What's New?
NetLogo 3.0.2 User Manual
Feedback from users is very valuable to us in designing and
improving NetLogo. We'd like to hear from you. Please send comments,
suggestions, and questions to feedback@ccl.northwestern.edu,
and bug reports to bugs@ccl.northwestern.edu.
Version 3.0.2 (November 23, 2005)
- content:
- improved models: Party (bugfix), Sound Machines (bugfix), Bug
Hunt Camouflage (bugfix), Traffic Basic (bugfix)
- assorted minor fixes to User Manual
- engine fixes:
- fixed 3.0-only bug where the repeat and foreach commands
didn't work in some recursive procedures
- fixed 3.0-only bug where turtles could be mispositioned in the 2D view
when the patch size wasn't an integer, or when zoomed
- fixed 3.0-only bug that caused some models to run slowly when zoomed
- fixed appearance of "line" and "line half" shapes in the 3D view
- fixed bug in import-drawing that caused grayscale images
to be lightened slightly
- when running headless from the command line,
the user manual now recommends using Java's -Xms command
line flag for best performance
- System Dynamics Modeler fixes:
- converters and stocks are now initialized in a well-defined order
during system-dynamics-setup
- fixed bug where NetLogo was sometimes unable to load saved
system dynamics models
- interface fixes:
- in buttons and monitors, the locations of syntax errors now are highlighted
- fixed bug in shapes editor where "Rotate" button sometimes misbehaved
- fixed bug in BehaviorSpace GUI where a results file could remain open
even after the experiment was finished
- on Windows, a model opened by double-clicking in Windows Explorer
can now be saved using Save instead of Save As
Version 3.0 (September 2005)
- content:
- new network models: Giant Component,
Preferential Attachment, Small Worlds
- new EvoLab evolution models: Bug Hunt Camouflage, Bug Hunt Speeds
- new NIELS electromagnetism models: Electrostatics, Conductor
- new MaterialSim materials science model: MaterialSim Grain Growth
- new ProbLab probability model: 9-Block Stalagmite, Central Limit
Theorem, Dice Stalagmite, Expected Value Advanced, ProbLab
Genetics, Random Basic Advanced
- new system dynamics models: Exponential Growth, Logistic Growth,
Wolf Sheep Predation (System Dynamics), Wolf Sheep Predation (docked)
- new biology models: Autumn, Algae, Moths, Disease Solo, Echo
- new physics & chemistry models: GasLab Circular Particles,
DLA Alternate, DLA Alternate Linear, Polymer Dynamics
- new cellular automaton model: Life Turtle-Based
- new computer science models: Vants, Merge Sort
- new math model: Color Fractions
- new art models: Sound Machines, Optical Illusions
- new games: Minesweeper, Lunar Lander
- new code examples: Neighbors-Nowrap Example, Halo Example,
Perspective Example, 3D Shapes Example, GoGoMonitor
- new perspective demos section with alternate versions of Ants,
Termites, Flocking, GasLab to demo new perspective features
- improved sample models: Rugby (bugfix), GasLab Gas in a Box (bugfix),
Vector Fields (bugfix), Virus (bugfix),
Turtles Circling (new look and controls), Pursuit (new look),
Rebellion (new look), Reactor X-Section (new
look), Sand (better colors), Virus (better colors), Shuffle Board, Traffic Basic,
and most ProbLab models
- revamped code examples: Shape Animation Example (new look),
Random Seed Example (now demonstrates new-seed), Image
Import Example (now demonstrates import-pcolors
and import-drawing)
- features:
- you can now view any model in 3D
(note though that the world remains 2D; for 3D worlds, use NetLogo
3D Preview 1)
- new follow, ride and watch
commands let you track the movements of a particular agent
- new System Dynamics Modeler, found on Tools menu
(includes sample models and section in User Manual)
- new drawing layer on top of patches contains marks left by turtles,
with their pens or by stamping their shapes
- turtle pens may now vary in size; they draw in the drawing layer,
rather than affecting patch colors as before
- buttons take turns now (instead of interleaving their code
with each other), so you can press SETUP during GO or press GO
during SETUP and the right thing happens
