Tutorials/slsparse - Revision history

Dvgrn: link to oncoming glider gun construction arm as more efficient alternative

2026-10-01T07:58:31Z

link to oncoming glider gun construction arm as more efficient alternative

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:58, 1 October 2026
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	Adam P. Goucher's single-channel compiler program for sparse constellations of still lifes, [[slsparse]], is a very powerful tool for helping to construct a large number of self-constructing Life circuitry designs. This walkthrough describes the current process for piecing together one of the simplest types of self-constructing spaceship, a [[Demonoid]] (diagonal Geminoid). Compiling a different self-constructing structure is mostly a matter of building a blueprint for it, and feeding the required still-life constellations into slsparse via an {{filename\|infile.mc}}. The content of {{filename\|infile.mc}} can actually be in either [[macrocell]] format, standard [[RLE]], or {{rl\|LifeHistory}} (see below), but the name must be "infile.mc".		Adam P. Goucher's single-channel compiler program for sparse constellations of still lifes, [[slsparse]], is a very powerful tool for helping to construct a large number of self-constructing Life circuitry designs.

			This walkthrough describes the current process for piecing together one of the simplest types of self-constructing spaceship, a [[Demonoid]] (diagonal Geminoid). Compiling a different self-constructing structure is mostly a matter of building a blueprint for it, and feeding the required still-life constellations into slsparse via an {{filename\|infile.mc}}. The content of {{filename\|infile.mc}} can actually be in either [[macrocell]] format, standard [[RLE]], or {{rl\|LifeHistory}} (see below), but the name must be "infile.mc".

			SIDE NOTE: slmake/slsparse/pslmake is no longer the most efficient method of constructing a Demonoid. [[Oncoming glider gun construction arm]] technology has now produced Demonoids that [https://conwaylife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=232523#p232523 fit inside a LifeViewer grid].

	==Installation==		==Installation==

Confocal: formatting

2023-05-25T04:36:23Z

formatting

Show changes

Ian07: /* More Features */AutoWikiBrowser, replaced: P2 → p2

2021-12-14T22:28:33Z

More Features: AutoWikiBrowser, replaced: P2 → p2

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:28, 14 December 2021
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	# If a metacluster is in the construction "danger zone" -- i.e., if it overlaps the construction lane, so that some of the final structure would interfere with the elbow-operation reactions necessary to construct it -- then slsparse will send two Snarkmaker recipes, to bend the construction arm to one side of the construction area so that the structure can be put in place safely. When the construction is done, slsparse will add two Snarkbreaker recipes to remove the temporary lossless elbows.		# If a metacluster is in the construction "danger zone" -- i.e., if it overlaps the construction lane, so that some of the final structure would interfere with the elbow-operation reactions necessary to construct it -- then slsparse will send two Snarkmaker recipes, to bend the construction arm to one side of the construction area so that the structure can be put in place safely. When the construction is done, slsparse will add two Snarkbreaker recipes to remove the temporary lossless elbows.
	# If a ''sufficiently narrow'' metacluster is in the construction danger zone, with the required construction gliders no farther to the side than +/-107hd from the single-channel lane, then slsparse will automatically generate a 0-degree elbow and produce the required gliders directly instead of using Snarkmaker / Snarkbreaker pairs.		# If a ''sufficiently narrow'' metacluster is in the construction danger zone, with the required construction gliders no farther to the side than +/-107hd from the single-channel lane, then slsparse will automatically generate a 0-degree elbow and produce the required gliders directly instead of using Snarkmaker / Snarkbreaker pairs.
	# If an infile.mc pattern contains a block-on-mango plus a set of unidirectional gliders on appropriate lanes that they can be generated by the designated elbow, then slsparse will create a single-channel recipe that generates gliders on those lanes in the specified order. This allows for the color of an entire salvo to be changed easily: moving the block-on-mango by one cell orthogonally and recompiling will produce an opposite-color salvo. The assumption is that the gliders constitute a P2 slow-salvo recipe, so only the parities of the gliders will be preserved. In other words, the resulting output recipe will only be useful if no synchronization is needed between the unidirectional gliders.		# If an infile.mc pattern contains a block-on-mango plus a set of unidirectional gliders on appropriate lanes that they can be generated by the designated elbow, then slsparse will create a single-channel recipe that generates gliders on those lanes in the specified order. This allows for the color of an entire salvo to be changed easily: moving the block-on-mango by one cell orthogonally and recompiling will produce an opposite-color salvo. The assumption is that the gliders constitute a p2 slow-salvo recipe, so only the parities of the gliders will be preserved. In other words, the resulting output recipe will only be useful if no synchronization is needed between the unidirectional gliders.

