File Format

Types

Type	Description	Examples
`number`	Decimal	`42`, `0.2`, `-1.8`
`id`	Alphanumeric or `_` identifier; Must not only contain digits	`zone0`, `Foo`, `atom_99`
`percentage`	Relative number; specified as percentage	`5%`, `-4%`, `3.8%`
`color`	Hex-color in `#RRGGBBAA` format; alpha is optional	`#1eb69dcc`, `#ac52f6`
`string`	A string; Must be enclosed in double-quotes	`"Hello World!"`, `"Some string"`
`tuple(<a>, <b>, ...)`	A tuple; element-types are specified in parentheses	`(5, 2)`
`set(<type>)`	A set; element-type is specified in parentheses	`{ atom0, atom1 }`
`regex`	A regex; Must be enclosed in `^`, `$`	`^atom.*$`, `^Foo:Bar$`
`boolean`	A boolean (`true`/`false`) value	`true`, `false`

Type aliases

Alias	Type	Description
`position`	`tuple(number, number)`	A position
`target`	`id \| set(target)`	A target (i.e., a zone, an atom, or a set containing multiple targets)
`time`	`number`	A time; can also be one of the relative times

Machine Configuration

Configuration parameters for the machine are set in a .namachine-file. The file-name will be the machine-id. It contains multiple configuration-blocks:

Display-name

A human-readable name for the machine can be set in the name-field.

name: <string> // Name of the machine

Movement Speeds

The maximum movement speed of the machine is specified in the movement-block. The machine will interpolate using constant jerk while respecting this max_speed.

movement {
	max_speed: <number>> // Max speed
}

Times

The time-block allows setting the time of the operations.

time {
	load: <number> // Time to load an atom
	store: <number> // Time to store an atom
	ry: <number> // Time for ry-operation
	rz: <number> // Time for rz-operation
	cz: <number> // Time for cz-operation
	unit: <string> // Displayed time-unit
}

Distances

The distance-block allows specifying various distances.

distance {
	interaction: <number> // Interaction-radius for all operations that operate on nearby atoms
	unit: <string> // Displayed distance-unit
}

Zones

A zone can be defined with a zone-block. It should be given a unique ID and bounds.

zone <id> {
	from: <position> // First coordinate of rectangle
	to: <position> // Second coordinate of rectangle
}

Static Traps

A static trap can be defined with the trap-block. It should be given a position.

trap <id> {
	position: <position> // Position of the trap
}

Visual Configuration

Visual configuration can be specified in a .nastyle-file. It contains the following blocks:

Display-name

A human-readable name for the style can be set in the name-field.

name: <string> // Name of the style

Atoms

The atom-block allows specifying settings regarding the appearance of atoms.

atom {
	trapped {
		color: <color> // Color of a trapped atom
	}
	shuttling {
		color: <color> // Color of a shuttling atom
	}
	legend {
		name {
			<regex>: <string> // Display a text over all atoms whose ID matches the key-regex; the displayed text is the replacement from the value
			// Example to display all ids: `^.*$: "$0"`
		}
		font {
			family: <string> // Font-Family of the text on the atoms
			size: <number> // Size of the text on the atoms
			color: <color> // Color of the text on the atoms
		}
	}
	radius: <number> // Radius of atoms
}

Zones

The zone-block allows specifying settings regarding the appearance of zones.

zone {
	config <regex> { // The settings below will be applied to all zones matching this regex
		color: <color> // The color of the zone
		line {
			thickness: <number> // The line thickness of the zone
			dash {
				length: <number> // The length of dash-segments of the line
				duty: <percentage> // How much of the dash-segment will be filled
			}
		}
		name: <string> // What to display the zone as; the name can reference groups from the regex
	}
	legend {
		display: <boolean> // Whether to display the zone-names in the sidebar legend
		title: <string> // The heading over the zones in the sidebar
	}
}

Operations

The operation-block allows specifying settings regarding the appearance of operations.

