mhulden/pyfoma/pyfoma-codebase

pyfoma-codebase skill

Use this skill when you need to modify, review, or debug pyfoma core behavior.

This skill is focused on:

• src/pyfoma/fst.py
• src/pyfoma/_private/regexparse.py
• src/pyfoma/atomic.py
• src/pyfoma/algorithms.py
• src/pyfoma/paradigm.py
• src/pyfoma/_private/partition_refinement.py
• src/pyfoma/flag.py (secondary but frequently involved at runtime)
• hulden_diss/chapter_properties.tex (theory for transducer properties APIs)
• foma/structures.c (reference implementation lineage)

Not in scope for this skill:

• cfg_* modules
• lexd.py internals
• OSTIA internals (unless explicitly asked)

What This Codebase Is

pyfoma has two main layers:

1. Regex compiler layer

FST.re(...) -> tokenize -> parse -> compile to an FST object, then normalize: trim -> epsilon_remove -> push_weights -> determinize_as_dfa -> minimize_as_dfa -> label_states_topology -> cleanup_sigma.

1. FST runtime/algorithm layer

FST methods implement composition, union, concatenation, rewrite/context restriction, determinization, minimization, projection, application (generate / analyze / apply), and serialization (foma, att, JSON/JS).

Fast Onboarding Workflow

Read in this order:

1. references/CORE_ARCHITECTURE.md
2. references/SYMBOL_SEMANTICS.md
3. references/CHANGE_PLAYBOOK.md

Then inspect code in this order:

1. src/pyfoma/fst.py (operation contracts and data flow)
2. src/pyfoma/_private/regexparse.py (language surface and parsing)
3. src/pyfoma/atomic.py (state/transition storage and indexes)
4. src/pyfoma/algorithms.py + src/pyfoma/_private/partition_refinement.py
5. src/pyfoma/paradigm.py and src/pyfoma/flag.py if task touches analysis output or flag behavior

Core Mental Model

• FST objects are graph objects (State + Transition) with an explicit alphabet.
• Most public FST methods are non-mutating in practice (they return a new FST copy).
• Some helper methods mutate local copies or temporary defs internally.
• harmonize_alphabet is a central decorator for binary operations; wildcard handling consistency depends on it.
• State.transitions_by_input and State.transitions_by_output are lazy caches and must stay valid after mutations.

Critical Invariants

• . in regex is wildcard; in compiled transitions it means "symbol outside current alphabet".
• Literal period symbol support exists via \. and '.' (internally represented as r"\.").
• foma wildcard mapping is now explicit:
• foma a:? ~= pyfoma ('a', '.')
• foma ?:a ~= pyfoma ('.', 'a')
• foma @:@ ~= pyfoma ('.') (outside-sigma identity on one tape)
• foma ?:? ~= pyfoma ('.', '.')
• regex .:. denotes any->any (identity + non-identity). Use .:. - . for strict change-only behavior.
• Epsilon is '' as a symbol in labels.
• Transition labels are tuples, even for one tape.
• Composition and wildcard behavior depend on alphabet harmonization + transition index caches.
• Rewrite internals use several helper regexes; changing symbol semantics can break them in non-obvious ways.
• Transducer property methods follow Hulden (2009):
• functionality via invert().compose(self).is_identity()
• ambiguity via path-encoding transducer + identity/nonidentity tests
• ambiguity and nonidentity domain extraction are existential ("there exists a non-identity/non-unique path"), not universal.
• Equivalence boundary is semantic, not implementation-only:
• both non-functional transducers => undecidable (method raises)
• one functional, one non-functional => immediately non-equivalent.

Pyfoma Notation Quick Reference

Use pyfoma notation in skill outputs and patch explanations by default.

Notation guardrails:

• Prefer @ over .o. in pyfoma-facing docs.
• Prefer $^rewrite(...) terminology over foma arrow notation in prose.
• Keep foma/Xerox notation only in explicit comparison tables, not as default formulas.

High-Risk Areas

• FST.rewrite() and context_restrict():

heavy intermediate machines, sensitive to wildcard/literal semantics and compose direction.

• harmonize_alphabet decorator:

easy place to accidentally mutate caller inputs or explode transition count.

• Tokenizer changes in regexparse.py:

can silently alter semantics of many built-ins (ignore, rewrite, restrict).

• Property APIs in fst.py (is_identity, nonidentity_domain, is_functional, is_unambiguous, ambiguous_domain, ambiguous_part, unambiguous_part, is_equivalent):

coupled to subtle discrepancy/path-label encoding logic; small changes can alter decidability behavior or over/under-generate debug domains.

• Serialization (todict/fromdict, tojs, from_fomastring/to_fomastring, save_att):

escaping, weights, and determinism/reproducibility details are easy to regress.

Standard Validation

Primary:

PYTHONPATH=src pytest -q

If full discovery fails because foma/python native bindings are unavailable in the environment, run:

PYTHONPATH=src pytest -q tests

If pytest is unavailable in a shell, fallback:

PYTHONPATH=src python3 -m unittest -q

For risky parser/runtime edits, also run focused tests in tests/test_pyfoma.py:

• test_tokenizer
• test_rewrite*
• test_literal_period_*
• test_is_identity
• test_nonidentity_domain
• test_is_functional
• test_is_unambiguous
• test_ambiguous_domain
• test_ambiguous_and_unambiguous_parts
• test_is_equivalent
• JSON/JS and ATT related tests

Expected Output When Using This Skill

When implementing or reviewing a change, produce:

1. A short impact summary (which semantics changed and which stayed unchanged).
2. A minimal regression test that fails before and passes after.
3. Confirmation of full or targeted test execution with command used.
4. Any residual risk callouts (performance, compatibility, ambiguity).

Practical Guidance

• Prefer minimal, local fixes that preserve public semantics.
• If touching regex tokenization or wildcard behavior, inspect built-in function regexes in fst.py for accidental semantic drift.
• Keep symbol escaping/unescaping symmetric across compile, runtime apply, and serialization.
• Treat memory blow-up in rewrite paths as a first-class regression signal; isolate with compile-only probes before broad test runs.

For details, use:

• references/CORE_ARCHITECTURE.md
• references/SYMBOL_SEMANTICS.md
• references/CHANGE_PLAYBOOK.md