Tutorials/rlifesrc
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RLifeSrc is the only official cross-platform search program. But how do you use it?
What is RLifeSrc
RLifeSrc stands for Rust Life Search. You can use it at https://alephalpha.github.io/rlifesrc/.
Unlike apgsearch, RLifeSrc doesn't follow traditional soup-searching. Instead, it goes through every pattern ever in a certain box until it finds the right one.[citation needed]
RLifeSrc can search a wide variety of stuff, including still lives, oscillators, and spaceships.
Setting up your search
Go to settings and change "Rule" to your desired rule.
Change the width and height to the width and height of the pattern you want to search. Then, type in the period of the object. When you are searching for spaceships with a speed like 2c/4, don't type in 2 as the period because c/2 is the simplified form. Type in 4.
Dx and dy are how far away the object moves in x and y at the end of one cycle.
Other options can be ignored for now. Scroll all the way down until you get to choice for unknown cells. You can set that to any of the options, but dead is best for searching spaceships, alive for still lifes, and randomized for oscillators.
Hit "apply settings", then hit start. Watch how the search pattern changes over time. You can toggle "Show max partial" to view the current best approximation.
Now let's go search for specific patterns.
Searching for specific patterns
Set the width and height to 2, and set the period to 1. Set the rule to B3/S23 and then press "apply settings".
Press start, and it should have found the block in an instant.
The value in dx or dy should be how much the glider increase the height and width by in one cycle. Instead of searching 3x3, you should search 5x5 because RLifeSrc is kinda buggy when you use dx and dy. Set period to 4.
Now press "apply settings" and press start.
It should have found the glider in an instant.
Set dx and dy back to 0, change it to 6x6, press "apply settings", and press start.
You should see mold, which looks like a loaf with oscillating stuff on it.
Negative result
Set the period to 5 and set it to 3x3. Then press "apply settings" and then start.
It should say "No more result" after a few seconds.
Something in a different rule
Lets pick B2-a/S12.
Set it to period 1, the rule to B2-a/S12, and press "apply settings".
When you hit start, you immediately see a blinker that isn't moving. It is a still life.
Now search period 2 and 10x10.
It gives an on-off that looks way too big.
Optimizations
The result above is a good chance to practice optimizations. Those are important because RLifeSrc often doesn't give you the minimal pattern. Try to remove or reduce as many lines of the P2 as you can.
In addition, when searching for spaceships, a large gap in the middle of the spaceship may indicate that there is a completed spaceship above the gap and RLifeSrc is trying to make a tagalong below the gap.
But, a way you can optimize patterns is by setting "find all results. Don't stop when found one" to on in the world page, and turning "Reduce the max cell count when a result is found" on in the settings page. This way, it will reduce the maximum cell count and research over and over again until it finds the most minimal pattern.
Settings bug
Sometimes, when you forget to stop a search and go to change a setting, it will set itself back to what it used to be when you click what you want. You need to stop the search before entering your settings, otherwise it will automatically revert to the old settings.
Now do it on your own
Congratulations, you have learned RLifeSrc! You can now search for patterns yourself and try the other settings, and maybe post on the forums something entirely new and notable you find!