Validating NeuroML Models#

Validate NeuroML 2 files before using them.

It is good practice to validate NeuroML 2 files to check them for correctness before using them.

Models described in NeuroML must adhere to the NeuroML specification. This allows all NeuroML models to be checked for correctness: validation. There are a number of ways of validating NeuroML model files.

Using the command line tools#

Both pynml (provided by pyNeuroML) and jnml (provided by jNeuroML) can validate individual NeuroML files:

Usage:

# For NeuroML 2
jnml -validate <NML file(s)>
pynml <NML file(s)> -validate

# For NeuroML 1 (deprecated)
jnml -validatev1 <NML file>
pynml <NML file(s)> -validatev1

Using the Python API#

The pyNeuroML Python API provides a number of methods to validate NeuroML 2 files. The first is the aptly named validate_neuroml2 function:

from pyneuroml.pynml import validate_neuroml2

...

validate_neuroml2(nml_filename)

Similarly, the validate_neuroml1 function can be used to validate NeuroML v1 files.

If you are loading NeuroML files into your Python script, the read_neuroml2_file function also includes validation:

from pyneuroml.pynml import read_neuroml2_file


....


read_neuroml2_file(nml_filename, include_includes=True, check_validity_pre_include=True)

This will read (load) the provided NeuroML 2 file and all the files that are recursively included by it, and validate them all while it loads them.

List of validation tests#

These tests are made against the Schema document.

Test

Description

Check names

Check that names of all elements, attributes, parameters match those provided in the schema

Check types

Check that the types of all included elements

Check values

Check that values follow given restrictions

Check inclusion

Check that required elements are included

Check cardinality

Check the number of elements

Check hierarchy

Check that child/children elements are included in the correct parent elements

Check sequence order

Check that child/children elements are included in the correct order

These are additional validation tests that are run on models (defined here):

Test

Description

Check top level ids

Check that top level (root) elements have unique ids

Check Network level ids

Check that child/children of the Network element have unique ids

Check Cell Segment ids

Check that all Segments in a Cell have unique ids

Check single Segment without parent

Check that only one Segment is without parents (the soma Segment)

Check SegmentGroup ids

Check that all SegmentGroups in a Cell have unique ids

Check Member segment ids exist

Check that Segments referred to in SegmentGroup Members exist

Check SegmentGroup definition

Check that SegmentGroups being referenced are defined

Check SegmentGroup definition order

Check that SegmentGroups are defined before being referenced

Check included SegmentGroups

Check that SegmentGroups referenced by Include elements of other SegmentGroups exist

Check numberInternalDivisions

Check that SegmentGroups define numberInternalDivisions (used by simulators to discretize un-branched branches into compartments for simulation)

Check included model files

Check that model files included by other files exist

Check Population component

Check that a component id provided to a Population exists

Check ion channel exists

Check that an ion channel used to define a ChannelDensity element exists

Check concentration model species

Check that the species used in ConcentrationModel elements are defined

Check Population size

Check that the size attribute of a PopulationList matches the number of defined Instances

Check Projection component

Check that Populations used in the Projection elements exist

Check Connection Segment

Check that the Segment used in Connection elements exist

Check Connection pre/post cells

Check that the pre- and post-synaptic cells used in Connection elements exist and are correctly specified

Check Synapse

Check that the Synapse component used in a Projection element exists

Check root id

Check that the root Segment in a Cell morphology has id (0)