cellular-automata

Installing and testing

With npm do:

npm install cellular-automata

To run the test suite, run the following command from the cellular-automata directory:

npm test

Features

• Doesn't have any dependency to the DOM.
• Can easily apply different successive rules.
• Can be used in any dimension (1D, 2D, 3D and more).
• Allow the cellular automata rules to be passed as a string in one of several common CA rule format, see cellular-automata-rule-parser.

Usage

Code

var CellularAutomata = require('cellular-automata');

// create a cellular automata with width of 200 cells and a height of 80 cells
var cellularAutomata = new CellularAutomata([200, 80]);

// fill the array with 95% of 0 values and 5% of 1 values
cellularAutomata.fillWithDistribution([[0, 95], [1, 5]]);

// define that the value out of the array should be interpreted as 0 values
cellularAutomata.setOutOfBoundValue(0);

cellularAutomata.setRule('23/3').iterate(5); // apply 5 times the S23/B3 rule (conway's life)
cellularAutomata.setRule('135/17').iterate(3); // apply 3 times the S135/B17 rule
cellularAutomata.setRule('234/12345678').iterate(5); // apply 5 times the S234/B12345768 rule

console.log(cellularAutomata.array); // ndarray containing the result

Result as an image

Code

// create a cellular automata with width of 75 cells and a height of 75 cells
var cellularAutomata = new CellularAutomata([75, 75]);

// use the fluent interface and the shortcut method "apply"
cellularAutomata
    .setOutOfBoundValue(1)
    .apply('23/3', 16)
    .apply('23456/45678', 16)
    .apply('23456/478', 16);

console.log(cellularAutomata.array); // ndarray containing the result

Result as an image

Public API

Constructor

new CellularAutomata(shape[, defaultValue = 0])

• shape : Shape of the grid (ie: [800,600] for a 2d grid of 800 cells of width and 600 cells of height).
• defaultValue : Default value of the cells.

Methods

All methods are chainable

setOutOfBoundValue([outOfBoundValue = 0])

Define the value used for the neighbours out of the array's bounds.

• outOfBoundValue : The value to use, either an integer, the string "wrap" to enable grid wrapping or the string "clamp" to use the nearest in-bound cell.

setRng([rng = null])

Set the random number generation function used internally.

• rng : A function to use as random number generator, defaults to Math.random.

fillWithDistribution(distribution[, rng = null])

Fill the grid with a given distribution.

• distribution : An array of two dimensions representing the distribution to fill the grid with. (ie: [[0,90], [1,10]] for 90% of 0 and 10% of 1). Null values are ignored.
• rng : A function used as random number generator, defaults to the internal RNG function.

setRule(rule[, neighbourhoodType[, neighbourhoodRange = 1]])

Define the rule of the cellular automata and the neighbourhood to be used.

• rule : Either a valid rule string (see cellular-automata-rule-parser) or a function taking as arguments the value of the current cell and an array containing the values of all its neighbours.
• neighbourhoodType : Neighbourhood type (moore, von-neumann, axis, corner, edge or face), only used when the rule is a function.
• neighbourhoodRange : Neighbourhood range, only used when the rule is a function.

iterate([iterations = 1])

Apply the previously defined CA rule multiple times.

• iteration : Number of iterations.

apply(rule[, iterations = 1[, neighbourhoodType[, neighbourhoodRange = 1]]])

Apply a given rule for a given number of iterations, shortcut method for setRule and iterate.

• rule : Either a valid rule string (see cellular-automata-rule-parser) or a function taking as arguments the value of the current cell and an array containing the values of all its neighbours.
• iteration : Number of iterations.
• neighbourhoodType : Neighbourhood type (moore, von-neumann, axis, corner, edge or face), only used when the rule is a function.
• neighbourhoodRange : Neighbourhood range, only used when the rule is a function.

Properties

shape

The shape of the grid.

dimension

The dimension of the grid.

array

The ndarray containing all the current data in the grid.

Changelog

2.0.1 (2019-09-28) :

• Update dependencies.

2.0.0 (2019-04-19) :

• Minor refactoring.
• Reduce npm package size.
• Update dependencies.
• Add travis support.
• Less direct support for older browser (now use const and let variable declarations).

1.2.0 (2016-03-22) :

• Update the rule parser to support the extended stochastic rule format.
• Add the method setRng() to set the internal RNG function.

1.1.0 (2016-03-09) :

• Support for 'clamp' out-of-bound value.

1.0.1 (2016-01-24) :

• Update the rule parser.

1.0.0 (2015-11-17) :

• Better documentation.
• The method fillWithDistribution now ignores null values.
• Rename the properties currentArray to array and dimensions to dimension.
• Remove the property defaultValue, the method switchArray and the method replace.
• Declare stable.

0.1.0 (2015-11-02) :

• Update the rule parser.
• Supports unconventional neighbourhood types (axis, corner, edge and face).
• Sort neighbourhood to allow position dependent rules.

0.0.3 (2015-10-17) :

• Update the rule parser.

0.0.2 (2015-10-13) :

• Update the rule parser.

0.0.1 (2015-10-04) :

• First implementation.

Roadmap

• More tests.

License

MIT

Learn more about cellular automata

• Mirek Wojtowicz's Cellular Automata rules lexicon for MCell
• Cellular Automata Theory in Cellab's manual
• Wolfram's Elementary Cellular Automaton
• Golly
• Cellular Automaton on Wikipedia