ASTNode (LibSBML Java API)

java.lang.Object
- org.sbml.libsbml.ASTBase
- - org.sbml.libsbml.ASTNode

public class ASTNode
extends ASTBase

Abstract Syntax Trees for mathematical expressions.

This class of objects is defined by libSBML only and has no direct equivalent in terms of SBML components. This class is not prescribed by the SBML specifications, although it is used to implement features defined in SBML.

Abstract Syntax Trees (ASTs) are a simple kind of data structure used in libSBML for storing mathematical expressions. LibSBML ASTs provide a canonical, in-memory representation for all mathematical formulas regardless of their original format (which might be MathML or might be text strings).

An AST node in libSBML is a recursive tree structure each node has a type, a pointer to a value, and a list of children nodes. Each ASTNode node may have none, one, two, or more children depending on its type. There are node types to represent numbers (with subtypes to distinguish integer, real, and rational numbers), names (e.g., constants or variables), simple mathematical operators, logical or relational operators and functions. The following diagram illustrates an example of how the mathematical expression '1 + 2' is represented as an AST with one plus node having two integer children nodes for the numbers 1 and 2. The figure also shows the corresponding MathML representation:

Example AST representation of a mathematical expression.
Infix	AST	MathML
`1 + 2`		`<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML">` `<apply>` `<plus/>` `<cn type="integer"> 1 </cn>` `<cn type="integer"> 2 </cn>` `</apply>` `</math>`

The following are other noteworthy points about the AST representation in libSBML:

A numerical value represented in MathML as a real number with an exponent is preserved as such in the AST node representation, even if the number could be stored in a double data type. This is done so that when an SBML model is read in and then written out again, the amount of change introduced by libSBML to the SBML during the round-trip activity is minimized.
Rational numbers are represented in an AST node using separate numerator and denominator values. These can be retrieved using the methods ASTNode.getNumerator() and ASTNode.getDenominator().
The children of an ASTNode are other ASTNode objects. The list of children is empty for nodes that are leaf elements, such as numbers. For nodes that are actually roots of expression subtrees, the list of children points to the parsed objects that make up the rest of the expression.

For many applications, the details of ASTs are irrelevant because libSBML provides text-string based translation functions such as libsbml.formulaToL3String(ASTNode) and libsbml.parseL3Formula(String). If you find the complexity of using the AST representation of expressions too high for your purposes, perhaps the string-based functions will be more suitable.

The set of possible ASTNode types

Every ASTNode has an associated type code to indicate whether, for example, it holds a number or stands for an arithmetic operator.

The type is recorded as a value drawn from a set of static integer constants defined in the class libsbmlConstants. Their names begin with the characters AST_.

The list of possible types is quite long, because it covers all the mathematical functions that are permitted in SBML. The values are shown in the following table:

AST_CONSTANT_E	AST_FUNCTION_COT	AST_LOGICAL_NOT
AST_CONSTANT_FALSE	AST_FUNCTION_COTH	AST_LOGICAL_OR
AST_CONSTANT_PI	AST_FUNCTION_CSC	AST_LOGICAL_XOR
AST_CONSTANT_TRUE	AST_FUNCTION_CSCH	AST_MINUS
AST_DIVIDE	AST_FUNCTION_DELAY	AST_NAME
AST_FUNCTION	AST_FUNCTION_EXP	AST_NAME_AVOGADRO (Level 3 only)
AST_FUNCTION_ABS	AST_FUNCTION_FACTORIAL	AST_NAME_TIME
AST_FUNCTION_ARCCOS	AST_FUNCTION_FLOOR	AST_PLUS
AST_FUNCTION_ARCCOSH	AST_FUNCTION_LN	AST_POWER
AST_FUNCTION_ARCCOT	AST_FUNCTION_LOG	AST_RATIONAL
AST_FUNCTION_ARCCOTH	AST_FUNCTION_PIECEWISE	AST_REAL
AST_FUNCTION_ARCCSC	AST_FUNCTION_POWER	AST_REAL_E
AST_FUNCTION_ARCCSCH	AST_FUNCTION_ROOT	AST_RELATIONAL_EQ
AST_FUNCTION_ARCSEC	AST_FUNCTION_SEC	AST_RELATIONAL_GEQ
AST_FUNCTION_ARCSECH	AST_FUNCTION_SECH	AST_RELATIONAL_GT
AST_FUNCTION_ARCSIN	AST_FUNCTION_SIN	AST_RELATIONAL_LEQ
AST_FUNCTION_ARCSINH	AST_FUNCTION_SINH	AST_RELATIONAL_LT
AST_FUNCTION_ARCTAN	AST_FUNCTION_TAN	AST_RELATIONAL_NEQ
AST_FUNCTION_ARCTANH	AST_FUNCTION_TANH	AST_TIMES
AST_FUNCTION_CEILING	AST_INTEGER	AST_UNKNOWN
AST_FUNCTION_COS	AST_LAMBDA
AST_FUNCTION_COSH	AST_LOGICAL_AND

The types have the following meanings:

If the node is basic mathematical operator (e.g., '+'), then the node's type will be AST_PLUS, AST_MINUS, AST_TIMES, AST_DIVIDE, or AST_POWER, as appropriate.
If the node is a predefined function or operator from SBML Level 1 (in the string-based formula syntax used in Level 1) or SBML Level 2 and 3 (in the subset of MathML used in SBML Levels 2 and 3), then the node's type will be either AST_FUNCTION_X, AST_LOGICAL_X, or AST_RELATIONAL_X, as appropriate. (Examples: AST_FUNCTION_LOG, AST_RELATIONAL_LEQ.)
If the node refers to a user-defined function, the node's type will be AST_FUNCTION (because it holds the name of the function).
If the node is a lambda expression, its type will be AST_LAMBDA.
If the node is a predefined constant ('ExponentialE', 'Pi', 'True' or 'False'), then the node's type will be AST_CONSTANT_E, AST_CONSTANT_PI, AST_CONSTANT_TRUE, or AST_CONSTANT_FALSE.
(Levels 2 and 3 only) If the node is the special MathML csymbol time, the value of the node will be AST_NAME_TIME. (Note, however, that the MathML csymbol delay is translated into a node of type AST_FUNCTION_DELAY. The difference is due to the fact that time is a single variable, whereas delay is actually a function taking arguments.)
(Level 3 only) If the node is the special MathML csymbol avogadro, the value of the node will be AST_NAME_AVOGADRO.
If the node contains a numerical value, its type will be AST_INTEGER, AST_REAL, AST_REAL_E, or AST_RATIONAL, as appropriate.

Converting between ASTs and text strings

The text-string form of mathematical formulas produced by libsbml.formulaToString(String) and libsbml.formulaToL3String(String), and read by libsbml.parseFormula(ASTNode) and libsbml.parseL3Formula(ASTNode), are in a simple C-inspired infix notation. A formula in one of these two text-string formats can be handed to a program that understands SBML mathematical expressions, or used as part of a translation system. The libSBML distribution comes with example programs in the 'examples' subdirectory that demonstrate such things as translating infix formulas into MathML and vice-versa.

Please see the documentation for the functions libsbml.parseFormula(ASTNode) and libsbml.parseL3Formula(ASTNode) for detailed explanations of the infix syntax they accept.

Historical notes

Readers may wonder why this part of libSBML uses a seemingly less object-oriented design thanother parts. Originally, much of libSBML was written in C. All subsequent development was done in C++, but the complexity of some of the functionality for converting between infix, AST and MathML, coupled with the desire to maintain stability and backward compatibility, means that some of the underlying code is still written in C. This has lead to the exposed API being more C-like.

