generalbots/botbook/src/04-basic-scripting/keyword-think-kb.md

THINK KB

Perform explicit knowledge base reasoning with structured results.

Syntax

results = THINK KB "query_text"
results = THINK KB query_variable

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
query_text	String	The question or search query to execute
query_variable	Variable	Variable containing the search query

Description

Unlike automatic KB search (USE KB), THINK KB provides explicit control over knowledge base queries with structured results for analysis and decision-making.

Return Structure

{
  "results": [
    {
      "content": "Relevant text content",
      "source": "document.pdf", 
      "kb_name": "knowledge_base_name",
      "relevance": 0.85,
      "tokens": 150
    }
  ],
  "summary": "Brief summary of findings",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "total_results": 5,
  "sources": ["doc1.pdf", "doc2.md"],
  "query": "original search query",
  "kb_count": 2
}

Examples

Basic Usage

USE KB "policies"
results = THINK KB "What is the remote work policy?"

TALK results.summary
PRINT "Confidence: " + results.confidence

FOR i = 0 TO results.results.length - 1
  result = results.results[i]
  PRINT "Source: " + result.source
  PRINT "Content: " + result.content
NEXT i

Decision Making with Confidence

USE KB "technical_docs"
results = THINK KB "How to fix database errors?"

IF results.confidence > 0.8 THEN
  TALK "I found reliable information: " + results.summary
  top_result = results.results[0]
  TALK "From: " + top_result.source
  TALK top_result.content
ELSE IF results.confidence > 0.5 THEN
  TALK "Found some information, but not completely certain"
ELSE
  TALK "Couldn't find reliable information. Consult additional resources."
END IF

Multi-Stage Reasoning

USE KB "research_papers"

' Stage 1: General search
general = THINK KB "machine learning applications"

' Stage 2: Specific search based on findings
IF general.confidence > 0.6 THEN
  specific_query = "deep learning " + general.results[0].content.substring(0, 50)
  specific = THINK KB specific_query
  
  TALK "Overview: " + general.summary
  TALK "Details: " + specific.summary
END IF

Source Filtering

results = THINK KB "contract clauses"

pdf_results = []
FOR i = 0 TO results.results.length - 1
  result = results.results[i]
  IF result.source CONTAINS ".pdf" THEN
    pdf_results.push(result)
  END IF
NEXT i

TALK "Found " + pdf_results.length + " PDF results"

Key Differences from USE KB

Feature	USE KB (Automatic)	THINK KB (Explicit)
Trigger	Automatic on user questions	Explicit keyword execution
Control	Behind-the-scenes	Full programmatic control
Results	Injected into LLM context	Structured data for processing
Confidence	Not exposed	Explicit confidence scoring
Filtering	Not available	Full result filtering

Best Practices

1. Activate KBs First: Use USE KB to activate knowledge bases
2. Check Confidence: Use thresholds for decision making
3. Handle Empty Results: Check total_results before accessing array
4. Filter by Relevance: Consider filtering results below 0.5 relevance
5. Cache Results: Store in variables for multiple uses

Error Handling

TRY
  results = THINK KB user_query
  IF results.total_results = 0 THEN
    TALK "No information found for: " + user_query
  END IF
CATCH error
  TALK "Search failed: " + error.message
END TRY

Performance

• Search Time: 100-500ms depending on KB size
• Memory: Results cached for session
• Token Limits: Respects 2000 token default limit
• Concurrent: Searches all active KBs in parallel

See Also

• USE KB - Activate knowledge bases
• CLEAR KB - Deactivate knowledge bases
• KB Statistics - Knowledge base metrics