A SAT-based forward/backwards solver for Conway's "Game of Life".

1. Make sure git, cmake, and boost::program_options are installed
2. Clone the repository: $ git clone https://github.com/flopp/gol-sat
3. Change into the newly created directory: $ cd gol-sat
4. Build: $ make

Run $ bin/gol-sat -e X pattern.txt to perform a backwards computation consisting of X steps an finally yields the pattern specified in the file pattern.txt.

Run $ bin/gol-sat -f -e X pattern.txt to perform a forward computation consisting of X steps starting with the pattern specified in the file pattern.txt.

The text file format used for patterns starts with two numbers specifying the width and height of the pattern. Then width * height cell characters follow, where

• . or 0 is a dead cell
• X or 1 is an alive cell
• ? is an unspecified cell

The patterns subdirectory contains some samples.

The following command performs backwards computation consisting of two evolution steps (option -e 2) that finally yield the game of life pattern specified in the file patterns/smily.txt:

$ bin/gol-sat -e 2 patterns/smily.txt
-- Reading pattern from file: patterns/smily.txt
-- Building formula for 2 evolution steps...
-- Setting pattern constraint on last generation...
-- Solving formula...

-- Initial generation:
...X.....XX
..X....X...
.X..X....XX
.X.XXX.XX..
..X...XX...
....X..X...
X.X....XXXX
X.XX.X.....
......X..XX
...X.X..X..

-- Evolves to:
...........
..XX....X..
.X..XXXX.X.
.X.XXX.XXX.
..X........
.X.X.....X.
..X.X.XXXX.
..XX..XX...
..XX.XX..X.
.........X.

-- Evolves to final generation (from pattern):
...........
..XXXXXXX..
.X.......X.
.X.X...X.X.
.X.......X.
.X.X...X.X.
.X..XXX..X.
.X.......X.
..XXXXXXX..
...........