Pretty Machines

A .NET 10 library for building and running automatons like Turing machines and Markov algorithms. You can try pre-made algorithms or create your own in this demo application (или версия на русском).

Features

• Basic abstract interface for all formal algorithms. Each algorithm can be executed step-by-step (using IEnumerable) or with one action (from start to the end).
• Algorithm snapshots carry debug information about each step of the algoritm run.
• Fluent builders for Turing machines and Markov algorithms.
• Turing machine definition is expanded. Machine can scan special symbols like empty, non-empty or any.
• Several example algorithms.

Requirements

.NET 10 for main projects, xUnit and FluentAssertions for unit tests.

Table of contents

• Solution layout
• Core concepts
• Quick start: Turing machine
• Quick start: Markov algorithm
• Execution results
• Built-in algorithms
• Printing and parsing

Solution layout

Project	Description
PrettyMachines.Algorithms	Core library: abstract algorithm model, Turing, Markov and Utils (printing/parsing).
PrettyMachines.Implementations	Ready-to-use algorithms built on the core library.
PrettyMachines.BlazorUI	Blazor WebAssembly app for building and executing algorithms.
PrettyMachines.Tests	xUnit tests for the core library and implementations.

Core concepts

Formal algorithm

An algorithm is any well-defined set of instructions that, when followed, terminates after a finite number of steps and comprises a solution to a given computational problem. This project represents algorithms as effective methods that satisfy the following:

• They consist of a finite number of exact, finite instructions.
• Applied to a problem from their class, they always terminate and always produce a correct answer.
• Their instructions can be followed rigorously, without requiring ingenuity.

Optionally, an algorithm may be required never to return a result as if it were an answer for inputs from outside its class. Adding this requirement reduces the set of classes that have an effective method.

Contract

All algorithms implement IAlgorithm (text in, text out) and optionally the strongly-typed IAlgorithm<TInput, TOutput>. Instances are immutable once built, so their instructions cannot change during execution.

Member	Purpose
Name	Optional algorithm name.
ValidateInput(input)	Checks whether an input belongs to the algorithm's class.
Run(input, cancellation, verbose)	Lazily yields the initial snapshot followed by one snapshot per step.
Execute(input, cancellation, verbose)	Consumes Run and returns the final AlgorithmResult<T>.

Convenience extension: algorithm.Execute(input, verbose: true) uses AlgorithmCancellation.Default (1000 steps).

Execution and cancellation

AlgorithmCancellation bounds execution with a maximum step count and/or an external CancellationToken. AlgorithmCancellation.Default allows 1000 steps; a step limit of 0 means unlimited.

var cancellation = new AlgorithmCancellation(10_000);
var result = machine.Execute("101", cancellation, verbose: true);

Termination status

Status	Meaning
Unknown	Execution is still running (Run only).
Success	A terminal state or terminal rule was reached.
Stuck	No instruction was applicable.
Aborted	Cancelled from outside or trapped in a loop past the step limit.
InvalidInput	Input is outside the algorithm's class.

Run also lets you inspect intermediate states, which is useful for stepping debuggers and UIs:

foreach (var snapshot in machine.Run("101", new AlgorithmCancellation(10_000)))
    Console.WriteLine($"step {snapshot.Steps}: {snapshot.Output} [{snapshot.Termination}]");

Quick start: Turing machine

A Turing machine is a mathematical model of computation describing an abstract machine that manipulates symbols on a strip of tape according to a table of rules.[ Despite the model's simplicity, it is capable of implementing any computer algorithm. Machine is defined by an alphabet (optionally strict), a blank symbol, a set of states with one initial state, and a transition table.

using PrettyMachines.Abstract;
using PrettyMachines.Turing;
using PrettyMachines.Utils.Printing;

var machine = TuringMachine.Create("Toggle first bit")
    .WithAlphabet("0", "1") // strict alphabet; unknown symbols fail the machine
    .WithBlankSymbol("_")
    .AddInitialState("scan", out var q0)
    .AddTerminalState("done", out var qDone)
    .BuildRules(rules => rules
        .AddRule(q0, "0", qDone, "1", TapeMovement.Right)
        .AddRule(q0, "1", qDone, "0", TapeMovement.Right));

var result = machine.Execute("101", new AlgorithmCancellation(10_000), verbose: true);

Console.WriteLine($"{result.Output} ({result.Termination} after {result.Steps} steps)");
Console.WriteLine(InstructionTablePrinter.PrintTable(machine));

