Pattern viewer for forum threads

[testitemqlstudop]

Can the generation number decrease when the reverse option is active?

Furthermore can the U option be added for normal rules as well, like the "step back" button?

[rowett]

Can the generation number decrease when the reverse option is active?

There are a few reasons why it doesn't:

• the T display shows how many generations have elapsed regardless of playback direction
• reverse playback isn't really going backwards - it's just running the pattern with a reverse rule
• decreasing the generation number during "reverse playback" would make Waypoint Scripts very tricky to write

Having said that If enough people want it then I may add it.

Furthermore can the U option be added for normal rules as well, like the "step back" button?

Unlikely.

Normal rules aren't reversible so stepping back involves running from a recent snapshot which can be slow so playback likely wouldn't be smooth. Also once you've exhausted the maximum number of snapshots LifeViewer has to go all the way back to T=0 and rebuild the next set of snapshots which can take a while.

It would also make the undo/redo system more complex.

If you want a pattern to "run backwards" and you have a keyboard then just hold your finger down on the "b" key.

[rowett]

Build 406 is now live on the Forums and LifeWiki

Please note: you will need to refresh your browser to use the new build (Ctrl-F5 on Chrome)

Enhancements since the last released build:

• new script command [[ NOTHROTTLE ]] will disable playback throttling

Fixes since the last released build:

• allow reverse playback for reversible alternate Margolus rules
• Margolus rules can now use right hand tile column on the grid

The updated hotkey map detailing the LifeViewer keyboard controls is here.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and bug reports welcome!

[rowett]

Build 407 is now live on the Forums and LifeWiki

Please note: you will need to refresh your browser to use the new build (Ctrl-F5 on Chrome)

Enhancements since the last released build:

• Margolus generation number is now in Help->Info->Grid

Fixes since the last released build:

• [[ PASTET EVERY ]] now works with Margolus reverse playback when Margolus generation >= 0
• fixed an issue where [[ PASTE ]] commands weren't happening on step back

The updated hotkey map detailing the LifeViewer keyboard controls is here.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and bug reports welcome!

[rowett]

Build 408 is now live on the Forums and LifeWiki

Please note: you will need to refresh your browser to use the new build (Ctrl-F5 on Chrome)

Enhancements since the last released build:

• added new Reverse direction button to toggle playback direction for reversible Margolus rules
• improved Population Graph vertical fit

The updated hotkey map detailing the LifeViewer keyboard controls is here.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and bug reports welcome!

[muzik]

I think a fun addition would be a button in the Pattern tab, that switches a rule to its black-white reversal when used.

[muzik]

Some more aliases that can be added:

https://gitlab.com/apgoucher/catagolue/ ... b3cedfaaac

There's also some candidates for addition over at Mirek's site under Weighted Life, but I haven't been able to work out the notation yet.

[muzik]

I've found that opening an embedded viewer, and then closing it, then trying to open it up again on ipad doesn't work, and it refuses to open the second time.

https://catagolue.appspot.com/object/xq ... anqy5c6ek8

[wildmyron]

I've found that opening an embedded viewer, and then closing it, then trying to open it up again on ipad doesn't work, and it refuses to open the second time.

https://catagolue.appspot.com/object/xq ... anqy5c6ek8

For reference:
I see the same behaviour with Chrome 76.0.3809.132 on my Moto G5
As at the time of this post: Catagolue is using LifeViewer build 408

Edit: I also see the same behaviour on LifeWiki, e.g. http://www.conwaylife.com/wiki/Glider

[rowett]

Thanks for the report. I'm away for a week and will take a look on my return.

[pcallahan]

Can the generation number decrease when the reverse option is active?

There are a few reasons why it doesn't

Just chiming in with the group surprised by this, but it's really up to you whether to do anything about it.