See Also:: libsbml.parseL3Formula(String), libsbml.parseL3FormulaWithSettings(String, L3ParserSettings), libsbml.parseL3FormulaWithModel(String, Model), libsbml.parseFormula(String), libsbml.formulaToL3StringWithSettings(ASTNode, L3ParserSettings), libsbml.formulaToL3String(ASTNode), libsbml.formulaToString(ASTNode), libsbml.getDefaultL3ParserSettings()

Constructor Summary

Constructors
Constructor and Description

ASTNode(ASTNode orig)
Copy constructor creates a deep copy of the given ASTNode.

Constructors
Constructor and Description
`ASTNode(ASTNode orig)` Copy constructor creates a deep copy of the given `ASTNode`.

Method Summary

All Methods Instance Methods Concrete Methods
Modifier and Type	Method and Description
`int`	`addChild(ASTNode disownedChild)` Adds the given node as a child of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`addSemanticsAnnotation(XMLNode disownedAnnotation)` Adds the given `XMLNode` as a MathML `<semantics>` element to this `ASTNode`.
`boolean`	`canonicalize()` Converts this `ASTNode` to a canonical form.
`ASTBase`	`deepCopy()` Creates a recursive copy of this node and all its children.
`void`	`delete()` Explicitly deletes the underlying native object.
`boolean`	`equals(java.lang.Object sb)` Equality comparison method for ASTNode.
`int`	`freeName()` Frees the name of this `ASTNode` and sets it to `null.`
`char`	`getCharacter()` Returns the value of this node as a single character.
`ASTNode`	`getChild(long n)` Returns the child at index n of this node.
`java.lang.String`	`getClassName()` Returns the MathML `class` attribute value of this `ASTNode`.
`XMLAttributes`	`getDefinitionURL()` Returns the MathML `definitionURL` attribute value.
`java.lang.String`	`getDefinitionURLString()` Returns the MathML `definitionURL` attribute value as a string.
`int`	`getDenominator()` Returns the value of the denominator of this node.
`int`	`getExponent()` Returns the exponent value of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`getExtendedType()` Returns the extended type of this `ASTNode`.
`java.lang.String`	`getId()` Returns the MathML `id` attribute value of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`getInteger()` Returns the value of this node as an integer.
`ASTNode`	`getLeftChild()` Returns the left child of this node.
`ASTNodeList`	`getListOfNodes()`
`double`	`getMantissa()` Returns the mantissa value of this node.
`java.lang.String`	`getName()` Returns the value of this node as a string.
`long`	`getNumChildren()` Returns the number of children of this node.
`int`	`getNumerator()` Returns the value of the numerator of this node.
`long`	`getNumSemanticsAnnotations()` Returns the number of MathML `<semantics>` element elements on this node.
`java.lang.String`	`getOperatorName()` Returns the value of this operator node as a string.
`SBase`	`getParentSBMLObject()` Returns the parent SBML object.
`int`	`getPrecedence()` Returns the precedence of this node in the infix math syntax of SBML Level 1.
`double`	`getReal()` Returns the real-numbered value of this node.
`ASTNode`	`getRightChild()` Returns the right child of this node.
`XMLNode`	`getSemanticsAnnotation(long n)` Returns the nth MathML `<semantics>` element on this `ASTNode`.
`java.lang.String`	`getStyle()` Returns the MathML `style` attribute value of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`getType()` Returns the type of this `ASTNode`.
`java.lang.String`	`getUnits()` Returns the units of this `ASTNode`.
`double`	`getValue()` Returns the numerical value of this `ASTNode`.
`boolean`	`hasCorrectNumberArguments()` Returns `true` if this `ASTNode` has the correct number of children for its type.
`int`	`hashCode()` Returns a hashcode for this ASTNode object.
`int`	`hasTypeAndNumChildren(int type, long numchildren)` Returns `true` if this node is of a certain type with a specific number of children.
`boolean`	`hasUnits()` Returns `true` if this node or any of its children nodes have the attribute `sbml:units`.
`int`	`insertChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild)` Inserts the given `ASTNode` node at a given point in the current `ASTNode`'s list of children.
`boolean`	`isAvogadro()` Returns `true` if this node represents the predefined value for Avogadro's constant.
`boolean`	`isBoolean()` Returns `true` if this node has a Boolean type.
`boolean`	`isConstant()` Returns `true` if this node represents a MathML constant.
`boolean`	`isFunction()` Returns `true` if this node represents a function.
`boolean`	`isInfinity()` Returns `true` if this node represents the special IEEE 754 value for infinity.
`boolean`	`isInteger()` Returns `true` if this node contains an integer value.
`boolean`	`isLambda()` Returns `true` if this node is a MathML `<lambda>`.
`boolean`	`isLog10()` Returns `true` if this node represents a `log10` function.
`boolean`	`isLogical()` Returns `true` if this node is a MathML logical operator.
`boolean`	`isName()` Returns `true` if this node is a user-defined variable name or the symbols for time or Avogadro's constant.
`boolean`	`isNaN()` Returns `true` if this node represents the special IEEE 754 value 'not a number' (NaN).
`boolean`	`isNegInfinity()` Returns `true` if this node represents the special IEEE 754 value 'negative infinity'.
`boolean`	`isNumber()` Returns `true` if this node contains a number.
`boolean`	`isOperator()` Returns `true` if this node is a mathematical operator.
`boolean`	`isPiecewise()` Returns `true` if this node is the MathML `<piecewise>` construct.
`boolean`	`isQualifier()` Predicate returning `true` if this node is a MathML qualifier.
`boolean`	`isRational()` Returns `true` if this node represents a rational number.
`boolean`	`isReal()` Returns `true` if this node can represent a real number.
`boolean`	`isRelational()` Returns `true` if this node is a MathML relational operator.
`boolean`	`isSemantics()` Predicate returning `true` if this node is a MathML semantics node.
`boolean`	`isSetClass()` Returns `true` if this node has a value for the MathML attribute `class.`
`boolean`	`isSetId()` Returns `true` if this node has a value for the MathML attribute `id.`
`boolean`	`isSetParentSBMLObject()` Returns `true` if this node has a value for the parent SBML object.
`boolean`	`isSetStyle()` Returns `true` if this node has a value for the MathML attribute `style.`
`boolean`	`isSetUnits()` Returns `true` if this node has the attribute `sbml:units`.
`boolean`	`isSetUserData()` Returns `true` if this node has a user data object.
`boolean`	`isSqrt()` Returns `true` if this node represents a square root function.
`boolean`	`isUMinus()` Returns `true` if this node is a unary minus operator.
`boolean`	`isUnknown()` Returns `true` if this node has an unknown type.
`boolean`	`isUPlus()` Returns `true` if this node is a unary plus operator.
`boolean`	`isWellFormedASTNode()` Returns `true` or `false` depending on whether this `ASTNode` is well-formed.
`int`	`prependChild(ASTNode disownedChild)` Adds the given node as a child of this `ASTNode`.
`void`	`reduceToBinary()` Reduces this `ASTNode` to a binary tree.
`int`	`removeChild(long n)` Removes the nth child of this `ASTNode` object.
`void`	`renameSIdRefs(java.lang.String oldid, java.lang.String newid)` Renames all the SIdRef attributes on this node and its child nodes.
`void`	`renameUnitSIdRefs(java.lang.String oldid, java.lang.String newid)` Renames all the UnitSIdRef attributes on this node and its child nodes.
`void`	`replaceArgument(java.lang.String bvar, ASTNode arg)` Replaces occurrences of a given name with a given `ASTNode`.
`int`	`replaceChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild)` Replaces the nth child of this `ASTNode` with the given `ASTNode`.
`int`	`replaceChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild, boolean delreplaced)` Replaces the nth child of this `ASTNode` with the given `ASTNode`.
`boolean`	`returnsBoolean()` Returns `true` if this node returns a Boolean value.
`boolean`	`returnsBoolean(Model model)` Returns `true` if this node returns a Boolean value.
`int`	`setCharacter(char value)` Sets the value of this `ASTNode` to the given character.
`int`	`setClassName(java.lang.String className)` Sets the MathML attribute `class` of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`setDefinitionURL(java.lang.String url)` Sets the MathML attribute `definitionURL.`
`int`	`setDefinitionURL(XMLAttributes url)` Sets the MathML attribute `definitionURL.`
`int`	`setId(java.lang.String id)` Sets the MathML attribute `id` of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`setName(java.lang.String name)` Sets the value of this `ASTNode` to the given name.
`int`	`setStyle(java.lang.String style)` Sets the MathML attribute `style` of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`setType(int type)` Sets the type of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`setUnits(java.lang.String units)` Sets the units of this `ASTNode` to units.
`int`	`setValue(double value)` Sets the value of this `ASTNode` to the given real (`double`).
`int`	`setValue(double mantissa, int exponent)` Sets the value of this `ASTNode` to the given real (`double`)
`int`	`setValue(int value)` Sets the value of this `ASTNode` to the given (`long`) integer
`int`	`setValue(int numerator, int denominator)` Sets the value of this `ASTNode` to the given rational.
`int`	`swapChildren(ASTNode that)` Swaps the children of this node with the children of another node.
`int`	`unsetClass()` Unsets the MathML `class` attribute of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`unsetId()` Unsets the MathML `id` attribute of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`unsetParentSBMLObject()` Unsets the parent SBML object.
`int`	`unsetStyle()` Unsets the MathML `style` attribute of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`unsetUnits()` Unsets the units of this `ASTNode`.
`int`	`unsetUserData()` Unsets the user data of this node.

