---

name: validate-piles-notation locale: caveman-ultra source_locale: en source_commit: 82c77053 fence_basis_commit: 82c77053 translator: "Julius Brussee homage — caveman" translation_date: "2026-05-03" description: > Parse and validate PILES (Puzzle Input Line Entry System) notation for specifying piece fusion groups in jigsawR. Covers syntax validation, parsing into group lists, plain-language explanation, adjacency verification against puzzle results, and round-trip serialization. Use when validating user-supplied PILES strings before passing to generate_puzzle(), debugging fusion group issues, explaining the notation to users, or testing round-trip parse/serialize fidelity. license: MIT allowed-tools: Read Write Edit Bash Grep Glob metadata: author: Philipp Thoss version: "1.0" domain: jigsawr complexity: intermediate language: R tags: jigsawr, piles, notation, fusion, parsing, dsl

Validate PILES Notation

Parse + validate PILES strings → puzzle piece fusion groups.

Use When

• Validate user PILES → before generate_puzzle()
• Debug fusion issues (wrong pieces merged, unexpected results)
• Explain PILES → user plain language
• Test round-trip: parse → groups → serialize → parse

In

• Required: PILES string (e.g., "1-2-3,4-5")
• Optional: Puzzle result obj (adjacency valid + keyword resolution)
• Optional: Puzzle type (keyword support "center", "ring1", "R1")

Do

Step 1: Syntax Valid

library(jigsawR)
result <- validate_piles_syntax("1-2-3,4-5")
# Returns TRUE if valid, error message if invalid

Common syntax errs:

• Unmatched parens: "1-2(-3)-4" w/ mismatched ()
• Invalid chars: only digits, -, ,, :, (, ) + keywords
• Empty groups: "1-2,,3-4" (double comma)

Got: TRUE for valid syntax, descriptive err for invalid.

If err: Print exact PILES string + valid err msg.

Step 2: Parse → Groups

groups <- parse_piles("1-2-3,4-5")
# Returns: list(c(1, 2, 3), c(4, 5))

W/ ranges:

groups <- parse_piles("1:6,7-8")
# Returns: list(c(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), c(7, 8))

Got: List of int vectors, one per fusion group, correct piece IDs + boundaries.

If err: Check syntax valid passed Step 1. Unexpected groups → verify - separates pieces in group, , separates groups, : expands inclusive endpoints.

Step 3: Explain Plain Language

Per group:

• "1-2-3,4-5" → "Group 1: fuse pieces 1, 2, 3. Group 2: fuse 4, 5."
• "1:6" → "Group 1: fuse pieces 1 through 6 (6 pieces)."
• "center,ring1" → "Group 1: center piece. Group 2: all pieces ring 1."

Got: Each group described plain w/ piece counts + IDs → understandable to non-tech.

If err: Keywords can't be explained ("ring1" no clear meaning) → notation needs puzzle result for ctx. Advise user provide puzzle type or numeric IDs.

Step 4: Validate vs Puzzle Result (Optional)

If puzzle result available, verify:

# Generate the puzzle first
puzzle <- generate_puzzle(type = "hexagonal", grid = c(3), size = c(200))

# Parse with puzzle context (resolves keywords)
groups <- parse_fusion("center,ring1", puzzle)

Check:

• All piece IDs exist in puzzle
• Keywords resolve to valid piece sets
• Fused pieces actually adjacent (warn if not)

Got: All piece IDs valid. Adjacent pieces fuse cleanly.

If err: List invalid piece IDs or non-adjacent pairs.

Step 5: Round-Trip

Verify parse/serialize fidelity:

original <- "1-2-3,4-5"
groups <- parse_piles(original)
roundtrip <- to_piles(groups)
# roundtrip should equal original (or canonical equivalent)

groups2 <- parse_piles(roundtrip)
identical(groups, groups2)  # Must be TRUE

Got: Round-trip → identical group lists, confirming parse_piles() + to_piles() are inverses.

If err: Round-trip differs → check serializer normalization (sorting IDs, ranges → explicit lists). Canonical diffs OK if identical(groups, groups2) returns TRUE.

PILES Quick Reference

# Basic syntax
"1-2"           # Fuse pieces 1 and 2
"1-2-3,4-5"     # Two groups: (1,2,3) and (4,5)
"1:6"           # Range: pieces 1 through 6

# Keywords (require puzzle_result)
"center"        # Center piece (hex/concentric)
"ring1"         # All pieces in ring 1
"R1"            # Row 1 (rectangular)
"boundary"      # All boundary pieces

# Functions
parse_piles("1-2-3,4-5")                    # Parse PILES string
parse_fusion("1-2-3", puzzle)               # Auto-detect format
to_piles(list(c(1,2), c(3,4)))              # Convert to PILES
validate_piles_syntax("1-2(-3)-4")          # Validate syntax

Check

• validate_piles_syntax() returns TRUE for valid strings
• parse_piles() returns correct group lists
• Round-trip serialization preserves groups
• Keywords resolve correctly w/ puzzle ctx
• Invalid syntax → clear err msgs

Traps

• Keyword w/o puzzle ctx: "center" requires puzzle result. Pass to parse_fusion(), not parse_piles().
• 1-indexed pieces: Piece IDs start at 1, not 0.
• Adjacent vs non-adjacent fusion: Non-adjacent fusion works but may produce unexpected visuals. Validate adjacency when possible.
• Range notation: "1:6" includes both endpoints (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

→

• generate-puzzle — generate puzzles w/ fusion groups
• add-puzzle-type — new types need PILES/fusion support
• run-puzzle-tests — test PILES parsing w/ full suite