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CommPy Documentation Index

Welcome to CommPy documentation! This guide helps you find what you need.

Quick Navigation

For New Users

  1. Start here: Getting Started Guide
  2. Learn concepts: User Guide
  3. See examples: examples/ directory in repository
  4. Ask questions: GitHub Discussions

For Developers

  1. API Reference: API.md
  2. Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
  3. Module structure: Check src/commpy/ directory
  4. Testing: tests/ directory

For Specific Tasks

Task Document Section
Install CommPy GETTING_STARTED.md Installation
Learn modulation USER_GUIDE.md Modulation & Demodulation
Simulate channels USER_GUIDE.md Channel Models
Generate waveforms USER_GUIDE.md Waveform Generation
Find function details API.md Use Ctrl+F to search
Measure BER GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 2
Contribute code CONTRIBUTING.md Development Guidelines
Error correction (FEC) GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorials 7-8
Generic M-QAM/M-PSK + soft demod GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 9
OFDM GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 10
Source coding / channel capacity GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 11
Queuing theory GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 12
Monte-Carlo BER simulation with CIs GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 13
Read/write SigMF or raw IQ files GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 13
Runnable end-to-end scripts examples/ directory one file per feature + capstone

Documentation Files

📖 Main Documentation

README.md

Purpose: Overview and quick start Contains: - Feature summary - Installation instructions - Quick start examples - Module structure overview - Basic API reference - Example code snippets

When to read: - First time using CommPy - Want overview of capabilities - Looking for installation help

GETTING_STARTED.md

Purpose: Beginner-friendly tutorials Contains: - Installation verification - Basic concepts explained - 13 hands-on tutorials - Common patterns - Troubleshooting guide - Quick reference cheat sheet

When to read: - New to digital communications - Want step-by-step examples - Need to troubleshoot issues - Looking for quick reference

Tutorials included: 1. Simple modulation & demodulation 2. Bit error rate (BER) simulation 3. Channel comparison 4. Different modulation schemes 5. IQ waveform generation 6. Reproducible results with RNG 7. Error correction with Hamming codes 8. Convolutional coding + Viterbi decoding 9. Generic M-QAM/M-PSK with soft-decision demodulation 10. OFDM 11. Source coding with Huffman codes 12. Queuing theory 13. Monte-Carlo BER simulation & SDR file I/O

API.md

Purpose: Complete API documentation Contains: - All public functions/classes - Parameter descriptions - Return value specs - Code examples - Use cases - Type hints

Organized into sections: - Modulation (BPSK, QPSK, ASK, PSK-8, OOK) - Channels (BSC, BEC, AWGN) - Information Theory (Shannon entropy) - Waveforms (IQWaveform) - Utilities (Prime field, math functions)

When to read: - Looking up specific function - Need parameter details - Want type information - Seeing code examples

USER_GUIDE.md

Purpose: Comprehensive conceptual guide Contains: - Theory explanations - Visual constellation diagrams - When to use each scheme - Detailed parameter guidance - Practical applications - Best practices - Real-world examples

Sections: 1. Introduction 2. Modulation & Demodulation (detailed explanations) 3. Channel Models (theory + code) 4. Information Theory 5. Waveform Generation 6. Practical Applications 7. Best Practices

When to read: - Want to understand concepts deeply - Choosing which modulation to use - Need guidance on parameters - Looking for practical examples - Want performance guidance

CONTRIBUTING.md

Purpose: Guide for contributors Contains: - Setup instructions - Code style guidelines - Documentation standards - Testing requirements - PR process - Code review guidelines - Documentation examples

When to read: - Want to contribute to CommPy - Fixing a bug - Adding a feature - Writing documentation - Improving the library

Learning Paths

Path 1: "I Want to Get Started Quickly"

  1. Read: README.md - Overview (5 min)
  2. Install CommPy (2 min)
  3. Read: GETTING_STARTED.md - Quick Start (10 min)
  4. Run: Tutorial 1 - Basic modulation (10 min)
  5. Try: Run Tutorial 2 - BER simulation (15 min)

