How do I perform a constrain search?

From TNT

TNT implements searches under constrains. This may be useful for instance to calculate the length of the best tree that presents a certain group as monophyletic that does not appear in the most parsimonious trees. There are two kinds of constraints, one of them forcing monophyly and the other forcing non-monophyly.

Defining constrains and telling TNT that you intend to use constraints are two different steps.

---

Defining constrains

In menu version to define a constrain go to Data/Define constriants. There you can choose between constrains for monophyly or non-monophyly and then choose among the trees in memory the tree that present the group (or groups) that you intend forcing to be monophyletic or non-monophyletic. This means that before entering into the Data/Define constriants menu you should have previuosly edited one of the trees in memory in order to have the group (groups)of interest.

Alternatively you can define the constraints in the command line defining the groups in parenthetical notation. Suppose you want to make to enforce the group ( 1 4 5 6 ) to be monophyletic during your search. The command would be as follow:

  force = ( 1 4 5 6 ) ; 

Alternatively if you want it to be non-monophyletic:

  force - [ 1 4 5 6 ] ; 

---

Activating constrains

Once you have defined the constraints you have to activate them. In the menus you have to click in Enforce constraints in Traditional Seaches Menu or alternatively in New Technologies searches menu. To activate the constraints in the command line type constrain = ;