Pipelines

Build composable AI workflows with runnable pipelines - chain models, messages, and transformers for powerful data processing.

Pipelines are the foundation of BoxLang AI's composable architecture. They allow you to chain AI operations, create reusable workflows, and build complex data processing flows with simple, readable code.

📋 Table of Contents

• 📋 Table of Contents

• 🎯 What are Pipelines?

  • Key Benefits

  • Real-World Analogy

• 🏗️ Pipeline Architecture

  • The IAiRunnable Interface

  • Built-in Runnable Components

  • Pipeline Flow

• 🔨 Building Pipelines

  • Method 1: Fluent Chaining with .to()

  • Method 2: Helper Methods

  • Method 3: Explicit Sequence

• 📥 Input and Output Flow

  • Data Passing

  • Input Types

  • Output Types

• 🔄 Transform Pipelines

  • Simple Transformations

  • Pre-Processing

  • Post-Processing

  • Bidirectional Processing

• 🎭 Multi-Step Workflows

  • Draft-Refine Pattern

  • Analysis-Enhancement Pattern

  • Validation Pipeline

• 🔀 Multi-Model Pipelines

  • Model Specialization

  • Parallel Processing

  • Dynamic Model Selection

• ♻️ Reusable Templates

  • Parameterized Pipelines

  • Pipeline Factories

  • Composable Building Blocks

• 📡 Streaming Pipelines

  • Stream Execution

  • Stream Processing

  • Conditional Streaming

• ⚙️ Parameters and Options

  • Default Parameters

  • Runtime Parameters

  • Options vs Parameters

• 🎬 Pipeline Events

  • Available Events

  • Event Interception

• 🐛 Debugging Pipelines

  • Print Pipeline Structure

  • Inspect Steps

  • Step-by-Step Execution

• ⚡ Performance Optimization

  • Choose the Right Model

  • Minimize Steps

  • Cache Results

  • Parallel Execution

• 🔒 Error Handling

  • Try-Catch Patterns

  • Graceful Degradation

  • Validation Pipelines

• 📚 Best Practices

  • Design Principles

  • Common Patterns

  • Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• 🔗 Related Documentation

---

🎯 What are Pipelines?

Pipelines are composable workflows where data flows through a sequence of operations. Each operation (called a "runnable") processes the input and passes the result to the next step.

// Simple pipeline: Message → AI Model → Transform
pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Explain AI in one sentence" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content.uCase() )

// Execute the pipeline
result = pipeline.run()
// Result: "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS THE SIMULATION OF HUMAN INTELLIGENCE BY MACHINES."

Key Benefits

✅ Composability - Mix and match components like LEGO blocks ✅ Reusability - Define once, execute with different inputs ✅ Readability - Pipelines read like natural workflows ✅ Flexibility - Swap providers, add steps, modify behavior easily ✅ Testability - Each step can be tested independently ✅ Maintainability - Changes are isolated to specific steps

Real-World Analogy

Think of a pipeline like an assembly line in a factory:

1. Raw materials (input) enter the line

2. Each station (runnable) performs a specific operation

3. Output from one station becomes input to the next

4. Final product (result) exits the line

// Assembly line for content generation
contentPipeline = aiMessage()                    // Station 1: Prepare message
    .user( "Write about ${topic}" )
    .toDefaultModel()                             // Station 2: AI generation
    .transform( r => r.content )                  // Station 3: Extract text
    .transform( text => text.trim() )             // Station 4: Clean up
    .transform( text => {                         // Station 5: Package result
        return {
            content: text,
            wordCount: text.split( " " ).len(),
            timestamp: now()
        }
    } )

---

🏗️ Pipeline Architecture

The IAiRunnable Interface

All pipeline components implement the IAiRunnable interface:

interface IAiRunnable {
    // Synchronous execution
    any function run( any input = {}, struct params = {}, struct options = {} )

    // Streaming execution
    void function stream( function onChunk, any input = {}, struct params = {}, struct options = {} )

    // Chaining
    IAiRunnable function to( IAiRunnable next )

    // Introspection
    string function getName()
}

This consistent interface means everything can be chained with everything else.

