Turing Machine Emulator

This is a C++ program that emulates a Turing Machine. It can read a program description from a file and operate on a memory tape based on the program's instructions.

Features

• Emulates a Turing Machine with a configurable program and memory.
• Supports custom program and memory tape files.
• Provides detailed execution information for debugging purposes (enable with _DEBUG).

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• C++ compiler (e.g., g++ or Visual Studio)
• Git (optional, for cloning the repository)

Installation

1. Clone this repository (if you haven't already):

   git clone https://github.com/Tugamer89/TuringMachineEmulator.git
   cd TuringMachineEmulator

2. Compile the program:

   g++ -o turing-machine main.cpp

Usage

To run the Turing Machine emulator, execute the compiled program with the desired program and memory tape files:

./turing-machine program.tm memory.mem

Replace program.tm and memory.mem with your program and memory tape file paths.

Program Description

The program file (program.tm) contains instructions for the Turing Machine. It follows a specific format:

# Comment lines start with a hash (#) symbol and are ignored.

# Initial configuration line:
<current_status> <initial_memory_index> -

# Transition rules:
<current_status> <current_value> <new_status> <new_value> <move_direction>

• <current_status>: The current state of the Turing Machine.
• <initial_memory_index>: The initial index of the memory tape.
• <current_value>: The current value at the tape head.
• <new_status>: The new state to transition to.
• <new_value>: The new value to write to the tape.
• <move_direction>: The direction to move the tape head (<, >, or - for left, right, or stay, respectively).

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you find any issues or have improvements to suggest, please open an issue or create a pull request.

License

This project is open-source and available under the MIT License. Feel free to use, modify, and distribute the code for your purposes. See the LICENSE file for more details about the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• Special thanks to Alan Turing for pioneering the concept of Turing Machines and their significance in the field of computer science.