Passing Variables

I went through the documentation but I am not sure I am understanding correctly.

My question is pretty simple.

If I have a formula file
an Inside COloring file
and OUtside Coloring file

Can I pass a parameter on the formula file to the coloring file... specifically the Color density?

Thank you for your help in advance!

This is not possible -- the fractal formula and coloring algorithms are independent and cannot share any information. This ensures that you can combine any fractal formula with any coloring algorithm.

Thank you so much!

That was actually one of the biggest drawbacks in all the fractal software I tested.
It would be useful if there were an interface to retrieve values from the fractal formula, if they exist.
This would make it possible to write specialized coloring functions. They might be somewhat less universally usable, but this can be mitigated.

For example, there could be a function that searches for a variable, returns the value if it exists, and if not, a value from the coloring formula would be used.
(Another option you could add yourself might easily be to disable the coupling when required).

It could look like this:

GetFormulaValue("@power", @power, defaultVal)

The first "power" would be from the formula, the second from the coloring.

GetFormulaValue("@power", 2)

or with a fixed value.

if (GetFormulaValue("value", useValue))
endif

or a value that is calculated in the formula and passed to a variable in the coloring.
GetFormulaValue could return a boolean to indicate whether the value exists, offering even more flexibility.

If you want to go for perfection, the linked variables that are visible in the UI should be displayed, and the coupling can be toggled on and off.

The reason for this, in my case, is that I write very complex and large formulas and coloring functions, and this could greatly help in keeping the parts synchronized.
(CP can't do that either, maybe that would be a reason to finally switch...)

And with "variables", do you mean parameters from the fractal formula?

Actually, both would be useful. I would like to use the formula as a master where many calculations take place, which then not need to be repeated anymore in a coloring.
UI parameters like @power, which should be passed along, are very important. But calculated variables could also be passed along. You could distinguish them with the "@" character.

GetFormulaValue("@power", @power) for a UI parameter. (if not exists, no coupling)

GetFormulaValue("value", useValue) for a variable calculated in the formula. (if not exists, use a fall back code or default value.)

GetFormulaValue returns true, if the variable/parameter exists.

If a UI parameter is passed, the UI could have a coupling option, a checkbox that shows if the value is synchronized with the formula, or when turned off allows the coloring to change the values independently.
If a function is created that can fetch the values and return whether the value actually exists, it becomes easy to write a fallback code if the value does not exist in the formula.

It is a good thing that coloring algorithms can be used in general. But it would also be useful if coloring could be created for a very specific formula.
A kind of standard for UI variables such as @power, @bailout, @isJulia, etc., could also help the coloring algorithms to synchronize the values with other formulas. But this would be something that each user would need to take care of themselves.

(And internally the access to the variables could be optimized some how, so not every access causes a call, but a pointer simply switches to the accessed data...)

(I had thought about stuffing everything including coloring into the formula in one software because synchronizing the values, especially during developing and testing, was so tedious. The mentioned software also still has many bugs and is no longer being developed.)

The only way of doing this is doing the same calculation in the coloring algorithm or manually adding and matching the same parameter between formula and coloring. It's cumbersome, but your best shot.