here. In its simplest form, the decision maker acts like a `Wallet` with `Handler` to react to messages it receives from the skills.
+
+### Wallet
+
+The `Wallet` contains the private-public key pairs used by the AEA. Skills do not have access to the wallet, only the decision maker does.
+
+The agent has two sets of private keys, as configured in the `aea-config.yaml`:
-### Recommended
+- `private_key_paths`: This is a dictionary mapping identifiers to the file paths of private keys used in the AEA. For each identifier, e.g. `fetchai`, the AEA can have one private key. The private keys listed here are available in the `Decision Maker` and the associated public keys and addresses are available in all skills. The AEA uses these keys to sign transactions and messages. These keys usually hold the AEAs funds.
+- `connection_private_key_paths`: This is a dictionary mapping identifiers to the file paths of private keys used in connections. For each identifier, e.g. `fetchai`, the `Multiplexer` can have one private key. The private keys listed here are available in the connections. The connections use these keys to secure message transport, for instance.
-We recommend you continue with the next step in the 'Getting Started' series:
+!!! warning
-- AEA and web frameworks
+ It is the responsibility of the AEA's user to safeguard the keys used and ensure that keys are only used in a single AEA. Using the same key across different AEAs will lead to various failure modes.
-### Relevant deep-dives
+Private keys can be encrypted at rest. The CLI commands used for interacting with the wallet allow specifying a password for encryption/decryption.
-Most AEA development focuses on developing the `Skills` and `Protocols` necessary for an AEA to deliver against its economic objectives.
+### Identity
-Understanding `Protocols` is core to developing your own agent. You can learn more about the `Protocols` agents use to communicate with each other and how they are created in the following section:
+The `Identity` is an abstraction that represents the identity of an AEA in the Open Economic Framework, backed by public-key cryptography. It contains the AEA's addresses as well as its name.
-- Protocols
+The identity can be accessed in a `Skill` via the `AgentContext`.
-Most of an AEA developer's time is spent on `Skill` development. `Skills` are the core business logic components of an AEA. Check out the following guide to learn more:
+### Contracts
-- Skills
+`Contracts` wrap smart contracts for third-party decentralized ledgers. In particular, they provide wrappers around the API or ABI of a smart contract. They expose an API to abstract implementation specifics of the ABI from the `Skills`.
-In most cases, one of the available `Connection` packages can be used. Occasionally, you might develop your own `Connection`:
+`Contracts` usually contain the logic to create contract transactions and make contract calls.
-- Connections
+`Contracts` can be added as packages. For more details on `Contracts` also read the `Contract` guide here.
-