Built-in Runnable Components

Component	Purpose	Example
AiMessage	Message templates	aiMessage().user( "Hello ${name}" )
AiModel	AI provider wrapper	aiModel( "openai" )
AiAgent	Autonomous agent	aiAgent( model, memory, tools )
AiTransformRunnable	Data transformer	aiTransform( r => r.content )
AiRunnableSequence	Pipeline chain	new AiRunnableSequence( [step1, step2] )

Pipeline Flow

Data flows left-to-right:

1. Input data enters the first step

2. Each step's output becomes the next step's input

3. Final step's output is the pipeline result

---

🔨 Building Pipelines

There are multiple ways to build pipelines, all creating the same underlying AiRunnableSequence.

Method 1: Fluent Chaining with .to()

The most common approach - chain components using .to():

pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Translate '${text}' to ${language}" )
    .to( aiModel( "openai" ) )
    .to( aiTransform( r => r.content ) )

result = pipeline.run({
    text: "Hello, world!",
    language: "Spanish"
})
// Result: "¡Hola, mundo!"

How it works:

• Each .to() call creates a new AiRunnableSequence

• The sequence contains all previous steps + the new step

• Pipelines are immutable - chaining creates new sequences

Method 2: Helper Methods

Convenience methods for common patterns:

// .toDefaultModel() - Connect to default configured model
pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Hello" )
    .toDefaultModel()

// .toModel( provider, apiKey ) - Connect to specific model
pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Hello" )
    .toModel( "claude", myApiKey )

// .transform( fn ) - Add a transformation
pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Count to 5" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content.split( "," ).len() )

Method 3: Explicit Sequence

For advanced scenarios, create sequences manually:

import bxModules.bxai.models.runnables.AiRunnableSequence;

// Create individual steps
step1 = aiMessage().user( "Step 1" )
step2 = aiModel( "openai" )
step3 = aiTransform( r => r.content )

// Combine into sequence
pipeline = new AiRunnableSequence( [ step1, step2, step3 ] )

// Or use aiRunnableSequence() BIF
pipeline = aiRunnableSequence([
    step1,
    step2,
    step3
])

When to use:

• Building pipelines dynamically

• Conditional step inclusion

• Complex branching logic

---

📥 Input and Output Flow

Understanding how data moves through pipelines is crucial for building complex workflows.

Data Passing

Each step receives the previous step's output as its input:

pipeline = aiTransform( x => x * 2 )          // Step 1: Double
    .to( aiTransform( x => x + 10 ) )          // Step 2: Add 10
    .to( aiTransform( x => x / 2 ) )           // Step 3: Divide by 2

result = pipeline.run( 5 )
// Flow: 5 → 10 → 20 → 10
// Result: 10

Step-by-step:

1. Input 5 → Step 1: 5 * 2 = 10

2. Input 10 → Step 2: 10 + 10 = 20

3. Input 20 → Step 3: 20 / 2 = 10

4. Output: 10

Input Types

Different components accept different input types:

Component	Input Type	Example
AiMessage	Struct (bindings)	{ name: "Alice", role: "admin" }
AiModel	Messages array or AiMessage	[{ role: "user", content: "Hi" }]
AiTransform	Any type	String, struct, array, etc.
AiAgent	String (user message)	"What's the weather?"

Example - Mixed inputs:

// Message accepts struct bindings
template = aiMessage().user( "Hello ${name}" )

// Model accepts message output (array of message structs)
pipeline = template
    .toDefaultModel()
    // Transform accepts AI response struct
    .transform( r => r.content )
    // Next transform accepts string
    .transform( text => text.uCase() )

result = pipeline.run({ name: "Alice" })
// Flow: {name:"Alice"} → [{role:"user",content:"Hello Alice"}] → {content:"Hello, Alice!"} → "Hello, Alice!" → "HELLO, ALICE!"

