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NAME
    App::GUI::Cellgraph - draw pattern by cellular automata

SYNOPSIS
    1.  read this POD page

    2.  start the program in shell: >"cellgraph"

    3.  push buttons and see preview patterns change

    4.  push button *Draw* in right bottom corner (or "Ctrl+D") to get a
        full picture

    5.  choose *"Save"* in Image menu (or "Ctrl+S") to store image in a PNG
        / JPEG / SVG file (choose image size beforehand in menu "Image" >
        "Size" > ...)

    6.  choose *"Write"* in *"Settings"* menu ("Ctrl+W") to save current
        settings into an INI file for loading it and tweaking the parameters
        later

        After first use of the program, a config file will be created under
        *~/.config/cellgraph* in your home directory. It contains mainly
        stored colors and dirs where to load and store setting files. You
        may change it manually or deleted it to reset it to default.

DESCRIPTION
    This graphical application uses cellular automata logic, as described in
    *Steve Wolfram*s book *"A new kind of science"*, to paint tiled
    pictures. Although, the original concept got expanded by many additional
    options and functionalities.

    It is meant for fun, leasure, beautiful, personalized images and a
    deeper understanding about how cellular automatons work.

Mechanics
    Every tile (square) in the picture represents one automaton (called
    cell). The tile color depicts the state of that cell. The state is just
    an one digit number (0 or 1 at start). To see and change which color
    stands for which state - choose the rightmost tab titled "*Colors*". The
    uppermost row of the picture represents a row of automata in its initial
    state, that is given by the user via settings in the second tab
    ("*Starting Row*"). The row below is painted by the same string of
    cells, just after one round of computation later and so forth. The
    vertical Y-axis is so to speak the time axis, with top being the
    beginning and bottom the end.

    During each round of computation every cell might change its state. It
    depends on which subrule matches. Each subrule is layed out as a row at
    the third tab ("*State Rules*"). On a left side of the arrow (=>) you
    see there a number of colored tiles. At the beginning its three tiles,
    representing our focal automaton in the middle and its left neighbour on
    its left flank and its right neighbour on the right. In case all three
    colors around our example cell are as displayed, then the new state of
    this cell can be read on the right side of the arrow. Its also called
    the result of this sub-rule. Of course this was simplified, since many
    options might complicate that picture, as decribed in next paragraphs.

    One big addition are action rules. Parallel to its state, every cell has
    also an activity value. It starts with a value also set in the
    "*Starting Row*" tab. It drops every round by a fixed amount but it also
    gets raised depending on the result of action rules. Only if the
    activity value reaches a threshold, the cell can change its state. More
    details about this mechanics are to be found in the chapter "*General
    Settings*" and "*Action Rules*".

GUI
    The general layout is very simple: the picture gets drawn on the left
    window side. On the right side you change the settings from which the
    picture is computed. Please note there the tabs, in the top row. They
    select which page of settings is visible.

    Please mind the tool tips - short help texts which appear if the mouse
    stands still over a button. Also helpful are messages in the status bar
    at the bottom that appear while browsing the menu of after a command
    given.

  General Settings
    The first tab contains settings, that shape the drawing in the most
    broad way. It is segmented into three parts that somewhat parallel the
    last three tabs.

    The topmost section sets the framework for rules by which the cell state
    changes - computation round by computation round. Input Size appoints
    the size of neighbourhood, the left side of an subrule. If you set it to
    an odd number like 5, then the cells current state plus its two
    neighbours on each side determine the next state of a cell. But if you
    set it to an even number like 2 then only one neighbour on each side has
    this power, but not the focal cell itself. You can recognize this by the
    struck through middle cell in each subrule in the "*State Rules*" tab.