	{{Tutorial}}		{{Tutorial}}

Ian07: {{Tutorial}}

2020-12-31T18:56:30Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:56, 31 December 2020
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	# If an elbow has to be moved closer to the single-channel source by a long distance, such that it is cheaper for slsparse to generate a 180-degree return glider, wait until the glider is close to the elbow, hit it with another glider, and clean up the debris to regenerate an elbow, slsparse will do this automatically. This is accomplished with an elbow duplication recipe similar to the one used in the Demonoid above. If it is necessary to jump back and forth between two distant points, an elbow will be left behind at the more distant location. The recipes involved are called "left parenthesis" (duplicate the elbow, convert the nearer elbow to a glider, convert the glider back to an elbow at the right distance) and "right parenthesis" (delete the near elbow, and send a cleanup salvo to standardize the far elbow. The current recipe leaves the far elbow in the form of a random-looking junk constellation.)		# If an elbow has to be moved closer to the single-channel source by a long distance, such that it is cheaper for slsparse to generate a 180-degree return glider, wait until the glider is close to the elbow, hit it with another glider, and clean up the debris to regenerate an elbow, slsparse will do this automatically. This is accomplished with an elbow duplication recipe similar to the one used in the Demonoid above. If it is necessary to jump back and forth between two distant points, an elbow will be left behind at the more distant location. The recipes involved are called "left parenthesis" (duplicate the elbow, convert the nearer elbow to a glider, convert the glider back to an elbow at the right distance) and "right parenthesis" (delete the near elbow, and send a cleanup salvo to standardize the far elbow. The current recipe leaves the far elbow in the form of a random-looking junk constellation.)
	# If a metacluster is in the construction "danger zone" -- i.e., if it overlaps the construction lane, so that some of the final structure would interfere with the elbow-operation reactions necessary to construct it -- then slsparse will send two Snarkmaker recipes, to bend the construction arm to one side of the construction area so that the structure can be put in place safely. When the construction is done, slsparse will add two Snarkbreaker recipes to remove the temporary lossless elbows.		# If a metacluster is in the construction "danger zone" -- i.e., if it overlaps the construction lane, so that some of the final structure would interfere with the elbow-operation reactions necessary to construct it -- then slsparse will send two Snarkmaker recipes, to bend the construction arm to one side of the construction area so that the structure can be put in place safely. When the construction is done, slsparse will add two Snarkbreaker recipes to remove the temporary lossless elbows.
	~~[[Category:Tutorials\|slsparse]]~~
	# If a ''sufficiently narrow'' metacluster is in the construction danger zone, with the required construction gliders no farther to the side than +/-107hd from the single-channel lane, then slsparse will automatically generate a 0-degree elbow and produce the required gliders directly instead of using Snarkmaker / Snarkbreaker pairs.		# If a ''sufficiently narrow'' metacluster is in the construction danger zone, with the required construction gliders no farther to the side than +/-107hd from the single-channel lane, then slsparse will automatically generate a 0-degree elbow and produce the required gliders directly instead of using Snarkmaker / Snarkbreaker pairs.
	# If an infile.mc pattern contains a block-on-mango plus a set of unidirectional gliders on appropriate lanes that they can be generated by the designated elbow, then slsparse will create a single-channel recipe that generates gliders on those lanes in the specified order. This allows for the color of an entire salvo to be changed easily: moving the block-on-mango by one cell orthogonally and recompiling will produce an opposite-color salvo. The assumption is that the gliders constitute a P2 slow-salvo recipe, so only the parities of the gliders will be preserved. In other words, the resulting output recipe will only be useful if no synchronization is needed between the unidirectional gliders.		# If an infile.mc pattern contains a block-on-mango plus a set of unidirectional gliders on appropriate lanes that they can be generated by the designated elbow, then slsparse will create a single-channel recipe that generates gliders on those lanes in the specified order. This allows for the color of an entire salvo to be changed easily: moving the block-on-mango by one cell orthogonally and recompiling will produce an opposite-color salvo. The assumption is that the gliders constitute a P2 slow-salvo recipe, so only the parities of the gliders will be preserved. In other words, the resulting output recipe will only be useful if no synchronization is needed between the unidirectional gliders.

