Autogen's human input reloads server

Question

So, basically I am using NiceGui to create a UI over AutoGen. I have set the human_input_mode to ALWAYS. Whenever Autogen asks for the human input, the server reloads and the conversation is lost. reload=False doesn't work.

ui.run(title='Chat with Autogen Assistant', on_air=True,reload=False (same behaviour on localhost just to clarify.

def check_termination_and_human_reply(
        self,
        messages: Optional[List[Dict]] = None,
        sender: Optional[Agent] = None,
        config: Optional[Any] = None,
    ) -> Tuple[bool, Union[str, None]]:
        """Check if the conversation should be terminated, and if human reply is provided.

        This method checks for conditions that require the conversation to be terminated, such as reaching
        a maximum number of consecutive auto-replies or encountering a termination message. Additionally,
        it prompts for and processes human input based on the configured human input mode, which can be
        'ALWAYS', 'NEVER', or 'TERMINATE'. The method also manages the consecutive auto-reply counter
        for the conversation and prints relevant messages based on the human input received.

        Args:
            - messages (Optional[List[Dict]]): A list of message dictionaries, representing the conversation history.
            - sender (Optional[Agent]): The agent object representing the sender of the message.
            - config (Optional[Any]): Configuration object, defaults to the current instance if not provided.

        Returns:
            - Tuple[bool, Union[str, Dict, None]]: A tuple containing a boolean indicating if the conversation
            should be terminated, and a human reply which can be a string, a dictionary, or None.
        """
        # Function implementation...

        if config is None:
            config = self
        if messages is None:
            messages = self._oai_messages[sender]
        message = messages[-1]
        reply = ""
        no_human_input_msg = ""
        if self.human_input_mode == "ALWAYS":
            reply = self.get_human_input(
                f"Provide feedback to {sender.name}. Press enter to skip and use auto-reply, or type 'exit' to end the conversation: "
            )
            no_human_input_msg = "NO HUMAN INPUT RECEIVED." if not reply else ""
            # if the human input is empty, and the message is a termination message, then we will terminate the conversation
            reply = reply if reply or not self._is_termination_msg(message) else "exit"
        else:
            if self._consecutive_auto_reply_counter[sender] >= self._max_consecutive_auto_reply_dict[sender]:
                if self.human_input_mode == "NEVER":
                    reply = "exit"
                else:
                    # self.human_input_mode == "TERMINATE":
                    terminate = self._is_termination_msg(message)
                    reply = self.get_human_input(
                        f"Please give feedback to {sender.name}. Press enter or type 'exit' to stop the conversation: "
                        if terminate
                        else f"Please give feedback to {sender.name}. Press enter to skip and use auto-reply, or type 'exit' to stop the conversation: "
                    )
                    no_human_input_msg = "NO HUMAN INPUT RECEIVED." if not reply else ""
                    # if the human input is empty, and the message is a termination message, then we will terminate the conversation
                    reply = reply if reply or not terminate else "exit"
            elif self._is_termination_msg(message):
                if self.human_input_mode == "NEVER":
                    reply = "exit"
                else:
                    # self.human_input_mode == "TERMINATE":
                    reply = self.get_human_input(
                        f"Please give feedback to {sender.name}. Press enter or type 'exit' to stop the conversation: "
                    )
                    no_human_input_msg = "NO HUMAN INPUT RECEIVED." if not reply else ""
                    # if the human input is empty, and the message is a termination message, then we will terminate the conversation
                    reply = reply or "exit"

        # print the no_human_input_msg
        if no_human_input_msg:
            print(colored(f"\n>>>>>>>> {no_human_input_msg}", "red"), flush=True)

        # stop the conversation
        if reply == "exit":
            # reset the consecutive_auto_reply_counter
            self._consecutive_auto_reply_counter[sender] = 0
            return True, None

        # send the human reply
        if reply or self._max_consecutive_auto_reply_dict[sender] == 0:
            # reset the consecutive_auto_reply_counter
            self._consecutive_auto_reply_counter[sender] = 0
            return True, reply

        # increment the consecutive_auto_reply_counter
        self._consecutive_auto_reply_counter[sender] += 1
        if self.human_input_mode != "NEVER":
            print(colored("\n>>>>>>>> USING AUTO REPLY...", "red"), flush=True)

        return False, None

Not sure what is causing it and how to solve this.

Answer 1

From conclusions based on conversation within comments: In web-based applications, like yours here, especially those which are using server-side frameworks like Flask (which NiceGui does use "under the hood"), because HTTP is stateless, it might be difficult to preserve state across requests. Because each request is distinct, server-side programs are not predisposed to "remember" prior exchanges.

So, possible solutions:

Using session variables - Consider if it fits your needs, and the security concerns and the amount of data saved in sessions.

File or database-based state persistence - it would involve updating; each time the user interacts, update the state in the database or file.

Websockets - With WebSockets, client and server can communicate in both directions without refreshing the page. (I am not sure if NiceGui supports it, so you'd need to confirm that).

READ: Alright, I ended up giving false information for some reason I was convinced that NiceGUI is using Flask for some reason, as stated in comments NiceGUI doesn't use Flask, but FastAPI. Still the part of the answer about HTTP being stateless applies to web applications in general, including those built with FastAPI.