Configuration Reference

All options available on CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder.

To run a cellular automaton with JCAL, you must first build a CellularAutomataConfiguration using the fluent CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder. Configuration objects are immutable once built; all settings must be applied before calling .build().

CellularAutomataConfiguration config = new CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder()
    .setWidth(50)
    .setHeight(50)
    .setTotalIterations(100)
    .setDefaultStatus(dead)
    .setNeighborhoodType(NeighborhoodType.MOORE)
    .setInitalState(seedCells)
    .build();

Reference Table

Builder Method Type Default Required Description
setWidth(int) int 100 No Number of columns in the 2D grid
setHeight(int) int 100 No Number of rows in the 2D grid
setDimensions(int...) int... — For 3D/4D Grid dimensions: (x,y,z) or (x,y,z,w)
setTotalIterations(int) int 0 Yes (unless infinite) Number of generations to simulate
setInfinite(boolean) boolean false No Run until interrupted
setDefaultStatus(CellState) CellState — Yes State applied to every cell at init
setInitalState(List<Cell>) List<Cell> empty No Cells starting in a non-default state
setNeighborhoodType(NeighborhoodType) NeighborhoodType — One of these Select a built-in neighborhood
setNeighborhood(Neighborhood) Neighborhood — One of these Provide a custom 2D neighborhood

Width

Sets the number of columns in the grid (x-axis). Default: 100.

public CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder setWidth(int width);

Height

Sets the number of rows in the grid (y-axis). Default: 100.

public CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder setHeight(int height);

Dimensions (3D/4D)

Sets all dimensions at once for 3D or 4D grids. Replaces setWidth/setHeight when building multi-dimensional cellular automata.

// 3D: x, y, z
public CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder setDimensions(int... dims);

// Usage
builder.setDimensions(10, 10, 10);  // 3D  10×10×10
builder.setDimensions(5, 5, 5, 5);  // 4D  5×5×5×5

Total Iterations

Sets the number of generations (steps) to simulate. Required when setInfinite(false) (the default).

public CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder setTotalIterations(int totalIterations);

Infinite Loop

When true, the automaton runs indefinitely until the JVM is interrupted. When false (default), it stops after totalIterations steps.

public CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder setInfinite(boolean isInfinite);

Default Status

Sets the initial state applied to every cell in the grid before the initial condition is overlaid. This is typically the “empty” or “dead” state.
Required.

public CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder setDefaultStatus(CellState defaultStatus);

Initial Condition

Provides the list of cells that start in a state other than the default. All other cells are initialized with defaultStatus.

public CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder setInitalState(List<Cell> initalState);

Built-in Neighborhood

Selects one of the pre-defined neighborhood shapes. JCAL automatically resolves the correct implementation for 2D, 3D, or 4D based on the grid dimensions in the config.

public CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder setNeighborhoodType(NeighborhoodType neighborhoodType);
Value 2D 3D 4D
NeighborhoodType.MOORE 8 neighbors 26 neighbors 80 neighbors
NeighborhoodType.VON_NEUMANN 4 neighbors 6 neighbors 8 neighbors

Custom Neighborhood

Provides a custom 2D neighborhood. The class must extend Neighborhood (2D) or Neighborhood (3D/4D).

public CellularAutomataConfigurationBuilder setNeighborhood(Neighborhood neighborhood);

See Neighborhoods for examples.

See Also