apgsearch v3.1

[gameoflifeboy]

Kind of related, but there is now a Catagolue feature where a rule census page lists the most searched symmetries in order, excluding symmetries that haven't been searched. For example: http://catagolue.appspot.com/census/b36s23

This might be useful for a script that makes a list of which Life-like rules have been searched.

I think there should be a "central" page which documents all discoveries in a certain rule across all symmetries.

It should be under catagolue.appspot.com/census/[RULE]/All in my opinion.

There should also be a page listing backups made for a particular rule/symmetry.

[Apple Bottom]

Anyway, suggestion: I think there should be a "central" page which documents all discoveries in a certain rule across all symmetries.

That would be great. Something else I'd like to see: if no rulestring is specified for an object (e.g. https://catagolue.appspot.com/object/xq4_153/), instead of "No rule has been specified. Please specify a rule or choose the default (b3s23).", it would be great to get a list of all rules that this object has appeared in.

This might be useful for a script that makes a list of which Life-like rules have been searched.

Is there such a list? I've been maintaining my own list of rulestrings -- it's grown to almost 400 entries by now --, but I'm 99.4% sure it's incomplete, likely woefully so.

It should be under catagolue.appspot.com/census/[RULE]/All in my opinion.

Seconded!

There should also be a page listing backups made for a particular rule/symmetry.

Hmmm, is there a preferred way of making backups, other than downloading and saving the /textcensus pages?

[BlinkerSpawn]

This doesn't really have anything to do with apgsearch, but with a plethora of larger objects being found as a result of greatly increased symmetry searching, is there a simple way to force Catagolue to wrap especially long apgcodes onto two lines?

[calcyman]

Hmmm, is there a preferred way of making backups, other than downloading and saving the /textcensus pages?

If you want to make a remote backup of a particular census, call /backupcron/b36s245/C1 (or whatever). The census will then be retrievable from /census/b36s245/C1-2016-04-05 (or whatever). If you click the links to access the tabulations, it will display the tabulations as they were when the backup was created.

(If you make multiple backups on the same day, UTC, only the last backup is retained.)

Since b3s23/C1 is backed up on a daily basis by a scheduled task (executing at Ramanujan Standard Time each day, i.e. 17:29 UTC), you can use this as a more precise version of the Wayback Machine. In particular, b3s23/C1 has been backed up every day since 2015-09-24, when it had merely 14 * 10^12 objects, with biggiemac far ahead of everyone else:

https://catagolue.appspot.com/census/b3 ... 2015-09-24

and when there were only 2 instances of the same p24, long before its isomer had appeared:

https://catagolue.appspot.com/census/b3 ... 09-24/xp24

Fun fact: this is how your user page is able to display a daily histogram of your contributions, by taking the difference between successive backups.

Even more fun fact: this histogram will suddenly break if any other census overtakes b3s23/C1 in terms of number of objects.

Is there such a list? I've been maintaining my own list of rulestrings -- it's grown to almost 400 entries by now --, but I'm 99.4% sure it's incomplete, likely woefully so.

No, there isn't. If I were to create one, it would require generating another search index.

[muzik]

So, as for the central page idea: is it going to get added?


For the longer lists, it might be a good idea to compress them into a drop down list that shows only the first 20 unless you click a "show more" button.

[praosylen]

This double spaceship combination is not separated, whereas it would in version 1.x. Is this a bug, or is there a reason for the difference in spaceship separation in arbitrary rules between 1.x and 3.x?

[gameoflifeboy]

I used to be creating a rule list too, but I stopped updating it in May 2015, when I thought I could make a script to do it for me, which I couldn't.