- find and replace in Information and Procedures tabs
- new color palette is more muted and contains colors that
harmonize better with each other
- the Information tab is now displayed in a more attractive (but
read-only) style; use the new Edit button to switch to the old view
for editing
- new GoGo extension allows interfacing NetLogo to physical devices
- added Color Swatches, a dialog which helps you choose colors for
your agents, to the Tools menu
- improved user interface for reporting syntax errors (no more
Errors tab)
- turtle shapes now optionally wrap around the edges of the world
- when you pick a turtle or patch with the mouse (by right-clicking or
control-clicking), the selected turtle or patch is now
highlighted
- substantial improvements to BehaviorSpace:
- BehaviorSpace experiments can now be run headless from the
command line, using an experiment setup saved in the model
or specified separately in XML
- you can create multiple experiment setups and they are saved
in your model for later reuse
- there are now two output format options, spreadsheet and table;
the latter is new, and is more suitable for use with statistics
and database software
- you can now use multiple reporters to measure each run; you
can also use none, which is useful if you are recording the
results some other way, such as with export-world
- you can now vary the world size during an experiment, by
varying screen-edge/size-x/y as if they were
variables
- you can now vary the random seed during an experiment, by
varying random-seed as if it were a variable
- you can now choose to measure runs only at the end, not every
tick
- you can now vary no variables at all during an experiment;
this is useful for doing many runs with the current settings
- language changes:
- pen and drawing related changes:
- turtle pens draw in the drawing layer, instead of changing
patch colors as before
- a turtle's pen, if it is down, now draws regardless of how the
turtle moves (even if it's with setxy or jump)
- a pen may also erase, using the new pen-erase (pe) command
- the stamp command now stamps the turtle's shape on the
drawing, rather than setting the patch color (use set pcolor
to set the patch color)
- added new commands clear-drawing (cd), import-drawing
- added new turtle variables pen-mode and pen-size;
removed old variable pen-down?
- new follow, watch, ride (and
follow-me, watch-me, ride-me)
commands (and subject reporter) for focusing on individual
agents
- new reset-perspective command returns the observer to
the default position and perspective.
- the clear-graphics command no longer exists
(in old models, it is automatically replaced with cp ct)
- all other commands with "graphics" in the name now use "view" instead
(e.g. export-view)
- new netlogo-version reporter
- new import-pcolors and import-drawing commands read image
files (in a variety of formats) into the patch colors or drawing layer
- new in-cone reporter lets you give a turtle a cone of vision
- new new-seed reporter is useful for generating numbers to use as random seeds
- new mouse-inside? reporter tells you whether the mouse pointer is in the view
- renamed get-and-date-time to date-and-time
- the constant white is now defined as 9.9, not 9.9999
- engine fixes:
- fixed bug in random-n-of that favored earlier items in the
list or agentset
- fixed bug where filter/map/foreach didn't always work
properly inside run/runresult
- fixed bug in importing worlds where an agentset stored in a
global variable could be imported incorrectly if the import caused
the world size to change
- the export-view and export-output commands now work even when
running headless from the command line
- when running headless from the command line, paths are now interpreted
as relative to the location of the model, just as in the
application
- the rgb and hsb reporters are now better at
choosing colors
- fixed histogramming bug where sometimes a value was assigned to the bar one to the left of the correct bar
- fixed bug that could cause a runtime error to be reported as happening
in the wrong place in the code or to the wrong agent
- fixed bug where is-turtle? and is-agent?
