Use heta-compiler from Julia

This guide shows how to call heta-compiler commands from Julia instead of the command line, using the compiler included in HetaSimulator.

Why use the compiler from Julia?

HetaSimulator provides Julia functions for the main heta-compiler commands. This approach is useful when you already work in Julia because:

• you do not need to install heta-compiler as a separate application;
• the compiler and simulator versions stay compatible;
• you can switch compiler versions by changing the HetaSimulator version;
• different projects can use different versions through local Julia environments.

Set up the project environment

Open Julia in your model directory.

] add HetaSimulator
using HetaSimulator

Check the compiler version

Run:

heta_version()

This prints the version of heta-compiler included in the installed HetaSimulator package. It is the Julia equivalent of:

heta --version

Make sure this version is allowed by the builderVersion field in platform.yml. See Manage software versions for details.

Create a Heta project

To create a project in the current directory, run:

heta_init(".")

This is equivalent to heta init. It creates the project template, including platform.yml and src/index.heta.

Build the model

Build the project in the current directory and check the consistency of units:

heta_build("."; units_check = true)

This is equivalent to:

heta build --units-check

Build with custom options

Arguments passed to heta_build can override settings from platform.yml. For example, the following build reads an Excel model, checks units, exports SBML and JSON, and writes the results to a custom directory:

heta_build(
    ".";
    source = "src/table.xlsx",
    type = "xlsx",
    units_check = true,
    export_ = "{format:SBML,version:L3V1},JSON",
    dist_dir = "generated",
    log_mode = "always"
)

Use heta_help("build") to see the available build options from Julia.

Manage the installed version

Use Julia's package mode to inspect or change HetaSimulator:

] status HetaSimulator

Shows the installed HetaSimulator version.

] add HetaSimulator

Installs a compatible current release.

] add HetaSimulator@0.8.3

Installs the exact version 0.8.3.

Command reference

Julia	Command line	Purpose
heta_version()	heta --version	Show the included compiler version.
heta_init(".")	heta init	Create a project template.
heta_build(".")	heta build	Build and export a project.
heta_help("build")	heta help build	Show build options.

For every supported argument, see the Heta compiler functions and the command-line reference.