operation {
	config {
		ry {
			color: <color> // Color of ry-operations
			name: <string> // Name to display in the sidebar legend
			radius: <number | percentage> // How big the atoms should be during ry-operations; either absolute or relative
		}
		rz {
			color: <color> // Color of rz-operations
			name: <string> // Name to display in the sidebar legend
			radius: <number | percentage> // How big the atoms should be during rz-operations; either absolute or relative
		}
		cz {
			color: <color> // Color of cz-operations
			name: <string> // Name to display in the sidebar legend
			radius: <number | percentage> // How big the atoms should be during cz-operations; either absolute or relative
		}
	}
	legend {
		display: <boolean> // Whether to display the operation-names in the sidebar legend
		title: <string> // The heading over the operations in the sidebar
	}
}

Machine

The machine-block allows specifying settings regarding the appearance of the machine.

machine {
	trap {
		color: <color> // Color of the traps
		radius: <number> // Radius of the traps
		line_width: <number> // Line width of the traps
		name: <string> // Name to display in the sidebar legend
	}
	shuttle {
		color: <color> // Color of the shuttle
		line {
			thickness: <number> // The line thickness of the shuttle
			dash {
				length: <number> // The length of dash-segments of the line
				duty: <percentage> // How much of the dash-segment will be filled
			}
		}
		name: <string> // Name to display in the sidebar legend
	}
	legend {
		display: <boolean> // Whether to display the trap and shuttle names in the sidebar legend
		title: <string> // The heading over the names in the sidebar
	}
}

Coordinates

The coordinate-block allows specifying settings regarding the appearance of the coordinate system.

coordinate {
	tick {
		x: <number> // Distance of ticks in the x-direction
		y: <number> // Distance of ticks in the y-direction
		color: <color> // Color of the grid
		line {
			thickness: <number> // The line thickness of the grid
			dash {
				length: <number> // The length of dash-segments of the line
				duty: <percentage> // How much of the dash-segment will be filled
			}
		}
	}
	number {
		x {
			distance: <number> // Distance between coordinate numbers in x-direction
			position: <'top' | 'bottom'> // Display numbers on top or bottom
		}
		y {
			distance: <number> // Distance between coordinate numbers in y-direction
			position: <'left' | 'right'> // Display numbers on left or right side
		}
		display: <boolean> // Whether to display the numbers
		font {
			family: <string> // Font-Family of the numbers
			size: <number> // Size of the numbers
			color: <color> // Color of the numbers
		}
	}
	axis {
		x: <string> // Name of the x-axis
		y: <string> // Name of the y-axis
		display: <boolean> // Whether to display the axis-names
		font {
			family: <string> // Font-Family of the axis names
			size: <number> // Size of the axis names
			color: <color> // Color of the axis names
		}
	}
	margin: <number> // Margins around the coordinate system; The content is automatically fitted to the smallest bounding rectangle which contains all zones and atoms at all times.
}

Sidebar

The sidebar-block allows specifying settings regarding the appearance of the sidebar legend.

sidebar {
	font {
		family: <string> // Font-Family of the sidebar legend
		size: <number> // Size of the sidebar legend
		color: <color> // Color of the sidebar legend
	}
	margin: <number> // Margin around the sidebar legend
	padding {
		color: <number> // Distance between color display and text
		heading: <number> // Distance to advance for each header item; should be larger than font size
		entry: <number> // Distance to advance for each entry item; should be larger than font size
	}
	color_radius: <number> // The radius of the color display
}

Time

The time-block allows specifying settings regarding the appearance of the time.

time {
	display: <boolean> // Whether to display the current time
	prefix: <string> // Text to display before the time
	precision: <number> // Number of decimal places to show. Should be a natural number.
	font {
		family: <string> // Font-Family of the time
		size: <number> // Size of the time
		color: <color> // Color of the time
	}
}

Viewport

The viewport-block allows specifying settings regarding the appearance of the animation.

viewport {
	margin: <number> // Margin around the viewport
	color: <color> // Background-color of the viewport
}

Visualization Input

Properties

Some properties can be set using special directives. These directives start with the #-character.