Output Types

The final output depends on the last step in the pipeline:

// Model output: Full AI response struct
pipeline1 = aiMessage().user( "Hi" ).toDefaultModel()
result1 = pipeline1.run()
// result1 = { content: "Hello!", model: "gpt-4", usage: {...}, ... }

// Transform to content only
pipeline2 = pipeline1.transform( r => r.content )
result2 = pipeline2.run()
// result2 = "Hello!"

// Transform to custom struct
pipeline3 = pipeline2.transform( content => {
    return {
        message: content,
        length: content.len(),
        timestamp: now()
    }
} )
result3 = pipeline3.run()
// result3 = { message: "Hello!", length: 6, timestamp: {ts} }

---

🔄 Transform Pipelines

Transformations are the glue that connects incompatible steps and shapes data to your needs.

Simple Transformations

Extract, format, or modify data:

// Extract content from AI response
pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Say hello" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content )

// Chain multiple transforms
pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "List 3 colors" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content )              // Extract content
    .transform( text => text.split( "," ) )   // Split into array
    .transform( arr => arr.map( s => s.trim() ) )  // Trim each item
    .transform( arr => arr.filter( s => s.len() > 0 ) )  // Remove empty

result = pipeline.run()
// Result: ["Red", "Blue", "Green"]

Pre-Processing

Clean or enhance input before sending to AI:

// Clean user input before AI processing
cleanPipeline = aiTransform( input => {
        // Remove extra spaces
        return input.reReplace( "\s+", " ", "all" ).trim()
    } )
    .transform( input => {
        // Add context
        return "User question: " & input & "\nPlease respond professionally."
    } )
    .to( aiModel( "openai" ) )

messyInput = "  What    is    BoxLang?   "
result = cleanPipeline.run( messyInput )
// AI receives: "User question: What is BoxLang?\nPlease respond professionally."

Post-Processing

Process AI output after generation:

// Extract code from AI response
codePipeline = aiMessage()
    .system( "Generate code wrapped in ```javascript blocks" )
    .user( "Write a function to ${task}" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content )
    .transform( content => {
        // Extract code between ```javascript and ```
        matches = content.reMatch( "```javascript(.*?)```" )
        return matches.len() > 0 ? matches[1].trim() : ""
    } )

result = codePipeline.run({ task: "reverse a string" })
// Result: "function reverse(str) { return str.split('').reverse().join(''); }"

Bidirectional Processing

Combine pre-processing and post-processing:

// Full processing pipeline
fullPipeline = aiTransform( input => input.trim() )         // Pre: Clean
    .transform( input => "QUERY: " & input )                 // Pre: Add context
    .to( aiModel( "openai" ) )                               // AI generation
    .transform( r => r.content )                             // Post: Extract
    .transform( content => content.uCase() )                 // Post: Format
    .transform( content => {                                 // Post: Package
        return {
            response: content,
            length: content.len(),
            processed: now()
        }
    } )

---

🎭 Multi-Step Workflows

Pipelines excel at multi-stage workflows where each step has a specific purpose.

Draft-Refine Pattern

Use a fast model for drafts, then refine with a better model:

// Stage 1: Fast draft
drafter = aiMessage()
    .system( "Generate quick content drafts" )
    .user( "Write about: ${topic}" )
    .to( aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o-mini" } ) )
    .transform( r => r.content )

// Stage 2: Quality refinement
refiner = aiMessage()
    .system( "Improve and expand content while maintaining core message" )
    .user( "Enhance this draft: ${draft}" )
    .to( aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o" } ) )
    .transform( r => r.content )

// Execute stages
topic = "AI in healthcare"
draft = drafter.run({ topic: topic })
refined = refiner.run({ draft: draft })

Benefits:

• Faster initial generation (cheap model)

• Higher quality final output (better model)

• Cost optimization (only use expensive model for refinement)

Analysis-Enhancement Pattern

Analyze content, then enhance based on analysis:

// Stage 1: Analyze sentiment
analyzer = aiMessage()
    .user( "Analyze sentiment: ${text}" )
    .to( aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o-mini" } ) )
    .transform( r => r.content )

