[MWForum]truchet

[Mike Sandy]

Wendy, your favourable remarks much appreciated.

> I'm curious to know why you made up the extension instead of just saving
them as
> text files - would that have worked too?

You can use what extension you like as long as it doesn't clash
with any other. The program is expecting a text file and recognises
the format if the file is a text file.
I could have saved them with a .txt extension, but as I have a
lot of .txt files in my working directory and I used several file_names
for saving the the patterns it was an additional file filter. Also, if I
don't
look at the program for several months I'm likely to forget what names I
used
 - but not with the .tru extension.

> By the way, I'm guessing there is probably another way to save the
patterns
> as image files in addition to the methods you've described... using a
large
> rectangular grid-sized turtle with the snapshape command, or else snaparea
> (which doesn't require a turtle for that purpose), and then using the
> saveshape command to save as an external file.

I agree, but by using the graphics selection tool you don't have to bother
with
coordinates. You still have this problem of the clear areas of the pattern
being "non-white" , if it is a problem.


Mike


> Mike, your truchet project is quite amazing.  What a great "playground"
for
> exploring patterns.  I think it's very cool that you've provided a
> mathematical interface as well as a design interface for the user to
create
> base designs.  There is much I still don't understand about it, even
though
> I think you've done a fine job of providing explanations... but I think it
> will take me some time to really study it and experiment with it.
>
> For my first visit I've merely loaded the sample designs you've included
(in
> the form of the ".tru" files) - wow!  They are wonderful!  (When I saw the
> ".tru" files in the zip file, I couldn't believe the project was really
> going to work, and it took me a few days to get up the courage to try.  I
> didn't know it was possible to make up extension names, and I certainly
> didn't know it was possible to load files with made-up extensions.  I'm
> curious to know why you made up the extension instead of just saving them
as
> text files - would that have worked too?)
>
> By the way, I'm guessing there is probably another way to save the
patterns
> as image files in addition to the methods you've described... using a
large
> rectangular grid-sized turtle with the snapshape command, or else snaparea
> (which doesn't require a turtle for that purpose), and then using the
> saveshape command to save as an external file.
>
> Thanks for sharing this very stimulating project.  I think we can all
learn
> a lot from it both mathematically and in terms of programming.
>