.Net Agents - Update Templating Pattern

dotnet/samples/Concepts/Agents/OpenAIAssistant_Templating.cs

@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ Always state the requested style of the poem.
 
     private async Task InvokeAssistantAgentWithTemplateAsync(
         string instructionTemplate,
-        string? templateFormat = null,
-        IPromptTemplateFactory? templateFactory = null)
+        string templateFormat,
+        IPromptTemplateFactory templateFactory)
     {
         PromptTemplateConfig config = new()
         {
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ await this.AssistantClient.CreateAssistantFromTemplateAsync(
                 metadata: SampleMetadata);
 
         // Create the agent
-        OpenAIAssistantAgent agent = new(assistant, this.AssistantClient, plugins: null, config, templateFactory)
+        OpenAIAssistantAgent agent = new(assistant, this.AssistantClient, plugins: null, templateFactory, templateFormat)
         {
             Arguments =
             {

dotnet/samples/GettingStartedWithAgents/AzureAIAgent/Step01_AzureAIAgent.cs

@@ -19,16 +19,19 @@ public async Task UseTemplateForAzureAgentAsync()
         // Define the agent
         string generateStoryYaml = EmbeddedResource.Read("GenerateStory.yaml");
         PromptTemplateConfig templateConfig = KernelFunctionYaml.ToPromptTemplateConfig(generateStoryYaml);
-
+        // Instructions, Name and Description properties defined via the PromptTemplateConfig.
         Agent definition = await this.AgentsClient.CreateAgentAsync("gpt-4o", templateConfig.Name, templateConfig.Description, templateConfig.Template);
-        // Instructions, Name and Description properties defined via the config.
-        AzureAIAgent agent = new(definition, this.AgentsClient)
+        AzureAIAgent agent = new(
+            definition,
+            this.AgentsClient,
+            templateFactory: new KernelPromptTemplateFactory(),
+            templateFormat: PromptTemplateConfig.SemanticKernelTemplateFormat)
         {
             Arguments =
             {
                 { "topic", "Dog" },
-                { "length", "3" },
-            },
+                { "length", "3" }
+            }
         };
 
         // Create a thread for the agent conversation.

dotnet/samples/GettingStartedWithAgents/OpenAIAssistant/Step01_Assistant.cs

@@ -17,16 +17,19 @@ public async Task UseTemplateForAssistantAgentAsync()
         // Define the agent
         string generateStoryYaml = EmbeddedResource.Read("GenerateStory.yaml");
         PromptTemplateConfig templateConfig = KernelFunctionYaml.ToPromptTemplateConfig(generateStoryYaml);
-
-        // Instructions, Name and Description properties defined via the config.
+        // Instructions, Name and Description properties defined via the PromptTemplateConfig.
         Assistant definition = await this.AssistantClient.CreateAssistantFromTemplateAsync(this.Model, templateConfig, metadata: SampleMetadata);
-        OpenAIAssistantAgent agent = new(definition, this.AssistantClient)
+        OpenAIAssistantAgent agent = new(
+            definition,
+            this.AssistantClient,
+            templateFactory: new KernelPromptTemplateFactory(),
+            templateFormat: PromptTemplateConfig.SemanticKernelTemplateFormat)
         {
             Arguments =
             {
                 { "topic", "Dog" },
-                { "length", "3" },
-            },
+                { "length", "3" }
+            }
         };
 
         // Create a thread for the agent conversation.

dotnet/src/Agents/Abstractions/KernelAgent.cs

@@ -50,14 +50,14 @@ public abstract class KernelAgent : Agent
     /// <returns>The formatted system instructions for the agent.</returns>
     protected async Task<string?> FormatInstructionsAsync(Kernel kernel, KernelArguments? arguments, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
     {
-        // Use the provided template as the instructions
-        if (this.Template is not null)
+        if (this.Template is null)
         {
-            return await this.Template.RenderAsync(kernel, arguments, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+            // Use the instructions as-is
+            return this.Instructions;
         }
 
-        // Use the instructions as-is
-        return this.Instructions;
+        // Use the provided template as the instructions
+        return await this.Template.RenderAsync(kernel, arguments, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
     }
 
     /// <summary>

dotnet/src/Agents/AzureAI/AzureAIAgent.cs

@@ -54,25 +54,38 @@ public static class Tools
     /// </summary>
     /// <param name="model">The agent model definition.</param>
     /// <param name="client">An <see cref="AgentsClient"/> instance.</param>
-    /// <param name="templateConfig">The prompt template configuration.</param>
-    /// <param name="templateFactory">An optional template factory.</param>
+    /// <param name="plugins">Optional collection of plugins to add to the kernel.</param>
+    /// <param name="templateFactory">An optional factory to produce the <see cref="IPromptTemplate"/> for the agent.</param>
+    /// <param name="templateFormat">The format of the prompt template used when "templateFactory" parameter is supplied.</param>
     public AzureAIAgent(
         Azure.AI.Projects.Agent model,
         AgentsClient client,
-        PromptTemplateConfig? templateConfig = null,
-        IPromptTemplateFactory? templateFactory = null)
+        IEnumerable<KernelPlugin>? plugins = null,
+        IPromptTemplateFactory? templateFactory = null,
+        string? templateFormat = null)
     {
         this.Client = client;
         this.Definition = model;
         this.Description = this.Definition.Description;
         this.Id = this.Definition.Id;
         this.Name = this.Definition.Name;
-        this.Instructions = templateConfig?.Template ?? this.Definition.Instructions;
+        this.Instructions = this.Definition.Instructions;
 