// Stage 2: Generate appropriate response
responder = aiMessage()
    .system( "Generate a response matching the sentiment: ${sentiment}" )
    .user( "Respond to: ${original}" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content )

// Execute
review = "This product is amazing! Best purchase ever."
sentiment = analyzer.run({ text: review })
response = responder.run({
    sentiment: sentiment,
    original: review
})

Validation Pipeline

Generate, validate, and retry if needed:

// Generator
generator = aiMessage()
    .user( "Generate a valid email for ${name}" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content )

// Validator
validator = aiTransform( email => {
    isValid = email.reFind( "^[\w\.\-]+@[\w\.\-]+\.\w+$" ) > 0
    return {
        email: email,
        valid: isValid,
        message: isValid ? "Valid" : "Invalid email format"
    }
} )

// Combined pipeline
pipeline = generator.to( validator )

// Execute with retry logic
maxRetries = 3
for ( i = 1; i <= maxRetries; i++ ) {
    result = pipeline.run({ name: "John Doe" })
    if ( result.valid ) {
        println( "Generated valid email: #result.email#" )
        break
    }
    println( "Attempt #i# failed: #result.message#" )
}

---

🔀 Multi-Model Pipelines

Leverage different models' strengths in a single workflow.

Model Specialization

Use each model for what it does best:

// Fast model for quick tasks
quickModel = aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o-mini", temperature: 0.7 } )

// Smart model for complex reasoning
smartModel = aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o", temperature: 0.3 } )

// Code-specialized model
codeModel = aiModel( "deepseek", { model: "deepseek-coder", temperature: 0.2 } )

// Workflow: Quick summary → Detailed analysis → Code generation
workflow = aiMessage()
    .user( "Summarize: ${doc}" )
    .to( quickModel )                          // Fast summary
    .transform( r => r.content )
    .transform( summary => {
        return aiMessage()
            .user( "Analyze in detail: ${summary}" )
            .to( smartModel )                  // Deep analysis
            .run({ summary: summary }).content
    } )
    .transform( analysis => {
        return aiMessage()
            .user( "Generate code based on: ${analysis}" )
            .to( codeModel )                   // Code generation
            .run({ analysis: analysis }).content
    } )

Parallel Processing

Run multiple models simultaneously (not sequential pipeline):

text = "This product is great but expensive."

// Create separate pipelines
sentimentPipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Analyze sentiment: ${text}" )
    .to( aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o-mini" } ) )
    .transform( r => r.content )

aspectPipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Extract aspects (quality, price): ${text}" )
    .to( aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o" } ) )
    .transform( r => r.content )

// Run both (BoxLang doesn't have native async, but you can use threads)
sentiment = sentimentPipeline.run({ text: text })
aspects = aspectPipeline.run({ text: text })

// Combine results
result = {
    sentiment: sentiment,
    aspects: aspects,
    original: text
}

Dynamic Model Selection

Choose model based on input characteristics:

function createAdaptivePipeline( complexity ) {
    // Simple tasks: fast model
    // Complex tasks: smart model
    model = complexity > 5 ?
        aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o" } ) :
        aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o-mini" } )

    return aiMessage()
        .user( "Process: ${input}" )
        .to( model )
        .transform( r => r.content )
}

// Use based on task
simplePipeline = createAdaptivePipeline( 3 )
complexPipeline = createAdaptivePipeline( 8 )

---

♻️ Reusable Templates

One of the most powerful features of pipelines is reusability - define once, execute many times.

Parameterized Pipelines

Create templates that accept different inputs:

// Define reusable greeter template
greeter = aiMessage()
    .system( "You are a friendly greeter" )
    .user( "Greet ${name} in ${style} style" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content )

// Reuse with different inputs
formal = greeter.run({ name: "Dr. Smith", style: "formal" })
casual = greeter.run({ name: "Bob", style: "casual" })
pirate = greeter.run({ name: "Captain Jack", style: "pirate" })

// Each execution is independent
println( formal )   // "Good day, Dr. Smith. How may I assist you?"
println( casual )   // "Hey Bob! What's up?"
println( pirate )   // "Ahoy, Captain Jack! What brings ye here?"

