Node Map Reading

The first step to creating this Node Map Learning algorithm, is to design a node map object which can be read, and executed correctly. This doesn't include any learning functions, yet. Or even any of the functions which would be placed inside of it. Creating this type of node map has it's difficulties because it does not flow completely straight forward. It branches inward, outward, and skips layers. There are even multiple inputs, if desired. (Using many sources of input can be good because the AI can choose which ones it wants to use, and which ones are useless and just take up space. Some input functions may be something like random number generators which also help the AI in some way or another.) Though I use the term "Input" a lot, there are technically no inputs. Just parent-less functions. To make this node map function correctly, all that's really needed is to store a list of function instances. Then each step, run through each function on the list. If that function has already been ran, skip it and move on to the next one. If it hasn't, check to see if all of it's parents have been ran. If they have, then run the function with the data that was returned by it's parent functions. For "input" functions, it has no parents, so this will always return true. If only a single function step is wanted, then return after running a single function. If the iterator passes over the last element on the last, then every function has been ran. If all functions can be ran gap-less, then simply continue to run down the list, calling functions when they can be. When the end of the list is reached, jump back to the beginning of the list, and start over. Do this until a full pass has been made over the list, beginning to end, without calling a single function. When this is the case, all functions have been ran, thus ending the node map step.

After this algorithm is complete, then we can move onto the next step, node map generation. I'll explain this step in more detail as I complete more and more sections of working code bits.