ternary-spreadsheet

Core logic for the SuperInstance Spreadsheet — a familiar spreadsheet interface where every cell is a tiny ternary intelligence.

The Concept

Imagine a spreadsheet where each cell doesn't just hold a number — it holds an opinion. Every cell is a ternary agent with a value of −1 (avoid), 0 (unknown), or +1 (choose). Each cell has:

A fitness score — how well its value is performing
A history — the trail of values it's held
A generation counter — how many times it's evolved

The grid becomes a living population of ternary intelligences. You can evolve them, sort by fitness, mutate ranges, and watch natural selection shape the spreadsheet in real time.

Features

🧬 Cell

A ternary cell with value {−1, 0, +1}, fitness score, and mutation history.

📊 Grid

A 2D grid of cells with row/column operations, cell references (A1, B3), and range queries.

⚡ Formula Engine

Evaluate spreadsheet formulas with AI-powered functions:

Formula	Description
`=EVOLVE(A1:A10, 100)`	Run 100 generations of evolution on a range
`=BEST(B:B)`	Find the highest fitness in column B
`=SPECIES(C1:C50)`	Count distinct species (clusters of same-sign values)
`=EXHAUSTIVE(D1:D4)`	Try all 3⁴=81 combinations, return best total fitness
`=ENTROPY(E1:E20)`	Compute Shannon entropy of ternary values
`=SUM(A1:A5)`	Sum cell values
`=AVG(A1:A5)`	Average cell values
`=COUNT(A1:A5)`	Count cells in range

🔄 Sort by Fitness

Sort rows or columns by fitness — natural selection for your spreadsheet. Fittest rows rise to the top.

🎲 Autofill with Mutation

Like regular autofill, but with controlled randomness. Copy a cell's value across a range with a configurable mutation rate. Some cells flip, some go neutral — evolution in action.

🎨 Conditional Format

Assign colors based on fitness:

🟢 Green — positive fitness (choose)
🟡 Yellow — near zero (unknown)
🔴 Red — negative fitness (avoid)

🗺️ Fitness Heatmap

Compute normalized heatmap values [0.0, 1.0] for the entire grid — visualize which regions are thriving.

Usage

use ternary_spreadsheet::*;

// Create a 10x10 grid
let mut grid = Grid::new(10, 10);

// Set some values
grid.set(0, 0, TernaryValue::Positive);
grid.set(1, 0, TernaryValue::Negative);

// Compute fitness for all cells
grid.compute_all_fitness();

// Use the formula engine
let mut engine = FormulaEngine::new(grid);
let best = engine.evaluate("=BEST(A:A)").unwrap();

// Sort rows by fitness (fittest first)
sort_by_fitness(engine.grid_mut(), SortAxis::Row);

// Get conditional colors
let color = conditional_format(engine.grid().get(0, 0).unwrap());

// Generate heatmap
let heatmap = fitness_heatmap(engine.grid());

Design Principles

Pure Rust — no unsafe code, no external dependencies
Zero-cost abstractions — enum-based ternary values compile to efficient code
Composable — mix and match operations like building blocks
Deterministic — seeded mutations for reproducible experiments

License

MIT

ternary-spreadsheet 0.1.0