# _groslicer_—slice gro files by processing a stream of lines

A small, simple utility to slice [gro files][gro] according to a set of minimum
and maximum _x_, _y_, _z_ coordinates. The lines of the input structure file
are processed line-by-line. If a position is within the provided range, the
line is written verbatim to the output structure file. This means that a very
large structure can be sliced efficiently and with very low runtime memory
requirements, since the structure is never loaded into memory as a whole.

The [eigthyseven][eightyseven] library is used for processing the gro atom
lines.

## Installation

```console
cargo install --git 'https://git.sr.ht/~ma3ke/groslicer'
```

Or, build it from source.

```console
git clone https://git.sr.ht/~ma3ke/groslicer
cd groslicer
cargo install --path .
```

## Usage

```
Slice a structure.

Provide slice dimensions in nanometers.

Usage: groslicer [OPTIONS] <INPUT> <OUTPUT>

Arguments:
  <INPUT>
          Structure input path (gro)

  <OUTPUT>
          Structure output path (gro)

Options:
      --minx <MINX>
          

      --maxx <MAXX>
          

      --miny <MINY>
          

      --maxy <MAXY>
          

      --minz <MINZ>
          

      --maxz <MAXZ>
          

  -h, --help
          Print help (see a summary with '-h')
```

[gro]: https://manual.gromacs.org/current/reference-manual/file-formats.html#gro
[eightyseven]: https://crates.io/crates/eightyseven

---

Marieke Westendorp, 2024