sometimes returned true even if the input was nobody (if a
turtle died)
- fixed Windows-only problem where the sound extension didn't
always work on some Java VM's newer than 1.4.2_05
- import and export world now include the observer perspective
and contents of the output area
- the sizing and positioning of turtle shapes in 2D, especially
very small ones, is now more accurate, and more consistent
cross-platform
- interface fixes:
- right/control-clicking to pick a turtle in the 2D view is
now much easier because it
takes the size and position of the turtle into account
- removed now useless checkbox for turning off "Exact turtle positions & sizes"
- smaller changes in turtle heading are now visible onscreen,
particularly when the patch size is large
- turtle sizes 1.5 and 2.0 are now accelerated graphically in the
2D view (before, only size 1.0 was accelerated)
- improved some error messages, and improved the pinpointing of
runtime error locations
- you can now use the keyboard shortcuts for undo and redo
when editing the code in a button or monitor
- fixed bug where if a chooser had lots of choices, some
would disappear off the edges of the screen
- fixed bug where deleting a button or monitor with a syntax error
halted the model
- in saved applets, you can now copy from an output area on all
web browsers (as far as we know)
- fixed bug where a generated movie file could disappear when you
quit NetLogo
- editing a slider, switch, or choice no longer halts the model
(unless you change the variable name)
- general miscellaneous improvements to look and feel
- HubNet changes:
- new activity: Dice Stalagmite
- improved activity: Beer Game Alternate 2
- in computer HubNet, the "Graphics Window" tag for receiving
mouse events from clients has changed to "View"; existing activities
that use this feature must be updated in order to work
- hubnet-message-waiting? sleeps, so HubNet activities
don't hog the CPU
- Java API changes:
- controlling API can now run BehaviorSpace experiments
- controlling API now includes new resizeWorld(),
getDrawing(), getGraphics(),
halt() methods
- fixed bug in extensions API where the unload() method
was not being called
- the LogoList and LogoException classes have
been relocated to the org.nlogo.api package
- in the extensions API, the runOnce() method in the
ClassManager now takes an ExtensionManager which allows the
extension to specify that it uses HubNet and also to store an Object
that is kept even across multiple loads of the extension
- system:
- on Windows, bundled Java version is now 1.4.2_08 (was 1.4.2_05)
Version 2.1 (December 2004)
- much larger and higher quality library of turtle shapes
- runs models "headless", with no GUI, from the command line
- editor now highlights matching parentheses and brackets
- "action keys" let buttons be triggered by keypresses
- makes Quicktime movies of models
- redesigned Command Center for greater usability
- optional "output area" in models
- greatly improved shapes editor
- easy capture of images from Interface tab
- multilevel "Undo" in editor
- new let command for easy creation of local variables
- new carefully command for trapping runtime errors
- computer HubNet:
- substantially improved reliability
- "server discovery" is now fully supported
- you may serve multiple activities simultaneously from the same computer
- improved client interface and Control Center
Version 2.0.2 (August 2004)
- new, experimental "extensions" API lets users write new
commands and reporters in Java
- NetLogo can now make sounds and music; this is done
with a new, experimental sound extension that is also
an example of how to use the extensions API
- new "controlling" API lets users control NetLogo from external
Java code (such as for automating multiple runs)
Version 2.0 (December 2003)
- full support for Mac OS X; improved Linux support
- minimum Java version is now 1.4.1;
Windows 95, MacOS 8, MacOS 9 no longer supported
- increased overall reliability
- improved look and feel throughout the application
- faster and more flexible graphics (labels, turtle sizes,
exact turtle positions all now fast, reliable, and
flicker-free)
- suite of primitives for reading and writing external files
- "strict math" mode now always on, for reproducible results
- export graphics window or interface tab as image file
- revamped BehaviorSpace (various improvements made;
some old features are missing)
- Mersenne Twister random number generator
- many new primitives
- computer HubNet:
- improved reliability; no longer alpha or beta
- improved graphics window mirroring features and
performance
Version 1.3 (June 2003)
- graphics window control strip
- choosers
- strict math mode so results are identical on all platforms
(requires Java 1.3 or higher)
- new primitives including run/runresult and
map/foreach/filter/reduce
- some primitives now accept a variable number of inputs
Version 1.2 (March 2003)
- alpha release of computer HubNet: formerly HubNet required the TI
Navigator calculator network to operate; now you can use it
over TCP/IP with networks of laptop or desktop computers
- new primitives and other language improvements
- display of coordinates when mousing over plots
Version 1.1 (July 2002)
- "Save as Applet" lets you embed your model in any web page
- printer support
- Procedures menu
- scrollable Interface tab
- contextual menus in Interface tab
- new primitives
Version 1.0 (April 2002)
- initial release (after a series of betas)