We describe a program aiming toward automatic control of particle accelerator beams. A hybrid approach is used, combining knowledge- based system programming techniques and traditional numerical simulations. We use an expert system shell for the symbolic processing and have incorporated the FORTRAN beam optics code TRANSPORT for numerical simulation. The paper discusses the symbolic model we built, the reasoning components, how the knowledge base accesses information from an operating beamline, and the experience gained in merging the two worlds of numeric and symbolic processing. We also discuss plans for a future real-time system. 6 refs., 6 figs
