Open source & building

RodentFlow is open source under the MIT License. The complete app (tracker, metrics, statistics, import and interface) and this manual are in one public repository:

github.com/seesaw-earth/RodentFlow

What this means for you

• See exactly how every number is computed. This manual describes the methods. The code is the final word, and anyone can read it.
• Check the privacy promise. The app contains no network code. You do not have to take our word for it.
• Adapt it. You may modify the app, for example to add an assay your lab uses, and share your version under the terms of the MIT License.
• Report and fix problems in the open. Issues and pull requests are welcome.

Where things are in the code

Topic	Manual page	Source file
Background, threshold, candidate scoring, centroid, motion index	Tracking	NativeMouseTracker.swift
Reading the whole video at 10 Hz, checkpoints	Analyzing a video	FullVideoAnalyzer.swift
Zones, entries, distance, freezing and all video metrics	From positions to metrics	AssayEngine.swift
Assays, metric definitions, phases	Assays	AssayCatalog.swift
Default zones and thresholds	Assays	ResultModels.swift (ZoneConfig)
Manual entry, two-armed bandit and Q-learning	Manual entry & import	ManualAssays.swift
Statistical tests	Statistics	StatsEngine.swift
Which test for which design	Group analysis	GroupAnalysis.swift
Table import and column matching	Manual entry & import	DataImport.swift
English and Chinese text	—	Localizable.xcstrings

Build from source

You need a Mac with Xcode 15 or later and an iPhone with iOS 17 or later. There are no third-party dependencies.

git clone https://github.com/seesaw-earth/RodentFlow.git
cd RodentFlow
open RodentFlow.xcodeproj

In Xcode:

1. Select the RodentFlow target › Signing & Capabilities, and choose your own Team. A free Apple ID is enough to run the app on your own iPhone.
2. Change the Bundle Identifier to one of your own, e.g. com.yourname.rodentflow. The identifier in the project belongs to the published app.
3. Connect your iPhone, choose it as the run destination and press Run (⌘R).

Contribute

• Problems and questions: open an issue. See Support for what to include.
• Code: read CONTRIBUTING.md and open a pull request.
• This manual: every page has an Edit this page on GitHub link at the bottom. The manual's source is in the docs/ folder, with an English and a Chinese version of each page.

Cite

If RodentFlow contributes to published work, please cite the software and the version you used. The repository has a CITATION.cff file, so GitHub's Cite this repository button gives APA and BibTeX entries. For example:

Shi, Z. (2026). RodentFlow: rodent behavior tracking and analysis on iPhone (Version 1.3) [Computer software]. https://github.com/seesaw-earth/RodentFlow

The exact parameters of each result are listed under Methods on its result screen, and the test statement is on the Groups statistics card. Both belong in a methods section.

License

MIT License, © 2026 Ziqing Shi. You may use, copy, modify and distribute the software, including commercially, provided the copyright and license notice are kept. The software is provided without warranty. The full text is in LICENSE.