ProcessCore User Guide

ProcessCore is the in-memory F# library for building, decorating, reading, querying, and editing ARC process graphs.

The core model is intentionally small:

• A Dataset groups process graphs and nested datasets.
• A LabProcess connects Material and Data input/output nodes.
• A LabProtocol describes what the process executes.
• A PropertyValue annotates datasets, process parameters, input/output nodes, and protocol components.
• additionalType, additionalProperty, and DynamicObj carry domain-specific extensions without changing the shared graph shape.

The pages in this section are user-facing implementation guides.

For normative field definitions, use the core specification. These project pages focus on using the F# library.

For API reference, see the API docs.

Recommended Path

1. Creating A Dataset builds a graph from F# objects.
2. Decorations shows how to add domain specificity through typed annotations and DynamicObj overflow fields.
3. Reading And Writing YAML loads profile-shaped examples and writes inline or indexed YAML.
4. Querying Process Graphs traverses upstream, downstream, and connected context.
5. Fragment Selector Providers makes file fragments first-class in traversal.
6. Tabular Views edits process graphs through ISA-like table projections.
7. Graph Identity, Back-Edges, And Scope explains the invariants behind shared nodes and scoped traversal.

What To Use When

Task	Start With
Build a process graph in code	Dataset, LabProcess, Material, Data
Add domain-specific meaning	AdditionalType, AddAdditionalProperty, AddParameterValue, DynamicObj.SetProperty
Load ARC/profile-shaped YAML	ProcessCore.Yaml.Dataset.fromYamlString false
Validate stricter core-shaped YAML	ProcessCore.Yaml.Dataset.fromYamlString true
Ask provenance questions	AllProcesses, UpstreamNodes, DownstreamPropertyValues, PathsThrough
Work with file fragments	Data.Selector, Data.SelectorFormat, RegisterFragmentSelectorProvider
Edit as rows and columns	dataset.Tables from ProcessCore.Table
Understand surprising traversal behavior	Node canonicalization, back-edges, and explicit process scopes