Methods inherited from class org.sbml.libsbml.ASTBase
addPlugin, getFunction, setIsChildFlag

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
getClass, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

- Constructor Detail
  - ASTNode
```
public ASTNode(ASTNode orig)
```
    Copy constructor creates a deep copy of the given ASTNode.
    
    Parameters:
    
    orig - the ASTNode to be copied.
- Method Detail
  - delete
```
public void delete()
```
    Explicitly deletes the underlying native object.
    In general, application software will not need to call this method directly. The Java language binding for libSBML is implemented as a language wrapper that provides a Java interface to libSBML's underlying C++/C code. Some of the Java methods return objects that are linked to objects created not by Java code, but by C++ code. The Java objects wrapped around them will be deleted when the garbage collector invokes the corresponding C++ finalize() methods for the objects. The finalize() methods in turn call the ASTNode.delete() method on the libSBML object.
    This method is exposed in case calling programs want to ensure that the underlying object is freed immediately, and not at some arbitrary time determined by the Java garbage collector. In normal usage, callers do not need to invoke ASTNode.delete() themselves.
    
    Overrides:
    
    delete in class ASTBase
  - equals
```
public boolean equals(java.lang.Object sb)
```
    Equality comparison method for ASTNode.
    Because the Java methods for libSBML are actually wrappers around code implemented in C++ and C, certain operations will not behave as expected. Equality comparison is one such case. An instance of a libSBML object class is actually a proxy object wrapping the real underlying C/C++ object. The normal == equality operator in Java will only compare the Java proxy objects, not the underlying native object. The result is almost never what you want in practical situations. Unfortunately, Java does not provide a way to override ==.
    The alternative that must be followed is to use the equals() method. The equals method on this class overrides the default java.lang.Object one, and performs an intelligent comparison of instances of objects of this class. The result is an assessment of whether two libSBML Java objects are truly the same underlying native-code objects.
    The use of this method in practice is the same as the use of any other Java equals method. For example, a.equals(b) returns true if a and b are references to the same underlying object.
    
    Overrides:
    
    equals in class java.lang.Object
    
    Parameters:
    
    sb - a reference to an object to which the current object instance will be compared
    
    Returns:
    
    true if sb refers to the same underlying native object as this one, false otherwise
  - hashCode
```
public int hashCode()
```
    Returns a hashcode for this ASTNode object.
    
    Overrides:
    
    hashCode in class java.lang.Object
    
    Returns:
    
    a hash code usable by Java methods that need them.
  - freeName
```
public int freeName()
```
    Frees the name of this ASTNode and sets it to null.
    This operation is only applicable to ASTNode objects corresponding to operators, numbers, or AST_UNKNOWN. This method has no effect on other types of nodes.
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_UNEXPECTED_ATTRIBUTE
  - canonicalize
```
public boolean canonicalize()
```
    Converts this ASTNode to a canonical form.
    The rules determining the canonical form conversion are as follows:
    - If the node type is AST_NAME and the node name matches 'ExponentialE', 'Pi', 'True' or 'False' the node type is converted to the corresponding AST_CONSTANT_X type.
    - If the node type is an AST_FUNCTION and the node name matches an SBML (MathML) function name, logical operator name, or relational operator name, the node is converted to the corresponding AST_FUNCTION_X or AST_LOGICAL_X type.
    SBML Level 1 function names are searched first thus, for example, canonicalizing log will result in a node type of AST_FUNCTION_LN. (See the SBML Level 1 Version 2 Specification, Appendix C.)
    Sometimes, canonicalization of a node results in a structural conversion of the node as a result of adding a child. For example, a node with the SBML Level 1 function name sqr and a single child node (the argument) will be transformed to a node of type AST_FUNCTION_POWER with two children. The first child will remain unchanged, but the second child will be an ASTNode of type AST_INTEGER and a value of 2. The function names that result in structural changes are: log10, sqr, and sqrt.
    Returns:
    
    true if this node was successfully converted to canonical form, false otherwise.
  - addChild
```
public int addChild(ASTNode disownedChild)
```
    Adds the given node as a child of this ASTNode.
    Child nodes are added in-order, from left to right.
    Parameters:
    
    disownedChild - the ASTNode instance to add
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.prependChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.replaceChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild, boolean delreplaced), ASTNode.insertChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.removeChild(long n), ASTNode.isWellFormedASTNode()
    
    "Warning:"
    
    Explicitly adding, removing or replacing children of an ASTNode object may change the structure of the mathematical formula it represents, and may even render the representation invalid. Callers need to be careful to use this method in the context of other operations to create complete and correct formulas. The method ASTNode.isWellFormedASTNode() may also be useful for checking the results of node modifications.
  - prependChild
```
public int prependChild(ASTNode disownedChild)
```
    Adds the given node as a child of this ASTNode.
    This method adds child nodes from right to left.
    Parameters:
    
    disownedChild - the ASTNode instance to add
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.addChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.replaceChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild, boolean delreplaced), ASTNode.insertChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.removeChild(long n)
    
    "Warning:"
    
    Explicitly adding, removing or replacing children of an ASTNode object may change the structure of the mathematical formula it represents, and may even render the representation invalid. Callers need to be careful to use this method in the context of other operations to create complete and correct formulas. The method ASTNode.isWellFormedASTNode() may also be useful for checking the results of node modifications.
  - removeChild
```
public int removeChild(long n)
```
    Removes the nth child of this ASTNode object.
    Parameters:
    
    n - long the index of the child to remove
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_INDEX_EXCEEDS_SIZE
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.addChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.prependChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.replaceChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild, boolean delreplaced), ASTNode.insertChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild)
    
    "Warning:"
    