			{{Tutorial}}

Calcyman: Minor alterations

2020-10-05T10:18:09Z

Minor alterations

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:18, 5 October 2020
Line 13:		Line 13:
	./slsparse.cpp</pre>		./slsparse.cpp</pre>

	(Yes, you compile slsparse by running the .cpp file as if it were an executable file. This is an excessive piece of cleverness, not the way that .cpp files normally work, but the early lines of the .cpp file are arranged so that the file can be interpreted as a valid ~~batch file~~ that produces a compiled ~~slspares~~ executable, and then runs it.)		(Yes, you compile slsparse by running the .cpp file as if it were an executable file. This is an excessive piece of cleverness, not the way that .cpp files normally work, but the early lines of the .cpp file are arranged so that the file can be interpreted as a valid bash script that produces a compiled slsparse executable, and then runs it.)

	==A First Trial Run==		==A First Trial Run==
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	{{EmbedViewer		{{EmbedViewer
	\|viewerconfig = #C [[ THEME 6 ]]		\|viewerconfig = #C [[ THEME 6 ]]
	\|caption = infile pattern for slsparse, for a p256 oscillator<br />-- starting block location specified by<br />24-bit PS4B still life (far NW)<br />		\|caption = infile pattern for slsparse, for a p256 oscillator<br />-- starting block location specified by<br />24-bit [[PS4B]] still life (far NW)<br />
	\|position = center		\|position = center
	\|rle =		\|rle =

Dvgrn: Start with an easier example of an slsparse compilation, that doesn't need any tricky manual editing

2020-10-05T01:39:35Z

Start with an easier example of an slsparse compilation, that doesn't need any tricky manual editing

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Overview==
-Adam P. Goucher's single-channel compiler program for sparse constellations of still lifes, slsparse, is a very powerful tool for helping to construct a large number of self-constructing Life circuitry designs.  This walkthrough describes the current process for piecing together one of the simplest types of self-constructing spaceship, a [[Demonoid]] (diagonal Geminoid).  Compiling a different self-constructing structure is mostly a matter of building a blueprint for it, and feeding the required still-life constellations into slsparse via an infile.mc.  The content of infile.mc can actually be in either [[macrocell]] format or standard RLE, but the name must be "infile.mc".
+Adam P. Goucher's single-channel compiler program for sparse constellations of still lifes, slsparse, is a very powerful tool for helping to construct a large number of self-constructing Life circuitry designs.  This walkthrough describes the current process for piecing together one of the simplest types of self-constructing spaceship, a [[Demonoid]] (diagonal Geminoid).  Compiling a different self-constructing structure is mostly a matter of building a blueprint for it, and feeding the required still-life constellations into slsparse via an infile.mc.  The content of infile.mc can actually be in either [[macrocell]] format, standard RLE, or LifeHistory (see below), but the name must be "infile.mc".
 ==Installation==
@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 <pre>git clone https://gitlab.com/apgoucher/slmake.git
-cd slmake</pre>
+cd slmake
 ==Demonoid specifics==
-Let's assign names to the various widely separated parts of our planned Demonoid.  ''(Need diagram here)''
+Let's assign names to the various widely separated parts of our planned Demonoid.  ''(TBD:  Need diagram here)''
 "Circuit A":  a signal splitter consisting of a syringe plus a dependent Herschel-to-2-gliders converter.  Glider in, two gliders out in different direction -- one to run the construction arm, and one to make a copy of the recipe stream and send it to Circuit B.
@@ Line 75: / Line 145: @@
 We're going to build a Demonoid with a long step size -- a long distance between reflectors -- so slsparse's long-distance compilation abilities will come in handy.
-Here's the input RLE file.  ''Captions to be added later...''
+Here's the input RLE file:
 {{EmbedViewer
 |viewerconfig = #C [[ THEME 6 THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM -12 ]]
@@ Line 130: / Line 201: @@
 Giving this to slsparse by saving it as infile.mc is essentially asking for a single-channel recipe starting with a block at the mango-on-block location, with gliders aimed to strike the right side of the block.  If compilation is successful, the result will be a Snark placed in that precise location relative to the elbow block.
-One detail not mentioned in the Demonoid details above:  The large 24-bit 'PS4B' still life (pond siamese four beehives) in the above pattern marks the location of an existing target block.  This tells slsparse to start with a block in this location, along with the mango-on-block elbow.
+As described in the '''Variations''' section above, the large 24-bit 'PS4B' still life (pond siamese four beehives) in the above pattern marks the location of an existing target block.  This tells slsparse to start with a block in this location, along with the mango-on-block elbow.
 If the PS4B marker is not present, slsparse first automatically creates a target "hand" block and moves it to the correct location to start construction.  In a multi-cluster constellation there may be several PS4Bs, and also several clusters with no PS4Bs; slsparse will automatically create new hand blocks when they're needed, and use existing ones if they have been marked.

