ec
Class Evolve

java.lang.Object
  |
  +--ec.Evolve

public class Evolve
extends java.lang.Object

Evolve is the main entry class for an evolutionary computation run.

An EC run is done with one of two argument formats:

java ec.Evolve -file parameter_file [-p parameter=value]*

This starts a new evolutionary run, using the parameter file parameter_file. The user can provide optional overriding parameters on the command-line with the -p option.

java ec.Evolve -checkpoint checkpoint_file

This starts up an evolutionary run from a previous checkpoint file.

Debugging with BeanShell. The jdb debugger isn't very good. In fact, it's just plain awful. One approach around this is to use BeanShell, a full on-line shell system for Java. BeanShell basically provides you with a Java listener, just like a Lisp listener (command line). And it's free! You should definitely try it out.

To try out this feature, Evolve provides a special method, make, which works much like Evolve.main(), except that instead of running the EvolutionState, it just returns it. You can then call the go() method on the EvolutionState to pulse it through its steps (if your particular EvolutionState supports debug-pulsing). Each go() method prints out the current state (evaluating, initializing, breeding, whatever), plus the present generation or pseudogeneration. Other than that, everything is printed as normal. For example, let's say you want to look at the third individual in the 4th generation. In bsh, you might do something like:

jifsan> bsh
BeanShell 1.0 beta - by Pat Niemeyer (pat@pat.net)
bsh % e = ec.Evolve.make(new String[] {"-file", "params"});

| ECJ
| An evolutionary computation system (version 1)
| Copyright 1999 by Sean Luke
| Mail: seanl@cs.umd.edu
| URL: http://www.cs.umd.edu/users/seanl/
| Date: Tuesday, November 16, 1999
| Suggested Java version: 1.2.2/Hotspot
| Minimum Java version: 1.1


bsh % e.go();
0) DEBUG: INIT
Setting up
Processing GP Types
Processing GP Node Constraints
Processing GP Function Sets
Processing GP Tree Constraints
WARNING:
Ant trail file ended prematurely
Initializing Generation 0
Using default GPNodeSelector for #0 of pop.subpop.0.species.pipe.0
Using default terminal probability for KozaNodeSelector gp.koza.xover.ns
Using default nonterminal probability for KozaNodeSelector gp.koza.xover.ns
Using default root probability for KozaNodeSelector gp.koza.xover.ns
Using default GPNodeSelector for #1 of pop.subpop.0.species.pipe.0
Using default terminal probability for KozaNodeSelector gp.koza.xover.ns
Using default nonterminal probability for KozaNodeSelector gp.koza.xover.ns
Using default root probability for KozaNodeSelector gp.koza.xover.ns
Using default numTries for pop.subpop.0.species.pipe.0
Using default maxDepth for pop.subpop.0.species.pipe.0
bsh % e.go();
1) DEBUG: EVAL, Generation 0
bsh % e.go();
2) DEBUG: BREED, Generation 0
Generation 1
bsh % e.go(5);
3) DEBUG: EVAL, Generation 1
4) DEBUG: BREED, Generation 1
Generation 2
5) DEBUG: EVAL, Generation 2
6) DEBUG: BREED, Generation 2
Generation 3
7) DEBUG: EVAL, Generation 3
bsh % e.go();
8) DEBUG: BREED, Generation 3
Generation 4
bsh % e.population.subpops[0].individuals[3].printIndividualForHumans(e,0,3000);
Evaluated: false
Fitness: Raw=56.0 Adjusted=0.01754386 Hits=33
Tree 0:
 (progn2 move (if-food-ahead (if-food-ahead
     (progn2 left right) (progn3 right (progn3
     move (progn2 move left) right) left)) (progn3
     right (progn3 move (progn2 move left) right)
     left)))

Parameters
nostore
bool = true or false (default)
(should the ec.util.Output facility not store announcements in memory?)
flush
bool = true or false (default)
(should I flush all output as soon as it's printed (useful for debugging when an exception occurs))
verbosity
int >= 0
(the ec.util.Output object's verbosity)
evalthreads
int >= 1
(the number of threads to spawn for evaluation)
breedthreads
int >= 1
(the number of threads to spawn for breeding)
seed.n
int != 0, or string = time
(the seed for random number generator #n. n should range from 0 to Max(evalthreads,breedthreads)-1. If value is time, then the seed is based on the system clock plus n.)
state
classname, inherits and != ec.EvolutionState
(the EvolutionState object class)
print-accessed-params
bool = true or false (default)
(at the end of a run, do we print out a list of all the parameters requested during the run?)
print-used-params
bool = true or false (default)
(at the end of a run, do we print out a list of all the parameters actually used during the run?)
print-all-params
bool = true or false (default)
(at the end of a run, do we print out a list of all the parameters stored in the parameter database?)


Field Summary
static java.lang.String A_CHECKPOINT
          The argument indicating that we're starting up from a checkpoint file.
static java.lang.String A_FILE
          The argument indicating that we're starting fresh from a new parameter file.
static java.lang.String P_BREEDTHREADS
          breedthreads parameter
static java.lang.String P_EVALTHREADS
          evalthreads parameter
static java.lang.String P_FLUSH
          flush announcements parameter
static java.lang.String P_NOSTORE
          nostore parameter
static java.lang.String P_PRINTACCESSEDPARAMETERS
           
static java.lang.String P_PRINTALLPARAMETERS
           
static java.lang.String P_PRINTUSEDPARAMETERS
           
static java.lang.String P_SEED
          seed parameter
static java.lang.String P_STATE
          state parameter
static java.lang.String P_VERBOSITY
          verbosity parameter
static java.lang.String V_SEED_TIME
          'time' seed parameter value
 
Constructor Summary
Evolve()
           
 
Method Summary
static void main(java.lang.String[] args)
          The entry method for an evolutionary run.
static EvolutionState make(java.lang.String[] args)
          Creates an EvolutionState as normal, but returns it.
 
Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait
 

Field Detail

P_PRINTACCESSEDPARAMETERS

public static final java.lang.String P_PRINTACCESSEDPARAMETERS

P_PRINTUSEDPARAMETERS

public static final java.lang.String P_PRINTUSEDPARAMETERS

P_PRINTALLPARAMETERS

public static final java.lang.String P_PRINTALLPARAMETERS

A_CHECKPOINT

public static final java.lang.String A_CHECKPOINT
The argument indicating that we're starting up from a checkpoint file.

A_FILE

public static final java.lang.String A_FILE
The argument indicating that we're starting fresh from a new parameter file.

P_FLUSH

public static final java.lang.String P_FLUSH
flush announcements parameter

P_NOSTORE

public static final java.lang.String P_NOSTORE
nostore parameter

P_VERBOSITY

public static final java.lang.String P_VERBOSITY
verbosity parameter

P_EVALTHREADS

public static final java.lang.String P_EVALTHREADS
evalthreads parameter

P_BREEDTHREADS

public static final java.lang.String P_BREEDTHREADS
breedthreads parameter

P_SEED

public static final java.lang.String P_SEED
seed parameter

V_SEED_TIME

public static final java.lang.String V_SEED_TIME
'time' seed parameter value

P_STATE

public static final java.lang.String P_STATE
state parameter
Constructor Detail

Evolve

public Evolve()
Method Detail

main

public static void main(java.lang.String[] args)
The entry method for an evolutionary run. Loads either from a checkpoint file, or loads a parameter file and sets up from that.

make

public static EvolutionState make(java.lang.String[] args)
Creates an EvolutionState as normal, but returns it. You can then pulse this EvolutionState with its go() method to get it to move through various rounds.