    Explicitly adding, removing or replacing children of an ASTNode object may change the structure of the mathematical formula it represents, and may even render the representation invalid. Callers need to be careful to use this method in the context of other operations to create complete and correct formulas. The method ASTNode.isWellFormedASTNode() may also be useful for checking the results of node modifications.
  - replaceChild
```
public int replaceChild(long n,
                        ASTNode disownedChild,
                        boolean delreplaced)
```
    Replaces the nth child of this ASTNode with the given ASTNode.
    Parameters:
    
    n - long the index of the child to replace
    
    disownedChild - ASTNode to replace the nth child
    
    delreplaced - boolean indicating whether to delete the replaced child.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_INDEX_EXCEEDS_SIZE
    LIBSBML_INVALID_OBJECT
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.addChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.prependChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.insertChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.removeChild(long n)
    
    "Warning:"
    
    Explicitly adding, removing or replacing children of an ASTNode object may change the structure of the mathematical formula it represents, and may even render the representation invalid. Callers need to be careful to use this method in the context of other operations to create complete and correct formulas. The method ASTNode.isWellFormedASTNode() may also be useful for checking the results of node modifications.
  - replaceChild
```
public int replaceChild(long n,
                        ASTNode disownedChild)
```
    Replaces the nth child of this ASTNode with the given ASTNode.
    Parameters:
    
    n - long the index of the child to replace
    
    disownedChild - ASTNode to replace the nth child
    
    delreplaced - boolean indicating whether to delete the replaced child.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_INDEX_EXCEEDS_SIZE
    LIBSBML_INVALID_OBJECT
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.addChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.prependChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.insertChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.removeChild(long n)
    
    "Warning:"
    
    Explicitly adding, removing or replacing children of an ASTNode object may change the structure of the mathematical formula it represents, and may even render the representation invalid. Callers need to be careful to use this method in the context of other operations to create complete and correct formulas. The method ASTNode.isWellFormedASTNode() may also be useful for checking the results of node modifications.
  - insertChild
```
public int insertChild(long n,
                       ASTNode disownedChild)
```
    Inserts the given ASTNode node at a given point in the current ASTNode's list of children.
    Parameters:
    
    n - long the index of the ASTNode being added
    
    disownedChild - ASTNode to insert as the nth child
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_INDEX_EXCEEDS_SIZE
    LIBSBML_INVALID_OBJECT
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.addChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.prependChild(ASTNode disownedChild), ASTNode.replaceChild(long n, ASTNode disownedChild, boolean delreplaced), ASTNode.removeChild(long n)
    
    "Warning:"
    
    Explicitly adding, removing or replacing children of an ASTNode object may change the structure of the mathematical formula it represents, and may even render the representation invalid. Callers need to be careful to use this method in the context of other operations to create complete and correct formulas. The method ASTNode.isWellFormedASTNode() may also be useful for checking the results of node modifications.
  - deepCopy
```
public ASTBase deepCopy()
```
    Creates a recursive copy of this node and all its children.
    
    Overrides:
    
    deepCopy in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    a copy of this ASTNode and all its children. The caller owns the returned ASTNode and is responsible for deleting it.
  - getChild
```
public ASTNode getChild(long n)
```
    Returns the child at index n of this node.
    
    Parameters:
    
    n - the index of the child to get
    
    Returns:
    
    the nth child of this ASTNode or null if this node has no nth child (n > ASTNode.getNumChildren() - 1).
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.getNumChildren(), ASTNode.getLeftChild(), ASTNode.getRightChild()
  - getLeftChild
```
public ASTNode getLeftChild()
```
    Returns the left child of this node.
    
    Returns:
    
    the left child of this ASTNode. This is equivalent to calling ASTNode.getChild(long) with an argument of 0.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.getNumChildren(), ASTNode.getChild(long), ASTNode.getRightChild()
  - getRightChild
```
public ASTNode getRightChild()
```
    Returns the right child of this node.
    Returns:
    the right child of this ASTNode, or null if this node has no right child. If ASTNode.getNumChildren() > 1, then this is equivalent to:
    getChild( getNumChildren() - 1 )
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.getNumChildren(), ASTNode.getLeftChild(), ASTNode.getChild(long)
  - getNumChildren
```
public long getNumChildren()
```
    Returns the number of children of this node.
    
    Returns:
    
    the number of children of this ASTNode, or 0 is this node has no children.
  - addSemanticsAnnotation
```
public int addSemanticsAnnotation(XMLNode disownedAnnotation)
```
    Adds the given XMLNode as a MathML <semantics> element to this ASTNode.
    
    The <semantics> element is a MathML 2.0 construct that can be used to associate additional information with a MathML construct. The construct can be used to decorate a MathML expressions with a sequence of one or more <annotation> or <annotation-xml> elements. Each such element contains a pair of items the first is a symbol that acts as an attribute or key, and the second is the value associated with the attribute or key. Please refer to the MathML 2.0 documentation, particularly the Section 5.2, Semantic Annotations for more information about these constructs.
    Parameters:
    
    disownedAnnotation - the annotation to add.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.getNumSemanticsAnnotations(), ASTNode.getSemanticsAnnotation(long)
    
    "Note:"
    
    Although SBML permits the use of the MathML <semantics> annotation construct, the truth is that this construct has so far (at this time of this writing, which is early 2014) seen very little use in SBML software. The full implications of using these annotations are still poorly understood. If you wish to use this construct, we urge you to discuss possible uses and applications on the SBML discussion lists, particularly sbml-discuss and/or sbml-interoperability.
  - getNumSemanticsAnnotations
```
public long getNumSemanticsAnnotations()
```
    Returns the number of MathML <semantics> element elements on this node.
    
    The <semantics> element is a MathML 2.0 construct that can be used to associate additional information with a MathML construct. The construct can be used to decorate a MathML expressions with a sequence of one or more <annotation> or <annotation-xml> elements. Each such element contains a pair of items the first is a symbol that acts as an attribute or key, and the second is the value associated with the attribute or key. Please refer to the MathML 2.0 documentation, particularly the Section 5.2, Semantic Annotations for more information about these constructs.
    
    Returns:
    
    the number of annotations of this ASTNode.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.addSemanticsAnnotation(XMLNode), ASTNode.getSemanticsAnnotation(long)
    
    "Note:"
    
    Although SBML permits the use of the MathML <semantics> annotation construct, the truth is that this construct has so far (at this time of this writing, which is early 2014) seen very little use in SBML software. The full implications of using these annotations are still poorly understood. If you wish to use this construct, we urge you to discuss possible uses and applications on the SBML discussion lists, particularly sbml-discuss and/or sbml-interoperability.
  - getSemanticsAnnotation
```
public XMLNode getSemanticsAnnotation(long n)
```
    Returns the nth MathML <semantics> element on this ASTNode.
    
    The <semantics> element is a MathML 2.0 construct that can be used to associate additional information with a MathML construct. The construct can be used to decorate a MathML expressions with a sequence of one or more <annotation> or <annotation-xml> elements. Each such element contains a pair of items the first is a symbol that acts as an attribute or key, and the second is the value associated with the attribute or key. Please refer to the MathML 2.0 documentation, particularly the Section 5.2, Semantic Annotations for more information about these constructs.
    
    Parameters:
    
    n - the index of the annotation to return. Callers should use ASTNode.getNumSemanticsAnnotations() to first find out how many annotations there are.
    
    Returns:
    
    the nth annotation inside this ASTNode, or null if this node has no nth annotation (n > ASTNode.getNumSemanticsAnnotations() - 1).
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.addSemanticsAnnotation(XMLNode), ASTNode.getNumSemanticsAnnotations()
    
    "Note:"
    
    Although SBML permits the use of the MathML <semantics> annotation construct, the truth is that this construct has so far (at this time of this writing, which is early 2014) seen very little use in SBML software. The full implications of using these annotations are still poorly understood. If you wish to use this construct, we urge you to discuss possible uses and applications on the SBML discussion lists, particularly sbml-discuss and/or sbml-interoperability.
  - getCharacter
```
public char getCharacter()
```
    Returns the value of this node as a single character.
    This function should be called only when ASTNode.getType() returns AST_MINUS, AST_TIMES, AST_DIVIDE or AST_POWER.
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of this ASTNode as a single character
  - getId
```
public java.lang.String getId()
```
    Returns the MathML id attribute value of this ASTNode.
    