If I hit 'u' to reverse, I usually don't even know the generation I did it, so the cumulative count of generations including forward and backward rules is nearly meaningless to me. On the other hand, if it counts backwards, then I would expect to get back to a specific state at a specific generation unless I made some modifications. It might even be interesting to see for instance, what generation 500 looks like if I modify generation 700 and run backwards.

If you want a pattern to "run backwards" and you have a keyboard then just hold your finger down on the "b" key.

Sure, but this is not the same user experience as watching an animation.

Anyway, thanks for the explanation. My main point is not to give you extra uncompensated work but just to register my surprise with this behavior. I appreciate both the support of Margolus rules and any ability to run patterns backwards.

[muzik]

Thanks for the report. I'm away for a week and will take a look on my return.

Enjoy your week away!

[rowett]

Build 409 is now live on the Forums and LifeWiki

Please note: you will need to refresh your browser to use the new build (Ctrl-F5 on Chrome)

Enhancements since the last released build:

• Margolus patterns now show Margolus generation
  • absolute generation is shown in Generation Statistics (toggle with bottom left button or hotkey "G")
  • absolute generation is needed for Waypoint, Annotation, Stop, Loop and Paste commands
• added some new aliases

Fixes since the last released build:

• thumbnail launch was only working the first time on touch devices
• lock Direction button during waypoint playback
• reset playback direction to forward during waypoint playback

The updated hotkey map detailing the LifeViewer keyboard controls is here.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and bug reports welcome!

[Saka]

Is there a way to delete cells / clear the entire board at a specific generation? [[ PASTE ]] seems to ignore lines of off cells (for example 5b$obobo! will only paste the obobo part).

[rowett]

Build 410 is now live on the Forums and LifeWiki

Please note: you will need to refresh your browser to use the new build (Ctrl-F5 on Chrome)

Enhancements since the last released build:

• Paste commands now allow blank cells in COPY mode

The updated hotkey map detailing the LifeViewer keyboard controls is here.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and bug reports welcome!

[rowett]

Is there a way to delete cells / clear the entire board at a specific generation? [[ PASTE ]] seems to ignore lines of off cells (for example 5b$obobo! will only paste the obobo part).

This has been added in the latest build. You need to use [[ PASTEMODE COPY ]]:

Code: Select all

x = 7, y = 4, rule = Life
7o$7o$7o$7o!
[[
RLE shape 5b$obobo!
PASTEMODE COPY
PASTE shape 1 1
]]

[muzik]

Add the aliases from this commit:

https://gitlab.com/apgoucher/catagolue/ ... 7f72a1ef59

I eventually plan on raking through some old threads in OCA to see if there's any other ones I've missed over the years.

[dvgrn]

Is there a way to delete cells / clear the entire board at a specific generation? [[ PASTE ]] seems to ignore lines of off cells (for example 5b$obobo! will only paste the obobo part).

This has been added in the latest build. You need to use [[ PASTEMODE COPY ]]...

The previous way to do this may actually be more what you're looking for, if I'm reading the question right: if you want to turn off a bunch of ON cells, you can just paste a standard RLE pattern on top of them in XOR mode:

Code: Select all

x = 77, y = 13, rule = B3/S23
3b2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2o
b2o$3b2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob
2ob2ob2o2$2o73b2o$2o73b2o2$2o73b2o$2o73b2o2$2o73b2o$bo73bo$bob2ob2ob2o
b2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2obo$2ob
2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob2ob
2ob2o!
#C [[ AUTOSTART THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 HEIGHT 320 ]]
#C [[ RLE lwss o2bo$4bo$o3bo$b4o! ]]
#C [[ PASTET 10 ]]
#C [[ PASTE lwss 5 4 ]]
#C [[ PASTEMODE XOR ]]
#C [[ PASTET 134 ]]
#C [[ PASTE lwss 67 4 ]]
#C [[ LOOP 200 ]]

[rowett]

Add the aliases from this commit

Done, thanks.

