Mutator not mutating

Processing Coding Questions
1

Howdy!

I wrote this program to mutate colors on a grid, where there’s a probability of an offspring grid inheriting each square from its parent grid, or mutating it into a randomized color.

…but I cannot get it to work.

Every time that the “mutate versus inherit random roll” chooses to inherit, it inherits an empty gene (0). I cannot get the parent’s genes to stay as they were assigned, so they cannot be inherited. They all turn to zero in the offspring.

I am posting a simplified version of the program, that holds the gist of the problem at hand.

Thank you.


float x = 0;
float y = 0;
int mouseCount = 0;

int[] rowA0 = new int[16];
int[] rowA1 = new int[16];
int[] rowA2 = new int[16];
int[] rowA3 = new int[16];


ArrayList<Animal> animals;
float mutationRate = 0.4; //40% probability of mutation for each gene. 60% probability of inheritance for each gene.

void setup() {
  size (333, 1000);  

  animals = new ArrayList<Animal>();
}

void draw() {
}

void mousePressed() {

  animals.add(new Animal(mouseX, mouseY));

  Animal a = animals.get(mouseCount); //mouseCount is the index. By getting mouseCount it is accessing that Animal in that spot on the arrayList.  

  a.renderAllRows();

  mouseCount ++;
}


class Animal {

  float x = 0;
  float y = 0;

  float xOffset = 0;
  float yOffset = 0;

  int[] tempRowA = new int[16];
  int r = 0;

  Animal(float tempX, float tempY) {
    x = tempX;
    y = tempY;
  }


  void renderAllRows() {

    println("ANIMAL " + mouseCount);

    println("rowA0");
    determineColor();        
    assignAndRender();
    int [] rowA0 = tempRowA.clone();
    printArray(rowA0);
    y += 20;
    xOffset = 0;

    println("rowA1");
    r++;
    determineColor();       
    assignAndRender();
    int [] rowA1 = tempRowA.clone();
    printArray(rowA1);
    y += 20;
    xOffset = 0;

    println("rowA2"); 
    r++;
    determineColor();        
    assignAndRender();
    int [] rowA2 = tempRowA.clone();
    printArray(rowA2);
    y += 20;
    xOffset = 0;
    r = 0;
  }

  //DETERMINE COLOR of rows : SIMPLE METER
  int[] determineColor() {

    if (mouseCount >= 1 && r == 0) {
      for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++) { 
        if (random(1) > mutationRate) {
          tempRowA[i] = rowA0[i];
          println(i + " inherited");
        } else {
          tempRowA[i] = int(random(6));
        }
      }
    }
    if (mouseCount >= 1 && r == 1) { 
      for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++) { 
        if (random(1) > mutationRate) {
          tempRowA[i] = rowA1[i];
          println(i + " inherited");
        } else {
          tempRowA[i] = int(random(6));
        }
      }
    }
    if (mouseCount >= 1 && r == 2) { 
      for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++) { 
        if (random(1) > mutationRate) {
          tempRowA[i] = rowA2[i];
          println(i + " inherited");
        } else {
          tempRowA[i] = int(random(6));
        }
      }
    }
    if (mouseCount >= 1 && r == 3) {
      for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++) { 
        if (random(1) > mutationRate) {
          tempRowA[i] = rowA3[i];
          println(i + " inherited");
        } else {
          tempRowA[i] = int(random(6));
        }
      }
    }

    if (mouseCount == 0) {     
      for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++) tempRowA[i] = int(random(6));
    }
    
    return tempRowA;
  }

  //RENDERS (draws) colors on phenotype (rows)
  void assignAndRender() {
    for (int i = 0; i < tempRowA.length; i++) {
      if (tempRowA[i] == 0) fill(0, 0, 0, 0.0); //double probability 
      if (tempRowA[i] == 1) fill(0, 0, 0, 0.0); //of transparent
      if (tempRowA[i] == 2) fill(255, 0, 0);
      if (tempRowA[i] == 3) fill(0, 0, 255);
      if (tempRowA[i] == 4) fill(255, 255, 255);
      if (tempRowA[i] == 5) fill(255, 255, 0);

      rect(x + xOffset, y + yOffset, 12, 20); 
      xOffset += 12;

      if (i == 15) {
        xOffset -= 192;
      }
    }
  }
}
2

This is where the code goes if it chooses inherit

if (random(1) > mutationRate) {
  tempRowA[i] = rowA0[i];
  println(i + " inherited");
}

And you are saying that tempRow always gets assigned 0. Can you find where rowA0 is created? Is it ever updated?

3

I figured it out. It was the dumbest thing. I just had to remove the"int[] " before the “rowAn = tempRowA.clone” at “renderAllRows()”.

@HD161693, It was updated at “renderAllRows()”. tempRow could be different to zero is “random(1)” was less than “mutationRate” or if its the first “Animal.”