lifegrid 2.0.0

An interactive Tkinter-based workbench for experimenting with cellular automata

Repository: https://github.com/James-HoneyBadger/LifeGrid

git clone https://github.com/James-HoneyBadger/LifeGrid.git

LifeGrid

An interactive Tkinter-based workbench for experimenting with cellular automata. The simulator ships with several classic rules, a custom B/S rule editor, drawing tools, and quick exporting to PNG.

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Highlights

• Multiple automata: Conway's Life, HighLife, Immigration, Rainbow, Langton's Ant, and fully custom life-like rules.
• Pattern presets per mode for quick experimentation.
• Drawing tools with toggle/pen/eraser modes plus symmetry helpers.
• Live statistics for population deltas, peaks, and density.
• Save/Load patterns as JSON and export PNG snapshots (when Pillow is installed).
• Keyboard shortcuts: Space (start/stop), S (step), Left (step back), C (clear), G (toggle grid).

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Requirements

• Python 3.13+
• Tkinter (bundled with most Python installations)
• NumPy 1.24+
• SciPy 1.11+ (used for fast convolutions)
• Pillow 10+ (optional, enables PNG export)

Install dependencies from the repository root:

pip install -r requirements.txt

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Getting Started

Run LifeGrid from the project root:

python src/main.py

Or use the helper script on Unix-like systems:

./run.sh

Quick workflow

1. Pick a mode from the Mode dropdown.
2. Choose a Pattern or draw on the canvas.
3. Press Start (or hit Space) to run the simulation.
4. Adjust Speed, drawing tools, and symmetry as needed.
5. Use Settings → Grid & View Settings… for grid size, cell size, and grid lines.
6. Save/load/export from the File menu.

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Controls at a Glance

Action	UI Control	Shortcut
Start/Stop simulation	Start button	Space
Step one generation	Step button	S
Step back one generation	Back button	Left
Clear grid	Simulation → Clear	C
Toggle grid lines	Settings → Toggle Grid	G
Resize grid	Settings → Grid & View Settings…	–
Apply custom B/S rule	Settings → Custom Rules…	–

Mouse interactions:

• Click to toggle/draw/erase (depends on draw mode).
• Drag while in Pen or Eraser to paint continuously.
• Symmetry options mirror strokes across selected axes.

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Available Modes & Patterns

• Conway's Game of Life: Classic Mix, Glider Gun, Spaceships, Oscillators, Puffers, R-Pentomino, Acorn, Random Soup.
• HighLife (B36/S23): Replicator, Random Soup.
• Immigration Game: Color Mix, Random Soup.
• Rainbow Game: Rainbow Mix, Random Soup.
• Langton's Ant: Empty.
• Custom Rules: Random Soup starter pattern plus editable life-like B/S rules via Settings.

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Project Structure

LifeGrid/
├── src/
│   ├── automata/        # Automaton implementations
│   ├── gui/             # GUI modules (app, config, state, ui, rendering)
│   └── main.py          # Thin entry point (delegates to gui.app)
├── docs/                # README-style documentation
├── examples/            # Sample patterns
├── tests/               # Unit tests
├── requirements.txt
├── run.sh
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

Key GUI modules:

• gui/app.py: High-level application orchestration.
• gui/ui.py: Widget construction and event wiring.
• gui/state.py: Mutable simulation state container.
• gui/config.py: Shared constants and mode registries.
• gui/rendering.py: Canvas drawing helpers.

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Development Notes

• Launch tests with pytest. Current coverage targets the Conway automaton; extending coverage for other modes is encouraged.
• flake8 enforces an 80-character line limit; run flake8 src tests before committing.
• To add a new automaton, implement it under src/automata/, expose it from automata/__init__.py, and register it in gui/config.py.
• The GUI is intentionally modular: prefer adding features in dedicated helper modules rather than growing gui/app.py.

Further details can be found in:

• docs/USER_GUIDE.md – end-user walkthrough.
• docs/DEVELOPMENT.md – contributor guidelines and code map.

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License

This project is distributed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for full terms.