Pipeline Factories

Generate customized pipelines on demand:

function createTranslator( targetLanguage ) {
    return aiMessage()
        .system( "You are a professional translator" )
        .user( "Translate to #targetLanguage#: ${text}" )
        .toDefaultModel()
        .transform( r => r.content )
}

// Create specialized translators
spanishTranslator = createTranslator( "Spanish" )
frenchTranslator = createTranslator( "French" )
germanTranslator = createTranslator( "German" )

// Use them
text = "Hello, how are you?"
println( spanishTranslator.run({ text: text }) )  // "Hola, ¿cómo estás?"
println( frenchTranslator.run({ text: text }) )   // "Bonjour, comment allez-vous?"
println( germanTranslator.run({ text: text }) )   // "Hallo, wie geht es dir?"

Composable Building Blocks

Build complex pipelines from reusable components:

// Reusable components
contentExtractor = aiTransform( r => r.content )
uppercaser = aiTransform( text => text.uCase() )
trimmer = aiTransform( text => text.trim() )
wordCounter = aiTransform( text => {
    return {
        text: text,
        words: text.split( " " ).len()
    }
} )

// Compose different pipelines
basicPipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Say hello" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .to( contentExtractor )

formattedPipeline = basicPipeline
    .to( trimmer )
    .to( uppercaser )

analysisPipeline = basicPipeline
    .to( wordCounter )

// Each pipeline reuses common components
result1 = basicPipeline.run()      // "Hello there!"
result2 = formattedPipeline.run()  // "HELLO THERE!"
result3 = analysisPipeline.run()   // { text: "Hello there!", words: 2 }

---

📡 Streaming Pipelines

Pipelines support streaming for real-time AI responses.

Stream Execution

Use .stream() instead of .run():

pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Explain AI in 3 paragraphs" )
    .toDefaultModel()

// Stream the response
pipeline.stream(
    ( chunk ) => {
        content = chunk.choices?.first()?.delta?.content ?: ""
        print( content )  // Print each chunk as it arrives
    }
)

How it works:

• All steps except the last execute normally

• The last step streams its output

• Your callback receives each chunk

Stream Processing

Process chunks in real-time:

fullText = ""
wordCount = 0

pipeline.stream(
    ( chunk ) => {
        content = chunk.choices?.first()?.delta?.content ?: ""
        fullText &= content

        // Count words as they arrive
        if ( content.contains( " " ) ) {
            wordCount++
        }

        print( content )
    }
)

println( "\n\nTotal words: #wordCount#" )

Conditional Streaming

Choose streaming vs. normal execution:

function processQuery( query, useStreaming = false ) {
    pipeline = aiMessage()
        .user( query )
        .toDefaultModel()

    if ( useStreaming ) {
        pipeline.stream(
            ( chunk ) => {
                print( chunk.choices?.first()?.delta?.content ?: "" )
            }
        )
    } else {
        result = pipeline.run()
        println( result.content )
    }
}

// Interactive mode: stream
processQuery( "Explain AI", true )

// Batch mode: normal
processQuery( "Explain AI", false )

Note: Transforms run after streaming completes, not per-chunk:

pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Count to 5" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content.uCase() )  // Runs AFTER streaming finishes

// Streaming still works on the AI model step
pipeline.stream( chunk => print( chunk ) )  // Streams AI response
// Then transform runs on complete response

---

⚙️ Parameters and Options

Pipelines support default and runtime configuration.

Default Parameters

Set parameters that apply to all executions:

pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Explain: ${topic}" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .withParams({
        model: "gpt-4o",
        temperature: 0.7,
        maxTokens: 500
    })

// All executions use these defaults
result1 = pipeline.run({ topic: "AI" })
result2 = pipeline.run({ topic: "ML" })

Runtime Parameters

Override defaults at execution time:

pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Write about: ${topic}" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .withParams({
        temperature: 0.7,  // Default
        maxTokens: 500
    })

// Override temperature for creative output
creative = pipeline.run(
    { topic: "poetry" },
    { temperature: 1.0 }  // Runtime override
)

