The CellBuilder's Output

The CellBuilder's output files are ordinary text files that contain human-readable hoc code. However, since these files are generated by a computer, they won't look like anything that a normal human would write.

Here is human-written code that creates a simple ball and stick model (you might want to read the Help Reference entries regarding
create connect currently accessed section syntax insert ).
Notice the orderly progression of

  1. creating sections
  2. specifying the default section
  3. setting up the branched topology of the cell
  4. specifying the anatomical and biophysical properties of the cell
Contrast this with the CellBuilder's output. The computer-generated code performs the same basic operations and in the same sequence, but these are interspersed with many additional statements. The extra statements do things like setting up the pt3d data structures that will be used for the graphical representation of the cell, creating a SectionList, and explicitly assigning values to biophysical parameters.

Here are some links to information that will help you work your way through the CellBuilder's output:
proc objref SectionList append-SectionList pt3dclear, pt3dadd forsec


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