[GSoC 2026]: Proposal Idea: TikZ Automata Parser + Executable Automata Theory Module in SymPy

[Suraj Channappanavar]

Hello SymPy Community,

I am Suraj Channappanavar, a junior majoring in Computer Science at Arizona State University. I am very interested in contributing to SymPy under GSoC.

My proposal idea is to expand the current Lark‑based LaTeX parser to support the TikZ automata library for state diagrams. The goal is for users to convert LaTeX/TikZ state machine drawings directly into executable machines and run input strings to check acceptance.

There is some prior work in sympy.combinatorics.rewritingsystem_fsm.StateMachine, which provides basic state and transition structures. However, it is limited to minimal FSM definitions and does not provide automata‑theory features like accepts(), DFA/NFA validation, or conversions. I want to build on (or wrap) this to provide a clean automata module, while adding a TikZ parser that extracts states, start/accept markers, and labeled transitions from common TikZ patterns.

If this direction seems useful, I’d appreciate feedback on scope, preferred module placement, and any design constraints the maintainers recommend.

Thanks for your time,
Suraj Channappanavar