Total: ~40 minutes

Path 2: "I Need to Understand Digital Communications"

  1. Read: USER_GUIDE.md - Introduction (10 min)
  2. Read: USER_GUIDE.md - Modulation section (30 min)
  3. Run: GETTING_STARTED.md - Tutorials 1-3 (30 min)
  4. Read: USER_GUIDE.md - Channel Models section (20 min)
  5. Run: GETTING_STARTED.md - Tutorial 2 (20 min)

Total: ~2 hours

Path 3: "I Want to Use CommPy for Research"

  1. Read: README.md (5 min)
  2. Read: USER_GUIDE.md - All sections (2 hours)
  3. Read: API.md - Reference your specific modules (30 min)
  4. Create simulation script using patterns from USER_GUIDE.md (1 hour)
  5. Run and refine simulation (varies)

Total: ~4 hours + simulation time

Path 4: "I Want to Contribute Code"

  1. Read: CONTRIBUTING.md - Full document (30 min)
  2. Set up development environment (15 min)
  3. Read: README.md - Module structure (10 min)
  4. Explore: /src/commpy/ source code (30 min)
  5. Start contributing! (varies)

Total: ~1.5 hours + development time

Document Quick Reference

By Topic

Modulation: - Overview: README.md - Tutorial: GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 1 - Deep dive: USER_GUIDE.md - Modulation section - API: API.md - Modulation classes

Channels: - Overview: README.md - Tutorial: GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 3 - Deep dive: USER_GUIDE.md - Channel Models section - API: API.md - Channels class

BER Simulation: - Tutorial: GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 2 - Practical example: USER_GUIDE.md - Application 1 - Reference: API.md - Search for awgn

Waveforms: - Example: GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 5 - Deep dive: USER_GUIDE.md - Waveform Generation - API: API.md - IQWaveform class

SDR Interop & Link Simulation: - Tutorial: GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 13 - Deep dive: USER_GUIDE.md - SDR Interoperability & Link Simulation - API: API.md - SDR Interoperability / Link-Level Simulation sections

Best Practices: - Quick tips: GETTING_STARTED.md - Common Patterns - Detailed guide: USER_GUIDE.md - Best Practices - Code standards: CONTRIBUTING.md - Code Style

Type Hints & Docstrings: - Examples: CONTRIBUTING.md - Documentation section - Code style: CONTRIBUTING.md - Code Style section

Using the Documentation

Finding Information

Using GitHub: - Search docs/ folder for keywords - Use repository search feature - Check README.md for quick answers

Using Text Editor: - Open all docs in VS Code - Use Ctrl+Shift+F for full-text search - Open specific section links

Common Searches: 

"how to modulate" → GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 1
"SNR" → USER_GUIDE.md, API.md
"example" → GETTING_STARTED.md, README.md
"parameters" → API.md
"reproduce" → GETTING_STARTED.md Tutorial 6

Getting Help

Documentation Not Clear?

  1. Check GETTING_STARTED.md - Troubleshooting section
  2. Search API.md for specific function details
  3. Look at example in README.md
  4. Open GitHub issue with question

Want to Report a Bug?

  1. Check GETTING_STARTED.md - Troubleshooting
  2. Search existing GitHub issues
  3. Create new issue with details from CONTRIBUTING.md - Reporting section

Want to Contribute?

Start with CONTRIBUTING.md - Getting Started section

Documentation Maintenance

Last Updated: March 2026

Covered CommPy Version: 0.1.2+

Sections Status: - ✅ Installation - Current - ✅ Core API - Current
- ✅ Examples - Current - ✅ Tutorials - Current - ✅ Advanced topics - Current

Feedback

Have suggestions for improving documentation? - Submit issues on GitHub - Create pull requests with improvements - Provide feedback in discussions

External Resources

  • NumPy: https://numpy.org/doc/
  • Matplotlib: https://matplotlib.org/
  • Digital Communications: [Your recommended textbooks]

Example Projects

Examples can be found in the examples/ directory of the repository.