    Overrides:
    
    getId in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    the MathML id of this ASTNode.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetId(), ASTNode.setId(String id), ASTNode.unsetId()
  - getClassName
```
public java.lang.String getClassName()
```
    Returns the MathML class attribute value of this ASTNode.
    
    Overrides:
    
    getClassName in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    the MathML class of this ASTNode, if any exists.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetClass(), ASTNode.setClassName(String id), ASTNode.unsetClass()
  - getStyle
```
public java.lang.String getStyle()
```
    Returns the MathML style attribute value of this ASTNode.
    
    Overrides:
    
    getStyle in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    the MathML style of this ASTNode, if any exists.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetStyle(), ASTNode.setStyle(String id), ASTNode.unsetStyle()
  - getInteger
```
public int getInteger()
```
    Returns the value of this node as an integer.
    If this node type is AST_RATIONAL, this method returns the value of the numerator.
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of this ASTNode as a (long) integer.
    
    "Note:"
    
    This function should be called only when ASTNode.getType() returns AST_INTEGER or AST_RATIONAL. It will return 0 if the node type is not one of these, but since 0 may be a valid value for integer, it is important to be sure that the node type is one of the expected types in order to understand if 0 is the actual value.
  - getName
```
public java.lang.String getName()
```
    Returns the value of this node as a string.
    This function may be called on nodes that (1) are not operators, i.e., nodes for which ASTNode.isOperator() returns false, and (2) are not numbers, i.e., ASTNode.isNumber() returns false.
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of this ASTNode as a string, or null if it is a node that does not have a name equivalent (e.g., if it is a number).
  - getOperatorName
```
public java.lang.String getOperatorName()
```
    Returns the value of this operator node as a string.
    This function may be called on nodes that are operators, i.e., nodes for which ASTNode.isOperator() returns true.
    
    Returns:
    
    the name of this operator ASTNode as a string (or null if not an operator).
  - getNumerator
```
public int getNumerator()
```
    Returns the value of the numerator of this node.
    This function should be called only when ASTNode.getType() returns AST_RATIONAL or AST_INTEGER.
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of the numerator of this ASTNode.
  - getDenominator
```
public int getDenominator()
```
    Returns the value of the denominator of this node.
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of the denominator of this ASTNode, or 1 if this node has no numerical value.
    
    "Note:"
    
    This function should be called only when ASTNode.getType() returns AST_RATIONAL. It will return 1 if the node type is another type, but since 1 may be a valid value for the denominator of a rational number, it is important to be sure that the node type is the correct type in order to correctly interpret the returned value.
  - getReal
```
public double getReal()
```
    Returns the real-numbered value of this node.
    This function performs the necessary arithmetic if the node type is AST_REAL_E (mantissa * 10^exponent) or AST_RATIONAL (numerator / denominator).
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of this ASTNode as a real (double), or 0 if this is not a node that holds a number.
    
    "Note:"
    
    This function should be called only when this ASTNode has a numerical value type. It will return 0 if the node type is another type, but since 0 may be a valid value, it is important to be sure that the node type is the correct type in order to correctly interpret the returned value.
  - getMantissa
```
public double getMantissa()
```
    Returns the mantissa value of this node.
    If ASTNode.getType() returns AST_REAL, this method is identical to ASTNode.getReal().
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of the mantissa of this ASTNode, or 0 if this node is not a type that has a real-numbered value.
    
    "Note:"
    
    This function should be called only when ASTNode.getType() returns AST_REAL_E, AST_REAL or AST_NAME_AVOGADRO. It will return 0 if the node type is another type, but since 0 may be a valid value, it is important to be sure that the node type is the correct type in order to correctly interpret the returned value.
  - getExponent
```
public int getExponent()
```
    Returns the exponent value of this ASTNode.
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of the exponent of this ASTNode, or 0 if this is not a type of node that has an exponent.
    
    "Note:"
    
    This function should be called only when ASTNode.getType() returns AST_REAL_E. It will return 0 if the node type is another type, but since 0 may be a valid value, it is important to be sure that the node type is the correct type in order to correctly interpret the returned value.
  - getValue
```
public double getValue()
```
    Returns the numerical value of this ASTNode.
    
    Overrides:
    
    getValue in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    the numerical value of this ASTNode, or NaN if this is not a type of node that has a numerical value.
    
    "Note:"
    
    This function will return a numerical value (as a double) for any ASTNode_t that represents a number, a constant such as AST_CONSTANT_PI, AST_CONSTANT_E, or AST_NAME_AVOGADRO, or 1 for nodes of type AST_CONSTANT_TRUE and 0 for nodes of type AST_CONSTANT_FALSE. It does not evaluate the node in any way so, for example, it will not return the value of a named ASTNode_t or attempt to evaluate a function. This includes a node representing time i.e. nodes of type AST_NAME_TIME.
  - getPrecedence
```
public int getPrecedence()
```
    Returns the precedence of this node in the infix math syntax of SBML Level 1.
    For more information about the infix syntax, see the discussion about text string formulas at the top of the documentation for ASTNode.
    
    Returns:
    
    an integer indicating the precedence of this ASTNode
  - getType
```
public int getType()
```
    Returns the type of this ASTNode.
    The value returned is one of the Core AST type codes such as AST_LAMBDA, AST_PLUS, etc.
    
    Overrides:
    
    getType in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    the type of this ASTNode.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.getExtendedType()
    
    "Note:"
    
    The introduction of extensibility in SBML Level 3 brings with it a need to allow for the possibility of node types that are defined by plug-ins implementing SBML Level 3 packages. If a given ASTNode is a construct created by a package rather than libSBML Core, then getType() will return AST_ORIGINATES_IN_PACKAGE. Callers can then obtain the package-specific type by calling getExtendedType().
  - getExtendedType
```
public int getExtendedType()
```
    Returns the extended type of this ASTNode.
    The type may be either a core integer type code or a value of a type code defined by an SBML Level 3 package.
    
    Overrides:
    
    getExtendedType in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    the type of this ASTNode.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.getType()
    
    "Note:"
    
    When the ASTNode is of a type from a package, the value returned by ASTNode.getType() will be AST_ORIGINATES_IN_PACKAGE and getExtendedType() will return a package-specific type code. To find out the possible package-specific types (if any), please consult the documentation for the particular package.
  - getUnits
```
public java.lang.String getUnits()
```
    Returns the units of this ASTNode.
    SBML Level 3 Version 1 introduced the ability to include an attribute sbml:units on MathML cn elements appearing in SBML mathematical formulas. The value of this attribute can be used to indicate the unit of measurement to be associated with the number in the content of the cn element. The value of this attribute must be the identifier of a unit of measurement defined by SBML or the enclosing Model. Here, the sbml portion is an XML namespace prefix that must be associated with the SBML namespace for SBML Level 3. The following example illustrates how this attribute can be used to define a number with value 10 and unit of measurement second:
```
<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"
      xmlns:sbml="http://www.sbml.org/sbml/level3/version1/core">
        <cn type="integer" sbml:units="second"> 10 </cn>
</math>
```
    Returns:
    
    the units of this ASTNode.
    