Here is what I had:

Code: Select all

b4s35678
b4s34
b3s35
b3s34
b3s2
b3s28
b3s25
b3s258
b3s24
b3s248
b3s245
b3s2456
b3s24568
b3s23
b3s238
b3s235
b3s13
b3s135
b3s02456
b3s01
b3s013
b3s0135
b38s23
b38s238
b38s02456
b37s35
b37s2567
b37s24568
b37s1356
b378s24568
b36s358
b36s245
b36s2458
b36s23
b36s238
b36s125
b368s245
b368s23
b368s125
b368s1258
b368s0358
b367s34
b367s245
b367s034678
b3678s34678
b3678s24678
b3678s245
b3678s128
b3678s04567
b3678s014568
b35s46
b35s3
b35s27
b35s23
b35s238
b35s013
b358s358
b358s23
b358s238
b358s0358
b357s2467
b357s238
b357s0145
b357s014578
b3578s24678
b3578s013
b3578s0138
b35678s567
b34s2
b34s26
b348s4
b34678s3678

[codeholic]

It seems that apgmera cannot identify high-period double switch engine puffer properly. All (most?) period 2304 puffers are identical:

• yl2304_1_1908_7238b5ececda84d5a942e5d573d92be8
• yl2304_1_1908_3b2c1715cf7e3df495b0cd1310ef7428
• yl2304_1_1908_340fe89977188c0121fda335587e73d3
• ...

[chris_c]

It seems that apgmera cannot identify high-period double switch engine puffer properly. All (most?) period 2304 puffers are identical

I don't think they are quite identical: when the gliders annihilate each other the switch engines in the first soup are in a different phase than the switch engines in the second soup. That is going to make the population plots of the two soups different so they get a different code.

[Apple Bottom]

I used to be creating a rule list too, but I stopped updating it in May 2015, when I thought I could make a script to do it for me, which I couldn't.

Here is what I had:

Nice! That has almost three dozen rules I didn't have on my list yet.

For those curious, here's my list (pre-merge) as well:

