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arXiv · 2611.01358

WFDB-x: Conformance-Tested Implementations of the WFDB Software Package in Seven Programming Languages

Reza Sameni
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Abstract

The WFDB format is widely used to store and exchange physiological waveforms and annotations. However, existing software implementations are limited to C, Python, and MATLAB/Octave, can produce different results in corner cases and checksum calculations, and have defaults such as sampling frequency and gain, that can lead to silent misinterpretation of recordings. We developed WFDB-x, a cross-language, performance-optimized reimplementation of WFDB in seven programming languages, with extensive unit tests, to provide consistent WFDB processing across programming languages. We reimplemented the WFDB Software Package 10.7.0 natively in Python, C++, Rust, Julia, R, MATLAB/Octave, and Kotlin, using AI-assistance under human direction and review. Each implementation has library functions, a high-level interface, and command-line tools. We compared their outputs with those of the original C programs using 1098 conformance cases, 877 legacy-mode cases, unit tests, and differential fuzzing. Deliberate changes remove implicit waveform parameters, restrict file and network access, and prevent annotation loss. A legacy mode retains the original behavior. All seven implementations passed every conformance and legacy-mode case on the tested Linux platform, with matching outputs. The unit tests contain 9353 assertions. C++, Rust, and Julia read records 1.5-6.9 times faster than the original C library, while the Python implementation wrote records 9.2 times faster than the existing wfdb-python library in the benchmark. WFDB-x provides a tested, open-source basis for reading and writing physiological recordings consistently across seven languages, supporting reproducible research and software development without requiring a shared programming environment. We also share details of the AI-assisted development process and token utilization, which may be useful for other applications.

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BibTeXRIS

Reza Sameni. 2026-10-31. WFDB-x: Conformance-Tested Implementations of the WFDB Software Package in Seven Programming Languages. https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.01358

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