probes

[Ginger Booth]

Dear guys,

    Maybe I should be a bit more specific re my probes question.  One bit
of trivia question, then on to what I'm trying to do:

    1. Do I have to ProbeMap -setProbedClass: (Class) aClass, and if so, 
to what?
    
    OK, what I'm trying to do.  I have several (three) collections of 
variables that I want to register, and vary.  (Actually, I have several more,
but these will do for now.)  One master (true, probed) variable may be a
member of several collections.  Each of the three registries has an oddball
assortment of variables from assorted classes/globals.  I started to compose
my own registry thingy, but probes appear to be what was intended for use,
and I'm hoping that I can:

    1. Make my three registries (three ProbeMap's) of oddball stuff.  (See
       question 1 above.  I want to just make the ProbeMap blank, then add
       probes one at a time, coming from maybe 12 different 
classes/non-classes.)

    2. Use the ProbeDisplay(Manager?) stuff to pop menus up and down to 
       allow the user to intervene.  (One of these popups would have a checkbox
       version (auto-vary this parameter yes/no) as well as a set-variable
       version.  I'll need to dive in the deep end here at some point.)
    
    3. Either Swarm or I need to provide a snapshot/reset of this registry.
       Sort of a buffered ProbeMap...  In other words, what I wish to do with 
       one of my registries is:
            a. Set the values to the program defaults.
            b. Let the user reset this collection by hand.
            c. Let the user choose which of this collection to vary.
            d. Save off a snapshot of the -values-.
            e. Make n (~10) copies of the snapshot, and zap the ones the user
               said to vary.
            f. Set the true probed objects from the snapshots.
       Yes, the buffering is important.
       
    4. (Just FYI as to why I'm doing this.)  This most-elaborate-of-registries
       is a collection of 28 parameters that define a Gecko world scenario, of
       which I'll choose perhaps 15-20 to perform an "evolutionary strategy"
       search on, starting from a promising parameter combo, searching
       for a rock-stable combo.  Doing it by hand is...tiring.
       
So now I've probably said more than you wanted to know....  Any leg up 
appreciated.

Thanks,
    Ginger