Code: Select all

b2-a3-is23aij
b2-a3aeijs23-a5c
b2-a3s2-a
b2-a4s23
b2-a5s135678
b2-ace34cs023-a
b2-ace3s023-a
b2-ae3ces2-i3-j
b2-ae3s45
b2-aei4s3
b2-aek3s23-a
b2-aen3aei7s02-a
b2-ain3-jqys3
b2-ak3-ces3
b2-akn3ci4jnr5ikns12-ck4einqy5er6-ckn8
b2-an3aei4es02e3ei
b2-an3aeis02
b2-as12
b2-as13iy5
b2ce3ais23
b2ce3eis1-e2-i3a
b2e3-as23
b2ei3-a4ce5y6is234i7-c
b2i34e6i7-es2-i36n
b2i34es023-a4ce
b2i34s23a
b2i34t6s123i4e
b2i3678s34678
b2i3s12
b2i4is2-i34-i
b2i4is2-i4-i
b2ik34e8s2-c3
b2ik367s127
b2in34cs12i35-r
b2in36ks23-i4ceq
b2in36s135
b2in3aei4is12
b2in3s02-k3-ay4ar
b2in3s123a
b2iv3s123a # will be renamed to b2in3s123a
b2k36s12n3
b2k3-as2-aei34-i
b2k3s12ik35i
b2k3s2-k3
b2k3s2-k34c
b2kn3s23-a6ce
b2n3-cq5as234e
b2n3s1-c245i
b2n3s23-y
b2n3s2-i3
b345678s568 # haulless
b34578s2
b34578s28
b3457s5
b3458s38
b345s045678 # haulless
b345s16
b345s2
b345s27
b345s5
b345s678
b34678s3678
b34678s45
b3468s378
b3468s46
b346s26
b346s38
b3478s167
b3478s2678
b347s36
b348s028
b348s0378
b348s046
b348s27
b348s28
b348s4
b34ajs2-a35n
b34ajs2-a35v # might be renamed/merged into b34ajs2-a35n ?
b34akt68s348
b34c678s34678
b34cs02-a35
b34cs234c5e
b34-i5s23a
b34s01
b34s026
b34s0268
b34s0278
b34s14
b34s2
b34s26
b34s267
b34s278
b34s3
b34s36
b34s3-a4
b34s5678
b34s678
b34ts023-j
b34zs23
b35678s01567
b35678s0178
b35678s024
b35678s0258
b35678s2478
b35678s248
b35678s3678
b35678s456 # C1 is haulless
b35678s5678
b3567s024
b3567s14
b3567s145
b3567s4
b3567s45
b3568s02568
b3568s14678
b3568s2567
b356s0145
b356s014678
b356s045
b356s13
b356s1567
b356s267
b356s3478
b356s356
b3578s0138
b3578s0347
b3578s03567
b3578s1267
b3578s12678
b3578s2467
b3578s3567
b357s1267
b357s135
b357s1358
b357s1368
b357s23
b357s238
b358s23
b358s238
b358s3567
b358s357
b358s367
b358s4
b35-ans23
b35i6cs2-i34q
b35js2-i3
b35-ns23
b35s013
b35s014578
b35s024
b35s036
b35s05
b35s13
b35s135
b35s136
b35s148
b35s23
b35s238
b35s2467
b35s24678 # C1 haulless
b35s347
b35s3478
b35s358
b35s378
b35s457
b35-v6cs2-i34q
b35ys2-i34qv
b35ys236c
b3678s015678
b3678s03567
b3678s12678
b3678s13567
b3678s24678
b3678s245
b3678s24578
b3678s2i34678
b3678s346
b3678s3467
b3678s34678
b3678s3468
b3678s34-k678
b3678s3567
b3678s35678
b3678s3678
b3678s4567
b3678s5678
b367s0245
b367s034678
b367s035678
b367s125
b367s245
b367s2457 # C1 haulless
b367s25678
b367s346
b367s3467
b367s34678
b367s3567
b367s35678
b367s3678
b368s0245
b368s02458
b368s03
b368s23
b368s238
b368s24
b368s245
b368s24578
b368s248
b36-k78s34-k6-k78
b36ce7s23-a4r6ce2
b36is2-i3eiq4ay
b36s0
b36s0245
b36s02458
b36s12
b36s125
b36s135 # C1 haulless
b36s15
b36s2
b36s23
b36s24
b36s245
b36s2458
b36s246
b36s25
b36s26
b36s2-i35i
b36s34
b36s35
b36s356
b378s035
b378s14567
b378s2456
b378s256
b378s25678 # haulless
b378s34
b378s3478
b378s3567
b37s0245 # C1 haulless
b37s035
b37s12578
b37s2456
b37s278
b37s34
b37s45
b37s457
b37s4578
b38s0135678
b38s0137
b38s014567
b38s078
b38s1256
b38s23
b38s238
b38s2478
b3-is2-i3
b3-kq4js23
b3-kq4k6ns2-in3-c5q
b3-rs23
b3s0
b3s01
b3s013
b3s0135
b3s01356
b3s013567
b3s0135678
b3s01367
b3s013678
b3s0137
b3s014567
b3s014568
b3s018
b3s02468
b3s0357
b3s0358
b3s0378
b3s06
b3s1
b3s12
b3s123a
b3s123eik4ce
b3s12i35
b3s13
b3s135
b3s1456
b3s2
b3s23
b3s234ce
b3s234iw
b3s234w
b3s234z
b3s235k
b3s238
b3s23-a4i5i
b3s23-q
b3s23-q6k
b3s24
b3s2456
b3s246
b3s2468
b3s248
b3s256
b3s257
b3s258
b3s26
b3s268
b3s27
b3s278
b3s2-a36n
b3s2-e3
b3s2-i3
b3s2-i34n
b3s2-i34q # aka tlife
b3s2-i34v
b3s2-in35qr
b3s3
b3s34
b3s34ar5
b3s35
b3s356
b3s3567
b3s35678
b3s3568
b3s357
b3s3578
b3s456
b3s468
b3s567
b3s5678
b3s568
b4568s01346
b456s0146
b456s1234
b457s0123578
b457s012378
b457s047
b45s035678
b45s1234
b45s12345 # haulless
b45s23
b45s234
b45s245
b4678s35678
b467s0267
b467s1238
b468s01238
b468s12578
b478s1234 # haulless
b478s234678
b47s012357
b4s01
b4s02347
b4s1
b4s123
b4s2
b4s23
b5678s1234
b5678s12348
b5678s145678
b5678s14568
b5678s3578
b5678s45678
b5678s4568
b568s125
b568s14568
b568s2
b568s4568
b56s02378
b56s14568
b56s456
b56s4568
b578s0568
b578s148
b57s1478
b5s1
b5s125
b5s2
b5s23
b5s238
b5s3
b5s35
b678s034678
b678s13478
b68s178
b6s02467
b6s13457
b6s236
b7s013468
b7s1234 # haulless
b7s23
b8s1356
b8s23
b8s236
bs1234 # haulless
bs2
bs23
bs34
klife
tlife

