An introduction to automata design with TikZ's automata library

Abstract

This article is a quick introduction to Ti k Z’s automata library, used for the design and typesetting of finite automata in L A TEX. It also explores the use of TEX loops and conditionals to automate the generation of images that follow noticeable patterns. Ti k Z itself is a package used for generating a variety of figures — from geometry configurations to graphs and automata — allowing for more control over image editing and quality. Although the package is very versatile, its uses for designing automata will be the primary topic of this article.