bedtools/bedtools_window
genomics
window
proximity
overlap
annotation
neighborhood
bedtools
Description
Examine a "window" around each feature in A and report overlapping features in B.
For each feature in file A, bedtools window searches for overlapping features in
file B within a defined window around each feature in A. The window can be
symmetrical (same distance upstream and downstream) or asymmetrical (different
distances). For each overlap found, the complete entries from both files A and B
are reported.
This tool is particularly useful for:
Finding features within a specific distance of target regions
Associating regulatory elements with nearby genes
Creating annotation contexts around genomic features
Proximity-based genomic analysis
Building feature neighborhoods for downstream analysis
Inputs
Name | Type & Properties | Description |
|---|---|---|
--input_a -a | file required | Query file in BED, GFF, or VCF format. **Format:** BED, GFF, or VCF file with genomic coordinates **Content:** Features around which windows will be created **Usage:** Each feature becomes the center of a search window **Requirements:** Must have valid genomic coordinates |
--input_b -b | file required | Database file in BED, GFF, or VCF format. **Format:** BED, GFF, or VCF file with genomic coordinates **Content:** Features to search for within windows around A **Usage:** Features overlapping windows around A will be reported **Requirements:** Must have matching chromosome names with file A |
Outputs
Name | Type & Properties | Description |
|---|---|---|
--output | file required output | Output file with overlapping feature pairs. **Format:** Tab-separated file with entries from both input files **Content:** For each overlap, complete records from both A and B files **Structure:** Columns from A file followed by columns from B file **Size:** Number of lines depends on overlaps found within windows |
Window Options
Name | Type & Properties | Description |
|---|---|---|
--window_size -w | integer | Base pairs added upstream and downstream of each entry in A. **Default:** 1000 bp **Usage:** Creates symmetrical windows around features in A **Effect:** Extends search region by this amount in both directions **Range:** Must be positive integer **Note:** Cannot be used with -l/-r options |
--left_window -l | integer | Base pairs added upstream (left) of each entry in A. **Default:** 1000 bp **Usage:** Creates asymmetrical windows with custom upstream extension **Effect:** Extends search region upstream by this amount **Range:** Must be positive integer **Note:** Use with -r to create asymmetrical windows |
--right_window -r | integer | Base pairs added downstream (right) of each entry in A. **Default:** 1000 bp **Usage:** Creates asymmetrical windows with custom downstream extension **Effect:** Extends search region downstream by this amount **Range:** Must be positive integer **Note:** Use with -l to create asymmetrical windows |
--strand_windows -sw | boolean_true | Define left (-l) and right (-r) based on strand orientation. **Usage:** For negative-strand features, -l adds bases downstream **Effect:** Makes window extensions relative to feature orientation **Default:** false (extensions are always relative to chromosome coordinates) **Requirement:** Only works with -l and -r options, not with -w |
Strand Options
Name | Type & Properties | Description |
|---|---|---|
--same_strand -sm | boolean_true | Only report overlaps between features on the same strand. **Usage:** Restricts results to strand-specific overlaps **Effect:** Features must be on identical strands to be reported **Default:** false (strand is ignored) **Note:** Cannot be used with --opposite_strand |
--opposite_strand -Sm | boolean_true | Only report overlaps between features on opposite strands. **Usage:** Restricts results to antisense overlaps **Effect:** Features must be on opposite strands to be reported **Default:** false (strand is ignored) **Note:** Cannot be used with --same_strand |
Output Options
Name | Type & Properties | Description |
|---|---|---|
--unique -u | boolean_true | Write the original A entry once if any overlaps found in B. **Usage:** Reports existence of overlap without listing all B features **Effect:** Each A feature appears at most once in output **Output:** Only A file columns, no B file columns **Use case:** When you only need to know if overlap exists |
--count -c | boolean_true | For each entry in A, report the number of overlaps with B. **Usage:** Adds count column showing number of B features in window **Effect:** Each A entry gets additional column with overlap count **Output:** Original A columns plus count column **Values:** 0 for no overlaps, positive integers for overlap count |
--no_overlaps -v | boolean_true | Only report entries in A that have no overlaps with B. **Usage:** Filters to show only A features with no nearby B features **Effect:** Inverse of normal operation (like "grep -v") **Output:** Only A file columns for features with no overlaps **Use case:** Finding isolated or unique features |
--header | boolean_true | Print the header from the A file prior to results. **Usage:** Preserves header information from input file A **Effect:** First line of output will be the A file header **Default:** false (no header in output) **Note:** Only applicable if A file contains header lines |
BAM Options
Name | Type & Properties | Description |
|---|---|---|
--input_bam -abam | file | Input A file in BAM format instead of BED/GFF/VCF. **Format:** Sorted BAM file with aligned reads **Usage:** Replaces -a option for BAM input **Output:** Default output is BAM format **Requirements:** Must be coordinate-sorted **Note:** Cannot be used together with --input_a |
--uncompressed_bam -ubam | boolean_true | Write uncompressed BAM output when using BAM input. **Usage:** Only applicable when using --input_bam **Effect:** Output BAM will be uncompressed for faster writing **Default:** false (compressed BAM output) **Performance:** Faster writing but larger file size |
--bed_output -bed | boolean_true | Write output as BED format when using BAM input. **Usage:** Only applicable when using --input_bam **Effect:** Converts BAM records to BED format in output **Default:** false (BAM output when BAM input) **Format:** Standard BED format with coordinates and names |
Run this component
Run the following command to execute this component with Nextflow:
cat > params.yaml <<'EOM'
output: "$id.$key.output.bed"
id: "run"
publish_dir: "output/"
EOM
nextflow run https://packages.viash-hub.com/vsh/biobox.git \
-revision v0.4.1 \
-main-script target/nextflow/bedtools/bedtools_window/main.nf \
-params-file params.yaml Relationships
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Current component
bedtools/bedtools_windowbiobox v0.4.1
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