[rowett]

Build 411 is now live on the Forums and LifeWiki

Please note: you will need to refresh your browser to use the new build (Ctrl-F5 on Chrome)

Enhancements since the last released build:

• improved how Step Back works with reversible Margolus rules
• added a few non-totalistic aliases

The updated hotkey map detailing the LifeViewer keyboard controls is here.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and bug reports welcome!

[rowett]

Build 412 is now live on the Forums and LifeWiki

Please note: you will need to refresh your browser to use the new build (Ctrl-F5 on Chrome)

Fixes since the last released build:

• fixed mouse wheel zoom so it works better with "Smooth scrolling" features

The updated hotkey map detailing the LifeViewer keyboard controls is here.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and bug reports welcome!

[pcallahan]

Build 412 is now live on the Forums and LifeWiki

Please note: you will need to refresh your browser to use the new build (Ctrl-F5 on Chrome)

Fixes since the last released build:

• fixed mouse wheel zoom so it works better with "Smooth scrolling" features

The updated hotkey map detailing the LifeViewer keyboard controls is here.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and bug reports welcome!

Thanks for fixing the zoom issue! Now I see the problem. It wasn't exactly that I am too clumsy to scroll with a mouse gesture, but my scrolls had a little momentum left, which is fine for viewing web pages, but unpredictable for zooming. Scroll wheel/gesture zooming works very well for me now.

Assuming you are actively soliciting improvements for Margolus neighborhoods, I think the next step is getting a better handle on odd/even coordinates*. I am not entirely sure how you assign the cell coordinates to RLE patterns, though it seems to work better than luck for me, but I would ideally like a way to guarantee that Margolus patterns have the correct coordinate parity when they're placed, because otherwise they fail (1 in 4 chance of placing them right by chance, so it's not that bad). Another issue, though it can be used to advantage, is that if you copy a Critters pattern externally from an odd generation and use the RLE in a new pattern starting at generation 0, it runs in reverse.

*Maybe some way to assign one cell in RLE as (even,even) parity, though I don't know if that will be an abuse of format.

[rowett]

I am not entirely sure how you assign the cell coordinates to RLE patterns

LifeViewer ensures that the top left cell in an RLE pattern is aligned to the top left of the 2x2 box on even generation. This does mean that sometimes the top left cell or row in the RLE is blank (i.e. 'b' or '$').

Also if you use Copy to copy the entire pattern (ensure there is no Selection and then Ctrl/Cmd + C) from LifeViewer it will align to even generation 2x2 boxes when generating the RLE.

Another issue, though it can be used to advantage, is that if you copy a Critters pattern externally from an odd generation and use the RLE in a new pattern starting at generation 0, it runs in reverse.

Yes I should probably output a #CXRLE Gen=n statement so that odd/even can work automatically.

Perhaps generate a warning when Copying/Pasting between even/odd generations?

[rowett]

Build 413 is now live on the Forums and LifeWiki

Please note: you will need to refresh your browser to use the new build (Ctrl-F5 on Chrome)

Enhancements since the last released build:

• new button Settings->Display->Alt GridLines to toggle Margolus alternating odd/even gridlines (hotkey Alt+"D")
• Change Rule and New Pattern now support Bounded Grid specification
• if in Draw or Select mode when Auto GridLines is enabled then turn on GridLines
• setting [[ GRIDMAJOR ]] with no other custom Theme settings creates a Custom Theme based on the default or specified Theme with the specified grid major interval

The updated hotkey map detailing the LifeViewer keyboard controls is here.

Comments, feedback, suggestions and bug reports welcome!

[Saka]

The Margolus Grid Lines dont seem to be showing up for me.
My OS is Windows 10 Pro Version 1903, OS Build 18362.356
I am using Google Chrome Version 76.0.3809.132 (Official Build) (64-bit)

EDIT:
Ok, they do show, but the colors are so barely different I cant tell the difference, I can only tell they exist when running the pattern.
(I think??)