[glider_rider]

I am having a problem compiling. (Again. I'm really, really, bad at compiling.) Here's the output.

Code: Select all

bash recompile.sh
Skipping updates; use --update to update apgmera automatically.
Rule unspecified; assuming b3s23.
Symmetry unspecified; assuming C1.
Configuring rule b3s23; symmetry C1
Valid rulestring: b3s23
Valid symmetry: C1
Rule integer:     6152
Rule circuit:     [-131-124-450-014-672]
Rule integer:     6152
Rule circuit:     [-131-124-450-014-672]
Rule integer:     6152
Rule circuit:     [-131-124-450-014-672]
Success!
g++ -c -Wall -O3 -march=native main.cpp -o main.o
main.cpp:1: error: bad value (native) for -march= switch
main.cpp:1: error: bad value (native) for -mtune= switch
make: *** [main.o] Error 1

[Apple Bottom]

I am having a problem compiling. (Again. I'm really, really, bad at compiling.) Here's the output.

Code: Select all

[...]
g++ -c -Wall -O3 -march=native main.cpp -o main.o
main.cpp:1: error: bad value (native) for -march= switch
main.cpp:1: error: bad value (native) for -mtune= switch
make: *** [main.o] Error 1

What version of gcc/g++ are you using? I.e. what does 'g++ ---version' output?

-march=native was added in version 4.2. Also if you're on OS X you may have to install a vanilla gcc instead of using Apple's.

[glider_rider]

Here's the output:

Code: Select all

i686-apple-darwin11-llvm-g++-4.2: no input files

So I'm on 4.2, but I think it's apple's version. How do I download the vanilla version?

[Apple Bottom]

Code: Select all

i686-apple-darwin11-llvm-g++-4.2: no input files

So I'm on 4.2, but I think it's apple's version. How do I download the vanilla version?

That sounds like Apple's actually using LLVM, with a let's-pretend-it's-gcc-wrapper. (Given that I can see why folks in various places suggest you need the vanilla version.)

You can get that one from the GCC website, specifically the GNU FTP server. OTOH it may be enough to edit the makefile to get rid of the -march=native flag so you can use the shipped compiler after all. I'd try that first; it's bound to be orders of magnitude easier and less involved than building GCC.

[codeholic]

Catagolue is over quota. Was it slashdotted or abused?

[calcyman]

Catagolue is over quota. Was it slashdotted or abused?

Someone is trying to upload overlarge (many megabyte) hauls. Judging by IP address, I think it might be Apple Bottom, possibly running Day & Night (or a relative thereof).

[muzik]

Just wanting to ask: will this "main page" for each individual rule be added?

Anyway, suggestion: I think there should be a "central" page which documents all discoveries in a certain rule across all symmetries.

[Apple Bottom]

Someone is trying to upload overlarge (many megabyte) hauls. Judging by IP address, I think it might be Apple Bottom, possibly running Day & Night (or a relative thereof).

Aye, and I'm sorry the site suffered problems. This is actually due to an issue with apgmera's design[1] that I've been meaning to report.

