Representations indicate the format of patterns in layers, and conversions between representations govern the content of connections between layers.

some_rep description

The description of some_rep additionally contains Width, and indication of the typical (or compulsory) width of associated patterns.

some_rep find_conversion source_rep

Return a conversion that converts patterns with representation source_rep to patterns with representation some_rep. If no current conversion exists, attempt:

1. Use the force_conversion mechanism for the subtype of some_rep. Most notably, this applies to blocked_representations, which will attempt to produce parallel_conversions if the number of blocks match, or if one end of the conversion has zero blocks, will change the number of blocks to match the opposite end.
2. Use any conversion_solver mechanisms that have been loaded. Most notably, conversion_chain loads one of these to create a conversion_chain.