text: ---
  title: Basics/Notation
  permalink: /Basics/Notation/
  ---
  
  This documentation uses coloring to differ between
  different type of information. Below, these annotations and colors are
  described.
  
  ## Command Line
  
  If you encounter something like this:
  
  ```
  netconvert --visum=MyVisumNet.inp --output-file=MySUMONet.net.xml
  ```
  
  you should know that this is a call on the command line. There may be
  also a '\\' at the end of a line. This indicates that you have to
  continue typing without pressing return (ignoring both the '\\' and the
  following newline). The following example means exactly the same as the
  one above:
  
  ```
  netconvert --visum=MyVisumNet.inp \
    --output-file=MySUMONet.net.xml
  ```
  
  ## Application Options
  
  Command line option names are normally colored **this way**. Their values ** *<LIKE THIS\>* **.
  
  ## XML Examples
  
  XML-elements and attributes are shown `like this`. Their values, if variable,
  *`<LIKE THIS>`*.
  
  Complete examples of XML-Files are shown like the following:
  
      <myType>
         <myElem myAttr1="0" myAttr2="0.0"/>
         <myElem myAttr1="1" myAttr2="-500.0"/>
      </myType>
  
  ## Referenced Data Types
  
  - *<BOOL\>*: a boolean value, use "t" or "true" and "f" or "false" for
    encoding
  - *<INT\>*: an integer value, may be negative
  - *<UINT\>*: an unsigned integer value, must be \>=0
  - *<FLOAT\>*: a floating point number
  - *<TIME\>*: time, given in seconds; fractions are allowed, e.g. "12.1"
  - *<STRING\>*: any string, but use ASCII-characters only
  - *<ID\>*: a string which must not contain the following characters:
    '\#'
  
    !!! caution
        The list of not allowed characters is incomplete
  
  
  - *<FILE\>* or *<FILENAME\>*: the (relative or absolute) path to a file;
    see also [\#Referenced File Types](#referenced_file_types)
  - *<PATH\>*: a (a relative or absolute) path (usually to a folder)
  - *<COLOR\>*: a quadruple of floats separated by ','
    (*<FLOAT\>*,*<FLOAT\>*,*<FLOAT\>*,*<FLOAT\>*), which describe the red,
    green, blue, and alpha component ranging from 0.0 to 1.0 (the alpha
    component is optional), alternatively the list may contain integers
    in the 0-255 range. Please note that the separator must be a comma
    and there are no spaces allowed. The color may also be defined using
    a single string with a [HTML color code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_colors#Hex_triplet) or one of
    the basic colors ("red", "green", "blue", "yellow", "cyan",
    "magenta", "black", "white", "grey")
  - *<2D-POSITION\>*: two floats separated by ','
    (*<FLOAT\>*,*<FLOAT\>*), which describe the x- and the y-offset,
    respectively. z is 0 implicitly
  - *<3D-POSITION\>*: three floats separated by ','
    (*<FLOAT\>*,*<FLOAT\>*,*<FLOAT\>*), which describe the x- , y- and the
    z-offset, respectively
  - *<POSITION-VECTOR\>*: A list of 2D- or 3D-Positions separate by ' '.
    I.e. (*<2D-POSITION\>* *<2D-POSITION\>*,*<3D-POSITION\>*)
  - *<2D-BOUNDING_BOX\>*: four floats separated by ','
    (*<FLOAT\>*,*<FLOAT\>*,*<FLOAT\>*,*<FLOAT\>*), which describe x-minimum,
    y-minimum, x-maximum, and y-maximum
  - *<PROJ_DEFINITION\>*: a string containing the projection definition
    as used by proj.4; please note that you have to embed the definition
    string in quotes
  
  ### Referenced File Types
  
  - *<NETWORK_FILE\>*: a [SUMO network file](../Networks/SUMO_Road_Networks.md) as built by
    [netgenerate](../netgenerate.md) or
    [netconvert](../netconvert.md)
  - *<ROUTES_FILE\>*: a [SUMO routes file](../Definition_of_Vehicles,_Vehicle_Types,_and_Routes.md)
    as built by [duarouter](../duarouter.md) or
    [jtrrouter](../jtrrouter.md) or by hand
  - *<TYPE_FILE\>*: a [SUMO edge type file](../SUMO_edge_type_file.md), built by hand or downloaded
  - *<OSM_FILE\>*: a [OpenStreetMap file](../OpenStreetMap_file.md)
    as exported from [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/)
  
  ## Further Schemes
  
  Brackets '\[' and '\]' indicate that the enclosed information is
  optional. Brackets '<' and '\>' indicate a variable - insert your own
  value in here.
  
  {{SUMO}} is the path you have saved your SUMO-package into.