Pattern Tab

The Pattern tab lets you display, edit and generate patterns. There are three toolbars:

• The top toolbar has buttons for generating the current pattern, changing the speed (by setting how often the pattern is rendered), and for changing the scale and/or location.
• The middle toolbar has buttons for editing the current pattern. You can undo or redo all editing changes (and generating changes), select all of the current pattern, perform a variety of actions on the selection, paste, or change the current drawing state. The segmented buttons at the right edge of the toolbar let you choose an editing mode: drawing cells, picking cell states, selecting cells, or moving the viewport (with a one-finger drag).
• The bottom toolbar has buttons for miscellaneous functions. You can create a new pattern, change the current rule (and/or algorithm), display comment information in the current pattern file, save the current pattern, or switch to full screen mode.

The thin area in between the top two toolbars is used to display status information about the current pattern. It consists of three lines: The 1st line shows the pattern name, the current algorithm, and the current rule. The 2nd line shows the generation count, the population (ie. number of live cells), the current scale (in cells per pixels), the current step size, and the XY location of the cell in the middle of the viewport. The 3rd line is for various messages.

The background color of the status area depends on the current algorithm: pale yellow for QuickLife, pale blue for HashLife, etc.

The large area above the bottom toolbar is for displaying the current pattern. Two-finger pinching can be used to zoom in or out, and two-finger dragging can be used to move the viewport.