GUI
Start Alto in GUI mode as follows (see Getting Started for details):
java -jar <alto.jar>
Once you have started the GUI, you should see a window titled "IRTG GUI". This is the starting point for everything that you can do with the GUI. There are three drop down menus and we will discuss each one in turn.
You can load an IRTG grammar from a file by using the "Load IRTG" option in the file dialogue. Examples of IRTGs can be found in the examples folder in the distribution you obtain if you clone this repository. Loading a grammar brings up a Grammar Window. The format for IRTGs - as well as some alternative formats that the tool also understands - is described on the codec page. Under the file dialogue there is also an option to load an IRTG that is written down in the template format. For more information on that format, see the codec page.
You can also load a tree automaton from a file by using the "Load Tree Automaton" option in the file dialogue. You can find an example for a simple tree automaton here. The format for specifying tree automata is also described on the codec page. Loading a tree automaton will bring up a Tree Automaton Window.
Under the tools dialogue, you can currently compute the decomposition tree automaton for user specified input. The decomposition automaton encodes all expressions of an algebra that generate a given expression. When you choose this option, it will bring up another window which looks like this:
You can select an algebra from the drop down list, specify its options and then write down the input you want analyzed. The algebras, their options and the correct format for their input are explained on this page. Note that some algebras do not have options, in this case the options window will be inactive. After pressing Ok an Tree Automaton Window for the decomposition automaton will open.