-        if (templateConfig is not null)
+        if (templateFactory != null)
         {
-            this.Template = templateFactory?.Create(templateConfig)
-                ?? throw new KernelException($"Invalid prompt template factory {templateFactory} for format {templateConfig.TemplateFormat}");
+            Verify.NotNullOrWhiteSpace(templateFormat);
+
+            PromptTemplateConfig templateConfig = new(this.Instructions)
+            {
+                TemplateFormat = templateFormat
+            };
+
+            this.Template = templateFactory.Create(templateConfig);
+        }
+
+        if (plugins != null)
+        {
+            this.Kernel.Plugins.AddRange(plugins);
         }
     }
 

dotnet/src/Agents/Core/ChatCompletionAgent.cs

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 // Copyright (c) Microsoft. All rights reserved.
 
+using System;
 using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
 using System.Text;
@@ -62,7 +63,7 @@ public override IAsyncEnumerable<ChatMessageContent> InvokeAsync(
         Kernel? kernel = null,
         CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
     {
-        var agentName = this.GetDisplayName();
+        string agentName = this.GetDisplayName();
 
         return ActivityExtensions.RunWithActivityAsync(
             () => ModelDiagnostics.StartAgentInvocationActivity(this.Id, agentName, this.Description),
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ public override IAsyncEnumerable<StreamingChatMessageContent> InvokeStreamingAsy
         Kernel? kernel = null,
         CancellationToken cancellationToken = default)
     {
-        var agentName = this.GetDisplayName();
+        string agentName = this.GetDisplayName();
 
         return ActivityExtensions.RunWithActivityAsync(
             () => ModelDiagnostics.StartAgentInvocationActivity(this.Id, agentName, this.Description),
@@ -143,7 +144,7 @@ private async IAsyncEnumerable<ChatMessageContent> InternalInvokeAsync(
 
         int messageCount = chat.Count;
 
-        var serviceType = chatCompletionService.GetType();
+        Type serviceType = chatCompletionService.GetType();
 
         this.Logger.LogAgentChatServiceInvokingAgent(nameof(InvokeAsync), this.Id, agentName, serviceType);
 
@@ -190,7 +191,7 @@ private async IAsyncEnumerable<StreamingChatMessageContent> InternalInvokeStream
 
         int messageCount = chat.Count;
 
-        var serviceType = chatCompletionService.GetType();
+        Type serviceType = chatCompletionService.GetType();
 
         this.Logger.LogAgentChatServiceInvokingAgent(nameof(InvokeAsync), this.Id, agentName, serviceType);
 

dotnet/src/Agents/OpenAI/OpenAIAssistantAgent.cs

@@ -35,14 +35,14 @@ public sealed partial class OpenAIAssistantAgent : KernelAgent
     /// <param name="definition">The assistant definition.</param>
     /// <param name="client">The OpenAI provider for accessing the Assistant API service.</param>
     /// <param name="plugins">Optional collection of plugins to add to the kernel.</param>
-    /// <param name="templateConfig">The prompt template configuration.</param>
     /// <param name="templateFactory">An optional factory to produce the <see cref="IPromptTemplate"/> for the agent.</param>
+    /// <param name="templateFormat">The format of the prompt template used when "templateFactory" parameter is supplied.</param>
     public OpenAIAssistantAgent(
         Assistant definition,
         AssistantClient client,
         IEnumerable<KernelPlugin>? plugins = null,
-        PromptTemplateConfig? templateConfig = null,
-        IPromptTemplateFactory? templateFactory = null)
+        IPromptTemplateFactory? templateFactory = null,
+        string? templateFormat = null)
     {
         this.Client = client;
 
@@ -51,12 +51,18 @@ public OpenAIAssistantAgent(
         this.Description = this.Definition.Description;
         this.Id = this.Definition.Id;
         this.Name = this.Definition.Name;
-        this.Instructions = templateConfig?.Template ?? this.Definition.Instructions;
+        this.Instructions = this.Definition.Instructions;
 
-        if (templateConfig is not null)
+        if (templateFactory != null)
         {
-            this.Template = templateFactory?.Create(templateConfig)
-                ?? throw new KernelException($"Invalid prompt template factory {templateFactory} for format {templateConfig.TemplateFormat}");
+            Verify.NotNullOrWhiteSpace(templateFormat);
+
+            PromptTemplateConfig templateConfig = new(this.Instructions)
+            {
+                TemplateFormat = templateFormat
+            };
+
+            this.Template = templateFactory.Create(templateConfig);
         }
 
         if (plugins != null)