    See Also:
    
    libsbml.parseL3Formula(String)
    
    "Note:"
    
    The sbml:units attribute is only available in SBML Level 3. It may not be used in Levels 1&ndash2 of SBML.
  - isAvogadro
```
public boolean isAvogadro()
```
    Returns true if this node represents the predefined value for Avogadro's constant.
    SBML Level 3 introduced a predefined MathML <csymbol> for the value of Avogadro's constant. LibSBML stores this internally as a node of type AST_NAME_AVOGADRO. This method returns true if this node has that type.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isAvogadro in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is the special symbol avogadro, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    libsbml.parseL3Formula(String)
  - isBoolean
```
public boolean isBoolean()
```
    Returns true if this node has a Boolean type.
    The ASTNode objects that have Boolean types are the logical operators, relational operators, and the constants true or false.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isBoolean in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode has a Boolean type, false otherwise.
  - returnsBoolean
```
public boolean returnsBoolean(Model model)
```
    Returns true if this node returns a Boolean value.
    This function looks at the whole ASTNode rather than just the top level of the ASTNode. Thus, it will consider return values from piecewise statements. In addition, if this ASTNode uses a function call to a user-defined function, the return value of the corresponding FunctionDefinition object will be determined. Note that this is only possible where the ASTNode can trace its parent Model that is, the ASTNode must represent the <math> element of some SBML object that has already been added to an instance of an SBMLDocument.
    
    Parameters:
    
    model - the Model to use as context
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode returns a boolean, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isBoolean()
  - returnsBoolean
```
public boolean returnsBoolean()
```
    Returns true if this node returns a Boolean value.
    This function looks at the whole ASTNode rather than just the top level of the ASTNode. Thus, it will consider return values from piecewise statements. In addition, if this ASTNode uses a function call to a user-defined function, the return value of the corresponding FunctionDefinition object will be determined. Note that this is only possible where the ASTNode can trace its parent Model that is, the ASTNode must represent the <math> element of some SBML object that has already been added to an instance of an SBMLDocument.
    
    Parameters:
    
    model - the Model to use as context
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode returns a boolean, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isBoolean()
  - isConstant
```
public boolean isConstant()
```
    Returns true if this node represents a MathML constant.
    Examples of MathML constants include such things as pi.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isConstant in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a MathML constant, false otherwise.
    
    "Note:"
    
    This function will also return true for nodes of type AST_NAME_AVOGADRO in SBML Level 3.
  - isFunction
```
public boolean isFunction()
```
    Returns true if this node represents a function.
    The three types of functions in SBML are MathML functions (e.g., abs()), SBML Level 1 functions (in the SBML Level 1 math syntax), and user-defined functions (using FunctionDefinition in SBML Level 2 and 3).
    
    Overrides:
    
    isFunction in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a function, false otherwise.
  - isInfinity
```
public boolean isInfinity()
```
    Returns true if this node represents the special IEEE 754 value for infinity.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is the special IEEE 754 value infinity, false otherwise.
  - isInteger
```
public boolean isInteger()
```
    Returns true if this node contains an integer value.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isInteger in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is of type AST_INTEGER, false otherwise.
  - isLambda
```
public boolean isLambda()
```
    Returns true if this node is a MathML <lambda>.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isLambda in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is of type AST_LAMBDA, false otherwise.
  - isLog10
```
public boolean isLog10()
```
    Returns true if this node represents a log10 function.
    More precisely, this predicate returns true if the node type is AST_FUNCTION_LOG with two children, the first of which is an AST_INTEGER equal to 10.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if the given ASTNode represents a log10() function, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    libsbml.parseL3Formula(String)
  - isLogical
```
public boolean isLogical()
```
    Returns true if this node is a MathML logical operator.
    The possible MathML logical operators are and, or, not, and xor.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isLogical in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a MathML logical operator, false otherwise.
  - isName
```
public boolean isName()
```
    Returns true if this node is a user-defined variable name or the symbols for time or Avogadro's constant.
    SBML Levels 2 and 3 provides <csymbol> definitions for 'time' and 'avogadro', which can be used to represent simulation time and Avogadro's constant in MathML. Note that this method does not return true for the other csymbol values defined by SBML, 'delay', because the 'delay' is a function and not a constant or variable.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isName in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a user-defined variable name in SBML or the special symbols for time or Avogadro's constant. It returns false otherwise.
  - isNaN
```
public boolean isNaN()
```
    Returns true if this node represents the special IEEE 754 value 'not a number' (NaN).
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is the special IEEE 754 NaN, false otherwise.
  - isNegInfinity
```
public boolean isNegInfinity()
```
    Returns true if this node represents the special IEEE 754 value 'negative infinity'.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is the special IEEE 754 value negative infinity, false otherwise.
  - isNumber
```
public boolean isNumber()
```
    Returns true if this node contains a number.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isNumber in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a number, false otherwise.
  - isOperator
```
public boolean isOperator()
```
    Returns true if this node is a mathematical operator.
    The possible mathematical operators in the MathML syntax supported by SBML are +, -, *, / and ^ (power).
    
    Overrides:
    
    isOperator in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is an operator, false otherwise.
  - isPiecewise
```
public boolean isPiecewise()
```
    Returns true if this node is the MathML <piecewise> construct.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isPiecewise in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a MathML piecewise function, false otherwise.
  - isQualifier
```
public boolean isQualifier()
```
    Predicate returning true if this node is a MathML qualifier.
    The MathML qualifier node types are bvar, degree, base, piece, and otherwise.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isQualifier in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a MathML qualifier, false otherwise.
  - isRational
```
public boolean isRational()
```
    Returns true if this node represents a rational number.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isRational in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is of type AST_RATIONAL, false otherwise.
  - isReal
```
public boolean isReal()
```
    Returns true if this node can represent a real number.
    More precisely, this node must be of one of the following types: AST_REAL, AST_REAL_E or AST_RATIONAL.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isReal in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if the value of this ASTNode can represented as a real number, false otherwise.
  - isRelational
```
public boolean isRelational()
```
    Returns true if this node is a MathML relational operator.
    The MathML relational operators are ==, >=, >, <, and !=.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isRelational in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a MathML relational operator, false otherwise.
  - isSemantics
```
public boolean isSemantics()
```
    Predicate returning true if this node is a MathML semantics node.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isSemantics in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a MathML semantics node, false otherwise.
  - isSqrt
```
public boolean isSqrt()
```
    Returns true if this node represents a square root function.
    More precisely, the node type must be AST_FUNCTION_ROOT with two children, the first of which is an AST_INTEGER node having value equal to 2.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if the given ASTNode represents a sqrt() function, false otherwise.
  - isUMinus
```
public boolean isUMinus()
```
    Returns true if this node is a unary minus operator.
    A node is defined as a unary minus node if it is of type AST_MINUS and has exactly one child.
    For numbers, unary minus nodes can be 'collapsed' by negating the number. In fact, libsbml.parseFormula(String) does this during its parsing process, and libsbml.parseL3Formula(String) has a configuration option that allows this behavior to be turned on or off. However, unary minus nodes for symbols (AST_NAME) cannot be 'collapsed', so this predicate function is necessary.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a unary minus, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    libsbml.parseL3Formula(String)
  - isUPlus
```
public boolean isUPlus()
```
    Returns true if this node is a unary plus operator.
    A node is defined as a unary plus node if it is of type AST_PLUS and has exactly one child.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is a unary plus, false otherwise.
  - hasTypeAndNumChildren
```
public int hasTypeAndNumChildren(int type,
                                 long numchildren)
```
    Returns true if this node is of a certain type with a specific number of children.
    Designed for use in cases where it is useful to discover if the node is a unary not or unary minus, or a times node with no children, etc.
    
