Tesis

Visual Automata Simulator
version 1.1
A tool for simulating, visualizing and transforming finite state
automata and Turing Machines
cs.usfca.edu/~jbovet/vas.html
jbovet@cs.usfca.edu
© 10/01/05Jean Bovet

This document is intended to be a really Quick Start Guide. It only describes some
features that are not easily accessible without any written documentation.

A SHORT INTRODUCTIONVisual Automata Simulator (VAS) has been designed to be really simple to use and to
bring some useful feature to better learn how finite state automata (DFA and NFA) and
Turing Machines (TM) work.There are two kinds of files: *.fa are files containing finite state automata while *.tm are
files containing Turing Machines. Each file may contain one or more machines.

TIPS TO CREATE TURINGMACHINES
Turing Machines can be created using the icons above the graphical area: doubleclicking on any icon will lock the icon - useful to create several identical operations
without having to click onthe same icon each time.
It also possible to double-click anywhere on the graphic area to invoke a pattern panel:
this panel allows to enter a pattern describing one ore more operation to create -useful
to create several operations very quickly.

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COMMANDS
Here is a list of the command that can be used in a pattern when creating Turing
Machine operation(s):
Description
Move tothe left
Move to the left until
Move to the left until not
Move to the right
Move to the right until
Move to the right until not
Call another machine
Yes operation (accept)
No operation(reject)
Output the content of the tape to the console
Write a symbol on the tape

Command
L
L=
L!
R
R=
R!
C
Y
N
O


stand for any symbol
stand for any valid machine name
Examples:Description Move to the right, write 'a', move the left
Pattern RaL
Result

Description Move to the right until a # is found, move to the left, write 'a', write 'b'
Pattern R=#Lab
Result...