// Override temperature for factual output
factual = pipeline.run(
    { topic: "science" },
    { temperature: 0.2 }  // Runtime override
)

Merge behavior:

• Runtime parameters override defaults

• Unspecified parameters use defaults

• Input bindings are separate from parameters

Options vs Parameters

Parameters configure the AI provider (model, temperature, etc.) Options configure the runnable behavior (returnFormat, timeout, logging)

pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Hello" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .withParams({
        model: "gpt-4o",         // AI provider parameter
        temperature: 0.7         // AI provider parameter
    })
    .withOptions({
        returnFormat: "single",  // Runnable option
        timeout: 30,             // Runnable option
        logging: true            // Runnable option
    })

// Runtime overrides
result = pipeline.run(
    {},                          // Input bindings
    { temperature: 1.0 },        // Parameter overrides
    { returnFormat: "raw" }      // Option overrides
)

---

🎬 Pipeline Events

Pipelines emit events during execution for monitoring and debugging.

Available Events

Event	When	Data
beforeAIPipelineRun	Before pipeline execution	{ sequence, name, stepCount, steps, input, params, options }
afterAIPipelineRun	After pipeline execution	{ sequence, name, stepCount, steps, input, result, executionTime }

Event Interception

Listen to pipeline events in your application:

// Register interceptor
BoxRegisterInterceptor({
    interceptorObject: {
        beforeAIPipelineRun: ( event, interceptData ) => {
            println( "Pipeline starting: #interceptData.name#" )
            println( "Steps: #interceptData.stepCount#" )
            println( "Input: #serializeJSON( interceptData.input )#" )
        },
        afterAIPipelineRun: ( event, interceptData ) => {
            println( "Pipeline completed: #interceptData.name#" )
            println( "Time: #interceptData.executionTime#ms" )
            println( "Result: #serializeJSON( interceptData.result )#" )
        }
    }
})

// Now all pipelines emit events
pipeline = aiMessage().user( "Hello" ).toDefaultModel()
result = pipeline.run()
// Console output:
// Pipeline starting: AiRunnableSequence
// Steps: 2
// Input: {}
// Pipeline completed: AiRunnableSequence
// Time: 1543ms
// Result: {"content":"Hello! How can I help you?"}

Use cases:

• Performance monitoring

• Debugging workflows

• Logging and auditing

• Cost tracking (count tokens)

• Error tracking

---

🐛 Debugging Pipelines

Tools for understanding and troubleshooting pipelines.

Print Pipeline Structure

Use .print() to see pipeline composition:

pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Hello" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content )
    .transform( t => t.uCase() )

pipeline.print()
// Output:
// AiRunnableSequence (4 steps)
//   [1] AiMessage (src.main.bx.models.AiMessage)
//   [2] AiModel (src.main.bx.models.AiModel)
//   [3] Transform (src.main.bx.models.transformers.AiTransformRunnable)
//   [4] Transform (src.main.bx.models.transformers.AiTransformRunnable)

Inspect Steps

Get detailed step information:

steps = pipeline.getSteps()

for ( step in steps ) {
    println( "Step #step.index#:" )
    println( "  Name: #step.name#" )
    println( "  Type: #step.type#" )
    println( "  Params: #serializeJSON( step.params )#" )
}

Step-by-Step Execution

Execute each step manually for debugging:

// Get individual steps
steps = pipeline.getSteps()

// Execute step by step
input = { name: "Alice" }
for ( step in steps ) {
    println( "Executing: #step.name#" )
    println( "Input: #serializeJSON( input )#" )

    input = step.step.run( input )

    println( "Output: #serializeJSON( input )#" )
    println( "─".repeat( 50 ) )
}

---

⚡ Performance Optimization

Tips for building efficient pipelines.