    Parameters:
    
    type - the type of ASTNode sought.
    
    numchildren - the number of child nodes sought.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is has the specified type and number of children, false otherwise.
  - isUnknown
```
public boolean isUnknown()
```
    Returns true if this node has an unknown type.
    'Unknown' nodes have the type AST_UNKNOWN. Nodes with unknown types will not appear in an ASTNode tree returned by libSBML based upon valid SBML input the only situation in which a node with type AST_UNKNOWN may appear is immediately after having create a new, untyped node using the ASTNode constructor. Callers creating nodes should endeavor to set the type to a valid node type as soon as possible after creating new nodes.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isUnknown in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is of type AST_UNKNOWN, false otherwise.
  - isSetId
```
public boolean isSetId()
```
    Returns true if this node has a value for the MathML attribute id.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isSetId in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode has an attribute id, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetClass(), ASTNode.isSetStyle(), ASTNode.setId(String id), ASTNode.unsetId()
  - isSetClass
```
public boolean isSetClass()
```
    Returns true if this node has a value for the MathML attribute class.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isSetClass in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode has an attribute class, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetId(), ASTNode.isSetStyle(), ASTNode.setClassName(String id), ASTNode.unsetClass()
  - isSetStyle
```
public boolean isSetStyle()
```
    Returns true if this node has a value for the MathML attribute style.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isSetStyle in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode has an attribute style, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetClass(), ASTNode.isSetId(), ASTNode.setStyle(String id), ASTNode.unsetStyle()
  - isSetUnits
```
public boolean isSetUnits()
```
    Returns true if this node has the attribute sbml:units.
    SBML Level 3 Version 1 introduced the ability to include an attribute sbml:units on MathML cn elements appearing in SBML mathematical formulas. The value of this attribute can be used to indicate the unit of measurement to be associated with the number in the content of the cn element. The value of this attribute must be the identifier of a unit of measurement defined by SBML or the enclosing Model. Here, the sbml portion is an XML namespace prefix that must be associated with the SBML namespace for SBML Level 3. The following example illustrates how this attribute can be used to define a number with value 10 and unit of measurement second:
```
<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"
      xmlns:sbml="http://www.sbml.org/sbml/level3/version1/core">
        <cn type="integer" sbml:units="second"> 10 </cn>
</math>
```
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode has units associated with it, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.hasUnits(), ASTNode.setUnits(String units)
    
    "Note:"
    
    The sbml:units attribute is only available in SBML Level 3. It may not be used in Levels 1&ndash2 of SBML.
  - hasUnits
```
public boolean hasUnits()
```
    Returns true if this node or any of its children nodes have the attribute sbml:units.
    SBML Level 3 Version 1 introduced the ability to include an attribute sbml:units on MathML cn elements appearing in SBML mathematical formulas. The value of this attribute can be used to indicate the unit of measurement to be associated with the number in the content of the cn element. The value of this attribute must be the identifier of a unit of measurement defined by SBML or the enclosing Model. Here, the sbml portion is an XML namespace prefix that must be associated with the SBML namespace for SBML Level 3. The following example illustrates how this attribute can be used to define a number with value 10 and unit of measurement second:
```
<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"
      xmlns:sbml="http://www.sbml.org/sbml/level3/version1/core">
        <cn type="integer" sbml:units="second"> 10 </cn>
</math>
```
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode or its children has units associated with it, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetUnits(), ASTNode.setUnits(String units)
    
    "Note:"
    
    The sbml:units attribute is only available in SBML Level 3. It may not be used in Levels 1&ndash2 of SBML.
  - setCharacter
```
public int setCharacter(char value)
```
    Sets the value of this ASTNode to the given character. If character is one of +, -, *, / or ^, the node type will be set accordingly. For all other characters, the node type will be set to AST_UNKNOWN.
    Parameters:
    
    value - the character value to which the node's value should be set.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
  - setId
```
public int setId(java.lang.String id)
```
    Sets the MathML attribute id of this ASTNode.
    Overrides:
    
    setId in class ASTBase
    
    Parameters:
    
    id - string representing the identifier.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetId(), ASTNode.getId(), ASTNode.unsetId()
  - setClassName
```
public int setClassName(java.lang.String className)
```
    Sets the MathML attribute class of this ASTNode.
    Overrides:
    
    setClassName in class ASTBase
    
    Parameters:
    
    className - string representing the MathML class for this node.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetClass(), Object.getClass(), ASTNode.unsetClass()
    
    "Note:"
    
    In the API interfaces for languages other than Java, this method is named setClass(), but in Java it is renamed setClassName() to avoid a name collision with Java's standard object method of the same name.
  - setStyle
```
public int setStyle(java.lang.String style)
```
    Sets the MathML attribute style of this ASTNode.
    Overrides:
    
    setStyle in class ASTBase
    
    Parameters:
    
    style - string representing the identifier.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetStyle(), ASTNode.getStyle(), ASTNode.unsetStyle()
  - setName
```
public int setName(java.lang.String name)
```
    Sets the value of this ASTNode to the given name.
    As a side effect, this ASTNode object's type will be reset to AST_NAME if (and only if) the ASTNode was previously an operator (i.e., * ASTNode.isOperator() returns true), number (i.e., ASTNode.isNumber() returns true), or unknown. This allows names to be set for AST_FUNCTION nodes and the like.
    Parameters:
    
    name - the string containing the name to which this node's value should be set.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
  - setValue
```
public int setValue(int value)
```
    Sets the value of this ASTNode to the given (long) integer
    As a side effect, this operation sets the node type to AST_INTEGER.
    Parameters:
    
    value - the integer to which this node's value should be set.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
  - setValue
```
public int setValue(int numerator,
                    int denominator)
```
    Sets the value of this ASTNode to the given rational.
    As a side effect, this operation sets the node type to AST_RATIONAL.
    Parameters:
    
    numerator - the numerator value of the rational.
    
    denominator - the denominator value of the rational.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
  - setValue
```
public int setValue(double value)
```
    Sets the value of this ASTNode to the given real (double).
    As a side effect, this operation sets the node type to AST_REAL.
    This is functionally equivalent to:
```
setValue(value, 0)
```
    Parameters:
    
    value - the double format number to which this node's value should be set.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
  - setValue
```
public int setValue(double mantissa,
                    int exponent)
```
    Sets the value of this ASTNode to the given real (double)
    As a side effet, this operation sets the node type to AST_REAL_E.
    Parameters:
    
    mantissa - the mantissa of this node's real-numbered value.
    
    exponent - the exponent of this node's real-numbered value.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
  - setType
```
public int setType(int type)
```
    Sets the type of this ASTNode.
    This uses integer type codes, which may come from the set of static integer constants whose names begin with the prefix AST_ defined in the interface class libsbmlConstants or an enumeration of AST types in an SBML Level 3 package.
    Overrides:
    
    setType in class ASTBase
    
    Parameters:
    
    type - the integer representing the type to which this node should be set.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_INVALID_ATTRIBUTE_VALUE
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.getType(), ASTNode.setType(int)
    
    "Note:"
    
    A side-effect of doing this is that any numerical values previously stored in this node are reset to zero.
  - setUnits
```
public int setUnits(java.lang.String units)
```
    Sets the units of this ASTNode to units.
    The units will be set only if this ASTNode object represents a MathML <cn> element, i.e., represents a number. Callers may use ASTNode.isNumber() to inquire whether the node is of that type.
    SBML Level 3 Version 1 introduced the ability to include an attribute sbml:units on MathML cn elements appearing in SBML mathematical formulas. The value of this attribute can be used to indicate the unit of measurement to be associated with the number in the content of the cn element. The value of this attribute must be the identifier of a unit of measurement defined by SBML or the enclosing Model. Here, the sbml portion is an XML namespace prefix that must be associated with the SBML namespace for SBML Level 3. The following example illustrates how this attribute can be used to define a number with value 10 and unit of measurement second:
```
<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"
      xmlns:sbml="http://www.sbml.org/sbml/level3/version1/core">
        <cn type="integer" sbml:units="second"> 10 </cn>
</math>
```
    Parameters:
    
    units - string representing the unit identifier.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_UNEXPECTED_ATTRIBUTE
    LIBSBML_INVALID_ATTRIBUTE_VALUE
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetUnits(), ASTNode.hasUnits()
    
    "Note:"
    
    The sbml:units attribute is only available in SBML Level 3. It may not be used in Levels 1&ndash2 of SBML.
  - swapChildren
```
public int swapChildren(ASTNode that)
```
    Swaps the children of this node with the children of another node.
    Parameters:
    
    that - the other node whose children should be used to replace this node's children.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
  - renameSIdRefs
```
public void renameSIdRefs(java.lang.String oldid,
                          java.lang.String newid)
```
    Renames all the SIdRef attributes on this node and its child nodes.
    