Target machines

Possible target machines can be specified using the target-directive. Multiple machines may be specified using multiple target-directives. This allows the user to select from the supported machines, though they may still force unsupported/unspecified machines.

#target <id>
#target <id>
#target <id>

Instructions

Atoms

An atom can be defined with the atom-instruction. It should be given a unique ID and a starting position.

atom <position> <id>

Timed Instructions

Some instructions are timed, meaning they start at a specified time. This starting-time is specified after an @-character at the start of the line.

@<time> <instruction>

Loading an atom

An atom can be loaded at its current position using the load-command, optionally with a load target position.

@<time> load [position] <id>

Storing an atom

An atom can be loaded at its current position using the store-command, optionally with a load target position.

@<time> store [position] <id>

Moving an atom

An atom can be moved to a new position using the move-command.

@<time> move <position> <id>

`rz`-operation

The rz-operation can be applied to a target using the rz-command.

@<time> rz <number> <target>

`ry`-operation

The ry-operation can be applied to a target using the ry-command.

@<time> ry <number> <target>

`cz`-operation

The cz-operation can be applied to a target using the cz-command.

@<time> cz <target>

Syntactic Sugar

Automatic Time / Relative Time

The time may be specified relative to the start or the end of the previous operation.

@+ / @+0 / @- / @-0: Execute immediately after end of preceding instruction
@+n: Execute n time-steps after end of preceding instruction
@-n: Execute n time-steps before end of preceding instruction
@= / @=+ / @=+0 / @=- / @=-0: Execute immediately at start of preceding instruction
@=+n: Execute n time-steps after start of preceding instruction
@=-n: Execute n time-steps before start of preceding instruction

Grouping

Instructions and times may be grouped by specifying the time/instruction and all group-members in brackets ([/]). A group's end-time (for the relative time of the next instruction) is the latest any of its instructions is finished.

Groups may be variable. This is denoted by prepending a ~ to the group start symbol (~[/]). Normal groups make all instructions take the same time. A variable group makes all instructions take their minimum time. The group's ent-time is not affected by this, only the end-times of its children instructions.

@<time> [
	<instruction>
	<instruction>
	<...>
	<instruction>
]

@<time> <instruction> [
	<arguments>
	<arguments>
	<...>
	<arguments>
]

// Variable groups

@<time> ~[
	<instruction>
	<instruction>
	<...>
	<instruction>
]

@<time> <instruction> ~[
	<arguments>
	<arguments>
	<...>
	<arguments>
]

Comments

Comments in files are ignored. They can be used to document the code or to temporarily ignore parts of the instructions.

Single-line comments

Single-line comments start at // and go to the end of the line.

// This is a comment
atom (0, 0) atom0 // This is also a comment, but the instruction is executed
// atom (0, 0) atom0 // The instruction is commented out and ignored

Multi-line comments

Multi-line comments start at /* and go to the next */.

/*

This is a comment

This is still a comment

*/

/*
 * This is also a comment
 */

atom /* This is an inline comment */ (0, 0) atom0

Files

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FileFormat.md

File metadata and controls

File Format

Types

Type aliases

Machine Configuration

Display-name

Movement Speeds

Times

Distances

Zones

Static Traps

Visual Configuration

Display-name

Atoms

Zones

Operations

Machine

Coordinates

Sidebar

Time

Viewport

Visualization Input

Properties

Target machines

Instructions

Atoms

Timed Instructions

Loading an atom

Storing an atom

Moving an atom

rz-operation

ry-operation

cz-operation

Syntactic Sugar

Automatic Time / Relative Time

Grouping

Comments

Single-line comments

Multi-line comments

`rz`-operation

`ry`-operation

`cz`-operation