Update "configure nodes" documentation and fix bugs in CLI client to match the documentation

Author: dieriver

docs/ConfNodes.rst

@@ -1,22 +1,22 @@
-Configuring the simulated network
-=================================
+SimulaQron Configuration
+========================
 
 SimulaQron uses two configuration files:
 
 * ``simulaqron_network.json`` — defines nodes, their socket ports, and network topology (described on this page)
 * ``simulaqron_settings.json`` — configures the simulation backend, timeouts, and other settings
   (see the Settings section in `Getting Started <GettingStarted.rst>`_)
 
--------------------------------------------
+-------------------------------------
 Running all nodes on a single machine
--------------------------------------------
+-------------------------------------
 
 When developing and testing, you typically run all simulated nodes on one computer.
 In this case, all sockets use ``localhost`` and you just need distinct port numbers for each node.
 
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 Using the SimulaQron CLI
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
 The ``simulaqron`` command manages the backend for you. To start a network with nodes Alice and Bob::
 
@@ -36,8 +36,9 @@ If something went wrong (e.g. the process was killed) and SimulaQron thinks the
 
 The ``simulaqron start`` command accepts these arguments:
 
-* ``--nodes <nodes_list>`` (**required**): Comma-separated list of node names to start. These must exist in
-  the network configuration file.
+* ``--nodes <nodes_list>`` (optional): Comma-separated list of node names to start. These must exist in
+  the network configuration file. If not given, SimulaQron will start all the defined nodes in
+  ``simulaqron_network.json``.
 * ``--simulaqron-config-file=PATH`` (optional): Path to a SimulaQron settings file. Defaults to
   ``simulaqron_settings.json`` in the current folder.
 * ``--network-config-file=PATH`` (optional): Path to a network configuration file. Defaults to
@@ -48,9 +49,9 @@ The ``simulaqron start`` command accepts these arguments:
 .. warning:: ``simulaqron start`` will fail if any of the ports specified in the config files are already in
     use by a running SimulaQron network or another program.
 
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 Using per-example run scripts
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
 Each example in ``examples/new-sdk/`` and ``examples/nativeMode/`` includes a ``run.sh`` script that starts
 the SimulaQron backend and launches the node programs. This is the easiest way to try an example::
@@ -61,9 +62,9 @@ the SimulaQron backend and launches the node programs. This is the easiest way t
 The ``run.sh`` script reads the ``simulaqron_network.json`` and ``simulaqron_settings.json`` in the example
 directory, so each example is self-contained.
 
--------------------------------------------
+----------------------------------
 Running nodes on separate machines
--------------------------------------------
+----------------------------------
 
 To simulate a real distributed quantum network, you can run each node on a different physical computer.
 In this case, you need to:
@@ -120,9 +121,16 @@ For each node, you specify IP and port for three sockets:
 * ``qnodeos_socket`` — connection to the QNodeOS server that interprets NetQASM subroutines
 * ``vnode_socket`` — connection to the SimulaQron VirtualNode that runs the quantum simulation
 
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+You can easily copy the default network configuration by using the simulaqron CLI command::
+
+    simulaqron nodes default
+
+This will create a ``simulaqron_network.json`` file in the current folder with 5 nodes: `Alice`,
+`Bob`, `Charlie`, `David` and `Eve`.
+
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 Using the CLI to add nodes
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
 You can build up a network incrementally using the CLI::
 
@@ -140,9 +148,9 @@ You can also specify explicit hostnames and ports:
 * ``--vnode-port``
 * ``--neighbors``
 
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 Writing the JSON config manually
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
 For more complex setups, write the ``simulaqron_network.json`` file directly.
 Here is an example with two networks ("default" and "small_network")::

docs/GettingStarted.rst

@@ -246,6 +246,9 @@ implement using simulaqron.
 .. note:: Settings needs to be set before starting the SimulaQron backend. If the backend is already running, stop
     it, set the settings and start it again.
 
+It is also possible to create the default SimulaQron network configuration in the current folder. Check the
+`Configuring the Network <ConfNodes.rst>`_ document to check how to achieve this.
+
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 Settings precedence
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

simulaqron/cli.py

@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@ def add(name: str, network_name: str, hostname: str, app_port: int, qnodeos_port
                             app_port=app_port, qnodeos_port=qnodeos_port, vnode_port=vnode_port,
                             neighbors=neighbors)
     network_config.write_to_file(LOCAL_NETWORK_SETTINGS)
-    added_node: NodeConfig = network_config.get_nodes(network_name=network_name)[name]
+    added_node: NodeConfig = network_config[network_name][name]
     click.echo(f"Node with name '{added_node.name}' was added to the network with name '{network_name}'.\n"
                "Socket addresses are: \n"
                f"* App/Classical: '({added_node.app_hostname}, {added_node.app_port})\n"

simulaqron/settings/network_config.py

@@ -170,6 +170,12 @@ def __eq__(self, other) -> bool:
         nodes_are_equal = [this_node == other_node for this_node, other_node in zip(self.nodes, other.nodes)]
         return self.name == other.name and self.topology == other.topology and all(nodes_are_equal)
 
+    def __getitem__(self, item: str) -> NodeConfig | None:
+        for node_name, node_cfg in self.nodes.items():
+            if node_name == item:
+                return node_cfg
+        return None
+
 
 @dataclass
 class NetworksConfiguration(JSONSerializerMixin):