Initially, users could only input numbers, e.g., "A is `3` times better than B". But now, users can also input distributions, using the [squiggle](https://www.squiggle-language.com/) syntax, e.g., "A is `1 to 10` times better than B", or "A is `mm(normal(1, 10), uniform(0,100))` better than B".
**If you want to use the utility function extractor for a project, we are happy to add a page for your project, like `utility-function-extractor.quantifieduncertainty.org/your-project`**.
Navigate to [utility-function-extractor.quantifieduncertainty.org/](https://utility-function-extractor.quantifieduncertainty.org/), and start comparing objects.
You can change the list of objects to be compared by clicking on "advanced options".
After comparing objects for a while, you will get a table and a graph with results. You can also use the [utility tools](https://github.com/quantified-uncertainty/utility-function-extractor/tree/master/packages/utility-tools) package to process these results, for which you will need the json of comparisons, which can be found in "Advanced options" -> "Load comparisons"
## Notes
The core structure is json array of objects. Only the "name" attribute is required. If there is a "url", it is displayed nicely.
```
[
{
"name": "Peter Parker",
"someOptionalKey": "...",
"anotherMoreOptionalKey": "...",
},
{
"name": "Spiderman",
"someOptionalKey": "...",
"anotherMoreOptionalKey": "..."
}
]
```
The core structure for links is as follows:
```
[
{
"source": "Peter Parker",
"target": "Spiderman",
"squiggleString": "1 to 100",
"distance": 26.639800977355474
},
{
"source": "Spiderman",
"target": "Jonah Jameson",
"squiggleString": "20 to 2000",
"distance": 6.76997149080232
},
]
```
A previous version of this webpage had a more complicated structure, but it has since been simplified.
## Contributions and help
We welcome PR requests.
## License
Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE.txt for more information.
## To do
- [x] Extract merge, findPath and aggregatePath functionality into different repos
- [x] Send to mongo upon completion
- [x] Push to github
- [x] Push to netlify
- [x] Don't allow further comparisons after completion
- [x] Paths table
- [x] Add paths table
- [x] warn that the paths table is approximate.
- I really don't feel like re-adding this after having worked out the distribution rather than the mean aggregation
- On the other hand, I think it does make it more user to other users.
- [x] Change README.
- [ ] Add functionality like names, etc.
- I also don't feel like doing this
- [ ] Look back at Amazon thing which has been running
- [ ] Simplify Graph and DynamicSquiggleChart components
- [ ] Add squiggle component to initial comparison?
- [ ] Understand why the rewrite doesn't
- Maybe: When two elements are judged to be roughly equal
[^1]: The program takes each element as a reference point in turn, and computing the possible distances from that reference point to all other points, and taking the geometric mean of these distances. This produces a number representing the value of each element, such that the ratios between elements represent the user's preferences: a utility function. However, this isn't perfect; the principled approach woud be to aggregate the distributions rather than their means. But this principled approach is much more slowly. For the principled approach, see the `utility-tools` repository.