Dvgrn: /* More Features */ 0-degree recipes for narrow metaclusters

2018-11-28T16:24:46Z

More Features: 0-degree recipes for narrow metaclusters

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:24, 28 November 2018
Line 142:		Line 142:
	# If a metacluster is in the construction "danger zone" -- i.e., if it overlaps the construction lane, so that some of the final structure would interfere with the elbow-operation reactions necessary to construct it -- then slsparse will send two Snarkmaker recipes, to bend the construction arm to one side of the construction area so that the structure can be put in place safely. When the construction is done, slsparse will add two Snarkbreaker recipes to remove the temporary lossless elbows.		# If a metacluster is in the construction "danger zone" -- i.e., if it overlaps the construction lane, so that some of the final structure would interfere with the elbow-operation reactions necessary to construct it -- then slsparse will send two Snarkmaker recipes, to bend the construction arm to one side of the construction area so that the structure can be put in place safely. When the construction is done, slsparse will add two Snarkbreaker recipes to remove the temporary lossless elbows.
	[[Category:Tutorials\|slsparse]]		[[Category:Tutorials\|slsparse]]
			# If a ''sufficiently narrow'' metacluster is in the construction danger zone, with the required construction gliders no farther to the side than +/-107hd from the single-channel lane, then slsparse will automatically generate a 0-degree elbow and produce the required gliders directly instead of using Snarkmaker / Snarkbreaker pairs.
	# If an infile.mc pattern contains a block-on-mango plus a set of unidirectional gliders on appropriate lanes that they can be generated by the designated elbow, then slsparse will create a single-channel recipe that generates gliders on those lanes in the specified order. This allows for the color of an entire salvo to be changed easily: moving the block-on-mango by one cell orthogonally and recompiling will produce an opposite-color salvo. The assumption is that the gliders constitute a P2 slow-salvo recipe, so only the parities of the gliders will be preserved. In other words, the resulting output recipe will only be useful if no synchronization is needed between the unidirectional gliders.		# If an infile.mc pattern contains a block-on-mango plus a set of unidirectional gliders on appropriate lanes that they can be generated by the designated elbow, then slsparse will create a single-channel recipe that generates gliders on those lanes in the specified order. This allows for the color of an entire salvo to be changed easily: moving the block-on-mango by one cell orthogonally and recompiling will produce an opposite-color salvo. The assumption is that the gliders constitute a P2 slow-salvo recipe, so only the parities of the gliders will be preserved. In other words, the resulting output recipe will only be useful if no synchronization is needed between the unidirectional gliders.

Dvgrn: /* More Features */ slsparse can also compile or recompile glider streams

2018-11-28T15:22:25Z

More Features: slsparse can also compile or recompile glider streams

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:22, 28 November 2018
Line 142:		Line 142:
	# If a metacluster is in the construction "danger zone" -- i.e., if it overlaps the construction lane, so that some of the final structure would interfere with the elbow-operation reactions necessary to construct it -- then slsparse will send two Snarkmaker recipes, to bend the construction arm to one side of the construction area so that the structure can be put in place safely. When the construction is done, slsparse will add two Snarkbreaker recipes to remove the temporary lossless elbows.		# If a metacluster is in the construction "danger zone" -- i.e., if it overlaps the construction lane, so that some of the final structure would interfere with the elbow-operation reactions necessary to construct it -- then slsparse will send two Snarkmaker recipes, to bend the construction arm to one side of the construction area so that the structure can be put in place safely. When the construction is done, slsparse will add two Snarkbreaker recipes to remove the temporary lossless elbows.
	[[Category:Tutorials\|slsparse]]		[[Category:Tutorials\|slsparse]]
			# If an infile.mc pattern contains a block-on-mango plus a set of unidirectional gliders on appropriate lanes that they can be generated by the designated elbow, then slsparse will create a single-channel recipe that generates gliders on those lanes in the specified order. This allows for the color of an entire salvo to be changed easily: moving the block-on-mango by one cell orthogonally and recompiling will produce an opposite-color salvo. The assumption is that the gliders constitute a P2 slow-salvo recipe, so only the parities of the gliders will be preserved. In other words, the resulting output recipe will only be useful if no synchronization is needed between the unidirectional gliders.