If an upload fails, the searcher will continue running and try to upload a bigger haul the next time the configured number of soups have been completed. Normally that's fine and dandy, but Day & Night is special in that it creates very big hauls very quickly, and by the time another attempt is made, the haul may already be too large to upload at all. And when that happens and when the upload fails, apgmera continues searching, and then tries to upload an even larger haul next time. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I always test new rules I want to investigate with smaller hauls first to gauge haul sizes and search rates. Usually there's lots of wiggle room, but Day & Night, when searched with apgmera, is special.

My Day & Night searcher is tuned to use hauls of 8 million soups; this is a compromise to ensure hauls don't hit the 1 MiB haul size limit (the biggest 8m haul I've had was 928 KiB), while also ensuring that Catagolue won't get hammered with a new submission every 30 seconds (one 8m haul takes about 4 to 5 minutes).

The downside is that any time a connection fails, the above issue gets triggered. It's actually happened a few times, but I usually catch it very quickly and terminate and restart the searcher. This time it happened overnight and continued for a few hours; I caught it after I got up and checked on my searchers' health. I didn't expect it would actually cause trouble server-wise -- I was just miffed that a few hours worth of effort had been wasted.

There's several things that could be done.

• Since there's a haul size limit of 1 MiB, apgmera could be taught not to try and upload bigger hauls to begin with.
• The server could return a meaningful status indicating that the haul size is exceeded; apgmera could recognize this and stop souping (or start from a clean slate) instead of adding even more to what is already too much data for the server to handle.
• The current mechanism of adding new data to an existing haul after a failed connection could be overhauled; instead apgmera could start a new search while also retaining the results of the previous search, and then attempt to submit two (or more) hauls the next time.
• apgmera could also make more than one attempt to submit a haul if a connection fails (for a reason other than because the haul's too big). For instance, it could make three further attempts, waiting for (say) 15 seconds, 1 minute and 5 minutes in between respectively, and only give up if they all fail. That should work around intermittent connectivity blips.

For now I've implemented a workaround -- my Day & Night searcher will run for at most one haul and then quit. A wrapper script will then restart it, so there'll be no change in practice if the upload was successful; if it wasn't the search will start from a clean slate, and the next haul won't be overly large.

Again, I'm sorry that the site suffered problems.

Footnote:

1. The same issue exists in apgnano, but since hauls don't get that big that quickly in Conway Life, it's not an issue in practice.

[muzik]

Another feature that I would like to see: an option to class spaceships by their speed instead of their period. This means that instead of the glider being grouped together with weighted spaceships, and the Coe ship being left alone in a period 16 category, the glider would be left seperate from the others as a c/4 ship, and the weighted spaceships and Coe ship would be all grouped together as c/2 ships.

[praosylen]

There seems to be something wrong here... https://catagolue.appspot.com/object/xp ... 4r4/b3s239

[Lewis]

A soup in 2x2 got classed as 'pathological' for no apparent reason (the C1 soup in the link below), is this a bug?
http://catagolue.appspot.com/object/PAT ... AL/b36s125

[drc]

There should be a save haul feature.

[drc]

There seems to be something wrong here... https://catagolue.appspot.com/object/xp ... 4r4/b3s239

https://catagolue.appspot.com/object/xp ... 2322323333

[Apple Bottom]

Fun fact: this is how your user page is able to display a daily histogram of your contributions, by taking the difference between successive backups.

Even more fun fact: this histogram will suddenly break if any other census overtakes b3s23/C1 in terms of number of objects.

EVEN more fun fact: given how much LegionMammal978 has been searching B3/S01367 recently, and given how that rule combines fast searching with a large number of objects (thanks to xs1_1, xs2_12 and xs2_3 in particular), this could conceivably happen given enough time!

[Kazyan]

I'm not sure if this is Calcyman's or Mozilla's doing, but Firefox no longer crawls/breaks when trying to open up oscillator or spaceship pages.