    Parameters:
    
    oldid - the old identifier.
    
    newid - the new identifier.
  - renameUnitSIdRefs
```
public void renameUnitSIdRefs(java.lang.String oldid,
                              java.lang.String newid)
```
    Renames all the UnitSIdRef attributes on this node and its child nodes.
    The only place UnitSIDRefs appear in MathML <cn> elements, so the effects of this method are limited to that.
    
    Parameters:
    
    oldid - the old identifier.
    
    newid - the new identifier.
  - unsetUnits
```
public int unsetUnits()
```
    Unsets the units of this ASTNode.
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_UNEXPECTED_ATTRIBUTE
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
  - unsetId
```
public int unsetId()
```
    Unsets the MathML id attribute of this ASTNode.
    Overrides:
    
    unsetId in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
  - unsetClass
```
public int unsetClass()
```
    Unsets the MathML class attribute of this ASTNode.
    Overrides:
    
    unsetClass in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
  - unsetStyle
```
public int unsetStyle()
```
    Unsets the MathML style attribute of this ASTNode.
    Overrides:
    
    unsetStyle in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
  - setDefinitionURL
```
public int setDefinitionURL(XMLAttributes url)
```
    Sets the MathML attribute definitionURL.
    Parameters:
    
    url - the URL value for the definitionURL attribute.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_INVALID_OBJECT
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.setDefinitionURL(String url), ASTNode.getDefinitionURL(), ASTNode.getDefinitionURLString()
  - setDefinitionURL
```
public int setDefinitionURL(java.lang.String url)
```
    Sets the MathML attribute definitionURL.
    Parameters:
    
    url - the URL value for the definitionURL attribute.
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_INVALID_OBJECT
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.setDefinitionURL(XMLAttributes url), ASTNode.getDefinitionURL(), ASTNode.getDefinitionURLString()
  - getDefinitionURL
```
public XMLAttributes getDefinitionURL()
```
    Returns the MathML definitionURL attribute value.
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of the definitionURL attribute, in the form of a libSBML XMLAttributes object.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.setDefinitionURL(XMLAttributes url), ASTNode.setDefinitionURL(String url), ASTNode.getDefinitionURLString()
  - replaceArgument
```
public void replaceArgument(java.lang.String bvar,
                            ASTNode arg)
```
    Replaces occurrences of a given name with a given ASTNode.
    For example, if the formula in this ASTNode is x + y, then the <bvar> is x and arg is an ASTNode representing the real value 3. This method substitutes 3 for x within this ASTNode object.
    
    Parameters:
    
    bvar - a string representing the variable name to be substituted.
    
    arg - an ASTNode representing the name/value/formula to use as a replacement.
  - getParentSBMLObject
```
public SBase getParentSBMLObject()
```
    Returns the parent SBML object.
    
    Overrides:
    
    getParentSBMLObject in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    the parent SBML object of this ASTNode.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetParentSBMLObject()
  - unsetParentSBMLObject
```
public int unsetParentSBMLObject()
```
    Unsets the parent SBML object.
    Overrides:
    
    unsetParentSBMLObject in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isSetParentSBMLObject(), ASTNode.getParentSBMLObject()
  - isSetParentSBMLObject
```
public boolean isSetParentSBMLObject()
```
    Returns true if this node has a value for the parent SBML object.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isSetParentSBMLObject in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode has an parent SBML object set, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.getParentSBMLObject()
  - reduceToBinary
```
public void reduceToBinary()
```
    Reduces this ASTNode to a binary tree.
    Example: if this ASTNode is and(x, y, z), then the formula of the reduced node is and(and(x, y), z). The operation replaces the formula stored in the current ASTNode object.
  - unsetUserData
```
public int unsetUserData()
```
    Unsets the user data of this node.
    The user data can be used by the application developer to attach custom information to the node. In case of a deep copy, this attribute will passed as it is. The attribute will be never interpreted by this class.
    Overrides:
    
    unsetUserData in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
    
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_SUCCESS
    LIBSBML_OPERATION_FAILED
  - isSetUserData
```
public boolean isSetUserData()
```
    Returns true if this node has a user data object.
    
    Overrides:
    
    isSetUserData in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode has a user data object set, false otherwise.
  - isWellFormedASTNode
```
public boolean isWellFormedASTNode()
```
    Returns true or false depending on whether this ASTNode is well-formed.
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode is well-formed, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.hasCorrectNumberArguments()
    
    "Note:"
    
    An ASTNode may be well-formed, with each node and its children having the appropriate number of children for the given type, but may still be invalid in the context of its use within an SBML model.
  - hasCorrectNumberArguments
```
public boolean hasCorrectNumberArguments()
```
    Returns true if this ASTNode has the correct number of children for its type.
    For example, an ASTNode with type AST_PLUS expects 2 child nodes.
    
    Overrides:
    
    hasCorrectNumberArguments in class ASTBase
    
    Returns:
    
    true if this ASTNode has the appropriate number of children for its type, false otherwise.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.isWellFormedASTNode()
    
    "Note:"
    
    This function performs a check on the top-level node only. Child nodes are not checked.
  - getDefinitionURLString
```
public java.lang.String getDefinitionURLString()
```
    Returns the MathML definitionURL attribute value as a string.
    
    Returns:
    
    the value of the definitionURL attribute, as a string.
    
    See Also:
    
    ASTNode.getDefinitionURL(), ASTNode.setDefinitionURL(String url), ASTNode.setDefinitionURL(XMLAttributes url)
  - getListOfNodes
```
public ASTNodeList getListOfNodes()
```

Class ASTNode

The set of possible ASTNode types

Converting between ASTs and text strings

Historical notes

Constructor Summary

Method Summary

Methods inherited from class org.sbml.libsbml.ASTBase

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

Constructor Detail

ASTNode

Method Detail

delete

equals

hashCode

freeName

canonicalize

addChild

prependChild

removeChild

replaceChild

replaceChild

insertChild

deepCopy

getChild

getLeftChild

getRightChild

getNumChildren

addSemanticsAnnotation

getNumSemanticsAnnotations

getSemanticsAnnotation

getCharacter

getId

getClassName

getStyle

getInteger

getName

getOperatorName

getNumerator

getDenominator

getReal

getMantissa

getExponent

getValue

getPrecedence

getType

getExtendedType

getUnits

isAvogadro

isBoolean

returnsBoolean

returnsBoolean

isConstant

isFunction

isInfinity

isInteger

isLambda

isLog10

isLogical

isName

isNaN

isNegInfinity

isNumber

isOperator

isPiecewise

isQualifier

isRational

isReal

isRelational

isSemantics

isSqrt

isUMinus

isUPlus

hasTypeAndNumChildren

isUnknown

isSetId

isSetClass

isSetStyle

isSetUnits

hasUnits

setCharacter