Dvgrn: /* More Features */ Snarkmaker and Snarkbreaker

2018-11-11T14:35:33Z

More Features: Snarkmaker and Snarkbreaker

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:35, 11 November 2018
Line 140:		Line 140:
	# If a partition of the construction is sufficiently far away that it's cheaper for slsparse to build a [[Cordership]] [[seed]], trigger it, wait until the Cordership has traveled sufficiently far away, shoot down the Cordership, clean up the debris except for a single block, and proceed with the construction from there... then slsparse will do this automatically.		# If a partition of the construction is sufficiently far away that it's cheaper for slsparse to build a [[Cordership]] [[seed]], trigger it, wait until the Cordership has traveled sufficiently far away, shoot down the Cordership, clean up the debris except for a single block, and proceed with the construction from there... then slsparse will do this automatically.
	# If an elbow has to be moved closer to the single-channel source by a long distance, such that it is cheaper for slsparse to generate a 180-degree return glider, wait until the glider is close to the elbow, hit it with another glider, and clean up the debris to regenerate an elbow, slsparse will do this automatically. This is accomplished with an elbow duplication recipe similar to the one used in the Demonoid above. If it is necessary to jump back and forth between two distant points, an elbow will be left behind at the more distant location. The recipes involved are called "left parenthesis" (duplicate the elbow, convert the nearer elbow to a glider, convert the glider back to an elbow at the right distance) and "right parenthesis" (delete the near elbow, and send a cleanup salvo to standardize the far elbow. The current recipe leaves the far elbow in the form of a random-looking junk constellation.)		# If an elbow has to be moved closer to the single-channel source by a long distance, such that it is cheaper for slsparse to generate a 180-degree return glider, wait until the glider is close to the elbow, hit it with another glider, and clean up the debris to regenerate an elbow, slsparse will do this automatically. This is accomplished with an elbow duplication recipe similar to the one used in the Demonoid above. If it is necessary to jump back and forth between two distant points, an elbow will be left behind at the more distant location. The recipes involved are called "left parenthesis" (duplicate the elbow, convert the nearer elbow to a glider, convert the glider back to an elbow at the right distance) and "right parenthesis" (delete the near elbow, and send a cleanup salvo to standardize the far elbow. The current recipe leaves the far elbow in the form of a random-looking junk constellation.)
			# If a metacluster is in the construction "danger zone" -- i.e., if it overlaps the construction lane, so that some of the final structure would interfere with the elbow-operation reactions necessary to construct it -- then slsparse will send two Snarkmaker recipes, to bend the construction arm to one side of the construction area so that the structure can be put in place safely. When the construction is done, slsparse will add two Snarkbreaker recipes to remove the temporary lossless elbows.
	[[Category:Tutorials\|slsparse]]		[[Category:Tutorials\|slsparse]]

Ian07: Added tutorials category

2018-10-15T20:10:22Z

Added tutorials category

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:10, 15 October 2018
Line 140:		Line 140:
	# If a partition of the construction is sufficiently far away that it's cheaper for slsparse to build a [[Cordership]] [[seed]], trigger it, wait until the Cordership has traveled sufficiently far away, shoot down the Cordership, clean up the debris except for a single block, and proceed with the construction from there... then slsparse will do this automatically.		# If a partition of the construction is sufficiently far away that it's cheaper for slsparse to build a [[Cordership]] [[seed]], trigger it, wait until the Cordership has traveled sufficiently far away, shoot down the Cordership, clean up the debris except for a single block, and proceed with the construction from there... then slsparse will do this automatically.
	# If an elbow has to be moved closer to the single-channel source by a long distance, such that it is cheaper for slsparse to generate a 180-degree return glider, wait until the glider is close to the elbow, hit it with another glider, and clean up the debris to regenerate an elbow, slsparse will do this automatically. This is accomplished with an elbow duplication recipe similar to the one used in the Demonoid above. If it is necessary to jump back and forth between two distant points, an elbow will be left behind at the more distant location. The recipes involved are called "left parenthesis" (duplicate the elbow, convert the nearer elbow to a glider, convert the glider back to an elbow at the right distance) and "right parenthesis" (delete the near elbow, and send a cleanup salvo to standardize the far elbow. The current recipe leaves the far elbow in the form of a random-looking junk constellation.)		# If an elbow has to be moved closer to the single-channel source by a long distance, such that it is cheaper for slsparse to generate a 180-degree return glider, wait until the glider is close to the elbow, hit it with another glider, and clean up the debris to regenerate an elbow, slsparse will do this automatically. This is accomplished with an elbow duplication recipe similar to the one used in the Demonoid above. If it is necessary to jump back and forth between two distant points, an elbow will be left behind at the more distant location. The recipes involved are called "left parenthesis" (duplicate the elbow, convert the nearer elbow to a glider, convert the glider back to an elbow at the right distance) and "right parenthesis" (delete the near elbow, and send a cleanup salvo to standardize the far elbow. The current recipe leaves the far elbow in the form of a random-looking junk constellation.)

			[[Category:Tutorials\|slsparse]]