The first step is to make an instance of org.drools.RuleBase available in a Seam context variable. For testing purposes, Seam provides a built-in component that compiles a static set of rules from the classpath. You can install this component via components.xml:

<drools:rule-base name="policyPricingRules">
    <drools:rule-files>
        <value>policyPricingRules</value>
    </drools:rule-files>
</drools:rule-base>

This component compiles rules from a set of .drl files and caches an instance of org.drools.RuleBase in the Seam APPLICATION context. Note that it is quite likely that you will need to install multiple rule bases in a rule-driven application.

If you want to use a Drools DSL, you alse need to specify the DSL definition:

<drools:rule-base name="policyPricingRules" dsl-file="policyPricing.dsl">
    <drools:rule-files>
        <value>policyPricingRules</value>
    </drools:rule-files>
</drools:rule-base>

In most rules-driven applications, rules need to be dynamically deployable, so a production application will want to use a Drools RuleAgent to manage the RuleBase. The RuleAgent can connect to a Drools rule server (BRMS) or hot deploy rules packages from a local file repository. The RulesAgent-managed RuleBase is also configurable in components.xml:

<drools:rule-agent name="insuranceRules" 
                    configurationFile="/WEB-INF/deployedrules.properties" />

The properties file contains properties specific to the RulesAgent. Here is an example configuration file from the Drools example distribution.

newInstance=true
url=http://localhost:8080/drools-jbrms/org.drools.brms.JBRMS/package/org.acme.insurance/fmeyer
localCacheDir=/Users/fernandomeyer/projects/jbossrules/drools-examples/drools-examples-brms/cache
poll=30
name=insuranceconfig

It is also possible to configure the options on the component directly, bypassing the configuration file.

<drools:rule-agent name="insuranceRules"
                   url="http://localhost:8080/drools-jbrms/org.drools.brms.JBRMS/package/org.acme.insurance/fmeyer"
                   local-cache-dir="/Users/fernandomeyer/projects/jbossrules/drools-examples/drools-examples-brms/cache"
                   poll="30"
                   configuration-name="insuranceconfig" />

Next, we need to make an instance of org.drools.WorkingMemory available to each conversation. (Each WorkingMemory accumulates facts relating to the current conversation.)

<drools:managed-working-memory name="policyPricingWorkingMemory" auto-create="true" rule-base="#{policyPricingRules}"/>

Notice that we gave the policyPricingWorkingMemory a reference back to our rule base via the ruleBase configuration property.

We can now inject our WorkingMemory into any Seam component, assert facts, and fire rules:

@In WorkingMemory policyPricingWorkingMemory;

@In Policy policy;
@In Customer customer;

public void pricePolicy() throws FactException
{
    policyPricingWorkingMemory.assertObject(policy);
    policyPricingWorkingMemory.assertObject(customer);
    policyPricingWorkingMemory.fireAllRules();
}

You can even allow a rule base to act as a jBPM action handler, decision handler, or assignment handler—in either a pageflow or business process definition.

<decision name="approval">
         
    <handler class="org.jboss.seam.drools.DroolsDecisionHandler">
        <workingMemoryName>orderApprovalRulesWorkingMemory</workingMemoryName>
        <assertObjects>
            <element>#{customer}</element>
            <element>#{order}</element>
            <element>#{order.lineItems}</element>
        </assertObjects>
    </handler>
    
    <transition name="approved" to="ship">
        <action class="org.jboss.seam.drools.DroolsActionHandler">
            <workingMemoryName>shippingRulesWorkingMemory</workingMemoryName>
            <assertObjects>
                <element>#{customer}</element>
                <element>#{order}</element>
                <element>#{order.lineItems}</element>
            </assertObjects>
        </action>
    </transition>
    
    <transition name="rejected" to="cancelled"/>
    
</decision>

The <assertObjects> element specifies EL expressions that return an object or collection of objects to be asserted as facts into the WorkingMemory.

There is also support for using Drools for jBPM task assignments:

<task-node name="review">
    <task name="review" description="Review Order">
        <assignment handler="org.jboss.seam.drools.DroolsAssignmentHandler">
            <workingMemoryName>orderApprovalRulesWorkingMemory</workingMemoryName>
            <assertObjects>
                <element>#{actor}</element>
                <element>#{customer}</element>
                <element>#{order}</element>
                <element>#{order.lineItems}</element>
            </assertObjects>
        </assignment>
    </task>
    <transition name="rejected" to="cancelled"/>
    <transition name="approved" to="approved"/>
</task-node>

Certain objects are available to the rules as Drools globals, namely the jBPM Assignable, as assignable and a Seam Decision object, as decision. Rules which handle decisions should call decision.setOutcome("result") to determine the result of the decision. Rules which perform assignments should set the actor id using the Assignable.

package org.jboss.seam.examples.shop

import org.jboss.seam.drools.Decision

global Decision decision

rule "Approve Order For Loyal Customer"
  when
    Customer( loyaltyStatus == "GOLD" )
    Order( totalAmount <= 10000 )
  then
    decision.setOutcome("approved");
end

package org.jboss.seam.examples.shop

import org.jbpm.taskmgmt.exe.Assignable

global Assignable assignable

rule "Assign Review For Small Order"
  when
    Order( totalAmount <= 100 )
  then
    assignable.setPooledActors( new String[] {"reviewers"} );
end