Choose the Right Model

Use cheaper/faster models for simple tasks:

// Fast model for simple extraction
extractor = aiMessage()
    .user( "Extract email from: ${text}" )
    .to( aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o-mini" } ) )  // Cheap & fast
    .transform( r => r.content )

// Smart model for complex reasoning
reasoner = aiMessage()
    .user( "Explain quantum computing: ${topic}" )
    .to( aiModel( "openai", { model: "gpt-4o" } ) )  // Expensive & accurate
    .transform( r => r.content )

Minimize Steps

Combine transformations when possible:

// ❌ Multiple transforms
pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Hello" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content )
    .transform( t => t.trim() )
    .transform( t => t.uCase() )
    .transform( t => "RESULT: " & t )

// ✅ Single transform
pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Hello" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => "RESULT: " & r.content.trim().uCase() )

Cache Results

Cache expensive AI calls:

cache = {}

function getCachedResult( pipeline, input ) {
    key = hash( serializeJSON( input ) )

    if ( cache.keyExists( key ) ) {
        return cache[ key ]
    }

    result = pipeline.run( input )
    cache[ key ] = result
    return result
}

// Use cached pipeline
result = getCachedResult( expensivePipeline, { topic: "AI" } )

Parallel Execution

For independent tasks, run pipelines in parallel (using threads):

// Sequential (slow)
result1 = pipeline1.run( input1 )
result2 = pipeline2.run( input2 )
result3 = pipeline3.run( input3 )

// Parallel (faster) - BoxLang doesn't have native async,
// but you can use Java's CompletableFuture or similar

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🔒 Error Handling

Robust error handling for production pipelines.

Try-Catch Patterns

Wrap pipeline execution in error handlers:

try {
    result = pipeline.run( input )
} catch ( any e ) {
    println( "Pipeline error: #e.message#" )
    println( "Type: #e.type#" )

    // Fallback behavior
    result = getDefaultResponse()
}

Graceful Degradation

Provide fallbacks for AI failures:

function processWithFallback( input ) {
    try {
        return aiPipeline.run( input )
    } catch ( any e ) {
        println( "AI failed, using rule-based fallback" )
        return ruleBasedProcessor( input )
    }
}

Validation Pipelines

Validate at each critical step:

pipeline = aiMessage()
    .user( "Generate JSON: ${prompt}" )
    .toDefaultModel()
    .transform( r => r.content )
    .transform( content => {
        // Validate JSON
        try {
            return deserializeJSON( content )
        } catch ( any e ) {
            throw( type: "ValidationError", message: "Invalid JSON response" )
        }
    } )
    .transform( data => {
        // Validate structure
        if ( !data.keyExists( "result" ) ) {
            throw( type: "ValidationError", message: "Missing 'result' key" )
        }
        return data
    } )

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📚 Best Practices

Design Principles

✅ Single Responsibility - Each step does one thing well ✅ Immutability - Don't modify pipeline state during execution ✅ Composition - Build complex workflows from simple components ✅ Reusability - Design pipelines as reusable templates ✅ Explicit > Implicit - Be clear about data transformations

Common Patterns

Extract-Transform-Load (ETL)

etlPipeline = dataLoader              // Extract
    .to( dataTransformer )             // Transform
    .to( dataSaver )                   // Load

Template-Execute-Format

workflow = messageTemplate             // Template
    .toDefaultModel()                  // Execute
    .transform( r => formatOutput( r ) )  // Format

Validate-Process-Validate

safePipeline = inputValidator          // Validate input
    .to( aiProcessor )                 // Process
    .to( outputValidator )             // Validate output

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ Overly Long Pipelines (>10 steps) - Break into sub-pipelines ❌ Side Effects in Transforms - Keep transforms pure (no DB writes, no external API calls) ❌ Tight Coupling - Don't hardcode provider-specific logic ❌ Missing Error Handling - Always handle AI failures gracefully ❌ Ignoring Performance - Profile and optimize expensive operations

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🔗 Related Documentation

• AI Models - Configure and use AI providers

• Messages - Build message templates

• Transformers - Data transformation patterns

• Streaming - Real-time response handling

• Agents - Autonomous AI workflows

• Events - Event interception and monitoring

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Ready to build complex AI workflows? Start with simple pipelines and gradually add complexity as your needs grow. The composable architecture scales from basic scripts to enterprise applications.