Below, we describe the various input file formats. This information will be needed both for those using the provided framework, or for those doing all the coding themselves.

Map Pathfinding File Formats

There are two types of files relevant for map pathfinding. The first is the map file. The format of this file is as follows (see 'src/domains/map_pathfinding/map_files/starcraft_bgh.map' for an example). There must be a line that contains only the word "map", which indicates that the remainder of the file is a representation of the map. An empty location is indicated by any of the symbols '.' 'G' or 'S'. An obstacle is indicated by any of the symbols '@', 'O', 'W', or 'T.' Any other symbol will cause an error.

Prior to the line that says map, there must be at least two lines, one of which is of the form "width n" and the other of which is "height m", where n and m are positive integers. These indicate the size of the map. The reading will fail if these are not included. All other lines before the "map" line will be discarded.

The second relevant type of file is the problem files (see 'src/domains/map_pathfinding/map_files/starcraft_bgh.probs' for an example). Each line of this file represents a different problem. The first two numbers of each line are the x and y coordinates of the start location. The second two numbers are the x and y coordinates of the goal location. Note that the top-left location is denoted by (0, 0) and the location immediately below it is denoted by (0, 1).

Sliding Tile Puzzle Problems

For sliding tile problems, there is a single file format (see 'src/domains/tile_puzzle/tile_files/3x4_puzzle.probs' for an example. Each line of these file gives a different permutation, which can be used as the start state for sliding tile puzzle experiments. The numbers listed are separated by a blank, where the i-th number appearing indicates the value of the i-th entry in the permutation.