MCXCONVERT(1)

🎀 NAME 🎀

okay so bestie, this is the manual page for mcx_convert — it converts between mcx storage types. that's the whole vibe. ✨

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💖 SYNOPSIS 💖

mcx convert <matrix-file-in> <matrix-file-out>
mcx convert [--write-binary] --cone-to-stack <cat-file-in> <cat-file-out>
mcx convert [--write-binary] --stack-to-cone <cat-file-in> <cat-file-out>

so like. mcxconvert is not in actual fact a program. no cap. this page is documenting the behaviour and options of the mcx program when it gets invoked in mode convert. the options -h, --apropos, --version, -set, --nop, -progress <num> are accessible in all mcx modes — they live in the mcx manual page, go read that one too. 🫶

mcx convert [--cone-to-stack (transform cone file to stack file)]
[--stack-to-cone (transform stack file to cone file)] [--write-binary
(output native binary format)] [--cat (read and write cat format)] [-cat-max <num> (limit the stack conversion to <num> matrices)]

in the two-argument invocation with no extra args, mcx convert just converts from whatever format it finds in the first file to the other format — so from native interchange to native binary, or the other way around. 🔁 and when you query with the -q option, mcx{convert} will output a one-line synopsis describing the matrix in the argument. cute and efficient. the --cone-to-stack and --stack-to-cone options convert between the two types of concatenated output provided by mclcm.

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

the mcl libraries make extensive use of matrices, periodt. matrices are used to encode graphs, matrices and clusterings. and they can be stored either in interchange or in binary format. the binary one is somewhat more efficient in storage and much faster in both reading and writing — but the default is interchange format. the way that defaults are just like that. 🙈

the mcl input routines recognize the type of storage they're dealing with, they're smart like that. so if you want to convert a matrix to the other storage type, simply specify the file name of the matrix you want to convert. mcx convert will recognize its type, and write the other type to the file specified as the second argument. literally it just knows. main character energy fr fr. 👑

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✨ OPTIONS ✨

• --cone-to-stack (transform cone file to stack file) — this option requires two trailing options, the names of respectively the source cone file and the target stack file.
• --stack-to-cone (transform stack file to cone file) — this option requires two trailing options, the names of respectively the source stack file and the target cone file.
• --cat — read and write cat format. 🐱 (it's giving format, not feline, but still iconic)
• -cat-max <num> — limit the stack conversion to <num> matrices.
• --write-binary (output native binary format) — this option is only useful with either of the options --cone-to-stack, --stack-to-cone, or --cat.

heads up bestie: --write-binary on its own is doing nothing for you. it needs one of those three friends along for the ride. 💅

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👑 AUTHOR 👑

Stijn van Dongen. (the legend himself 🫶)

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

mcxio(5), and mclfamily(7) for an overview of all the documentation and the utilities in the mcl family.

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okay that's the whole thing, go forth and convert 💖 this was mcx convert version 22-282, dated 9 Oct 2022 — yes the date is old but the vibes are timeless ✨🌸🦋