Getting started with JADE

Contents

• Installation
• Eclipse configuration
• Exercise
• More information

Installation

1. Download JADE from http://www.emse.fr/~boissier/enseignement/maop/download (a local copy)
2. Decompress the distribution file in some directory (say /tmp/jade)
3. Set your classpath.
   • Linux:

     export JADELIB=/tmp/jade/lib
     export CLASSPATH=$JADELIB/jade.jar:$JADELIB/jadeTools.jar:$JADELIB/http.jar:$JADELIB/commons-codec/commons-codec-1.3.jar:.
     

   • Windows:

     set JADELIB=\tmp\jade\lib
     set CLASSPATH=%JADELIB%\jade.jar;%JADELIB%\jadeTools.jar;%JADELIB%\http.jar;%JADELIB%\commons-codec\commons-codec-1.3.jar;.
     

4. You can test your installation executing the command

   java jade.Boot -gui
   

   

You can find more information about the installation in the JADE Administrator Guide.

Eclipse configuration

1. Create a new project in eclipse and add all jars of JADE in the library:

   

2. Create a simple hello agent using the eclipse new class wizard and fill the fields as follows:

   

   and the code as

   

3. This agent can not run as a program, we need to start a JADE container and add the agent inside the container. To start a container go to menu Run/Open Run Dialog and crate a new Java Application, called Main Container, where the main class is jade.Boot:

   

   Set the arguments for jade.Boot as follows (an agent called bob that is programmed in the class demo.HelloAg:

   

4. Finally, execute the application.

   

Exercise

Create and run the ``book trading'' project presented in the last class. The source code of the agents is available here.

Note, in the code of the agents, how the directory facilitator services are used.

More information

You can find more information about JADE at:

• JADE site at http://jade.tilab.com/doc/index.html