Rules can also reference states by name (rules.AddRule("scan", "0", "done", ...)), and a rule that reads SymbolMatch.Empty, SymbolMatch.NotEmpty or SymbolMatch.Any matches a whole class of cells:

using PrettyMachines.Turing;

rules.AddRule(q0, SymbolMatch.NotEmpty, q0, null, TapeMovement.Right)
     .AddHalt(q0, SymbolMatch.Empty, "1"); // AddHalt targets TuringMachineState.Halt

The same machine typed over the tape (no input mutation of the caller's tape):

var tape = new MachineTape(new[] { "1", "0", "1" }, blankSymbol: "_");
AlgorithmResult<IReadOnlyTape> tapeResult = machine.Execute(tape, new AlgorithmCancellation(10_000));

Quick start: Markov algorithm

A Markov algorithm is a string rewriting system that uses grammar-like rules to operate on strings of symbols. Markov algorithms have been shown to be Turing-complete, which means that they are suitable as a general model of computation and can represent any mathematical expression from its simple notation. Markov algorithms are named after the Soviet mathematician Andrey Markov, Jr. Algorithm applies the first matching substitution rule, replacing the leftmost occurrence of its pattern. A rule marked terminal stops the algorithm after it is applied.

using PrettyMachines.Abstract;
using PrettyMachines.Markov;

var algorithm = MarkovAlgorithm.Create("Capitalize")
    .WithAlphabet('a', 'b', 'c')
    .WithMarkers('*')
    .AddRule("a", "A").WithComment("uppercase a")
    .AddRule("b", "B").WithComment("uppercase b")
    .AddRule("c", "C", isTerminal: true).WithComment("uppercase c and stop")
    .Build();

var result = algorithm.Execute("abc", new AlgorithmCancellation(1000));

• An empty pattern prepends the replacement (AddRule("", "$")).
• An empty replacement deletes the pattern.
• The order of rules matters: the first matching rule wins.
• WithAlphabet restricts input; symbols outside the alphabet yield InvalidInput.
• WithMarkers declares special symbols that rules may produce but input must not contain.

Execution results

AlgorithmResult<T> is the outcome of Execute:

Member	Description
Termination	Final TerminationStatus.
Output	Final output (string or IReadOnlyTape depending on the overload).
Steps	Number of steps executed.
Trace	Step-by-step trace lines (populated when verbose: true).
AppliedInstructions	Numbers of the instructions applied on each step, when available.

Built-in algorithms

PrettyMachines.Implementations ships ready-made machines. Both TuringMachines and MarkovAlgorithms expose static factories with a common naming scheme.

Concept	Turing machine	Markov algorithm
Brackets grammar	Create_BracketsGrammar	Create_BracketsGrammar
Binary increment	Create_BinaryIncrementMachine	Create_BinaryIncrement
Binary decrement	Create_BinaryDecrementMachine	Create_BinaryDecrement
Binary addition	Create_BinaryAdditionMachine	Create_BinaryAddition
Binary subtraction	Create_BinarySubtractionMachine	Create_BinarySubtraction
String concatenation	Create_StringConcatenationMachine	Create_StringConcatenation
String reversal	Create_StringReversalMachine	Create_StringReversal
Busy beaver	Create_BusyBeaver	Create_BusyBeaver
Binary → unary	Create_BinaryToUnaryConverterMachine	Create_BinaryToUnaryConverter
Unary → binary	Create_UnaryToBinaryConverterMachine	Create_UnaryToBinaryConverter
Unary → ternary	Create_UnaryToTernaryConverterMachine	Create_UnaryToTernaryConverter
Decimal → binary	Create_DecimalToBinaryConverterMachine	Create_DecimalToBinaryConverter
Binary → decimal	Create_BinaryToDecimalConverterMachine	Create_BinaryToDecimalConverter
Leading zeros trim	—	Create_LeadingZerosTrim

Operand-based algorithms read input in the form A+B / A-B; the brackets grammar accepts a string and outputs the accepted or rejected symbol.

using PrettyMachines.Implementations;

var adder = TuringMachines.Create_BinaryAdditionMachine();
var sum = adder.Execute("101+11", new AlgorithmCancellation(100_000)).Output; // "1000"

Printing and parsing

PrettyMachines.Algorithms.Utils provides text/CSV output and a rule parser.

• InstructionTablePrinter.PrintTable(machine) / PrintList / PrintCsv — render a Turing machine and its instruction table.
• MarkovAlgorithmPrinter.PrintFormatted(algorithm) / PrintCsv — render Markov rules with comments.
• MachineTapePrinter.Print(tape) — render the non-blank tape cells.
• MarkovSubstitutionParser.ParseQuoted("'a' -> 'b'") and ParseUnquoted("a=>b") — create Substitution rules; => marks a terminal rule.

Each printer overload accepts a StringBuilder, a Stream, or returns a string.