Discussion

Let's have another round of code golf, with a different signature today!

Write a classmethod that will receive a variable number of parameters containing comma-separated strings and/or positive numbers, and returns one of four possible string values.

Easy mode: each argument is guaranteed to be one sting or number without commas or white spaces.

Depending on the ordering of the lengths of the elements in the input, your method should return:

“Increasing” - if the lengths of the elements increase from left to right (although some neighboring elements may also be equal in length)
“Decreasing” - if the lengths of the elements decrease from left to right (although some neighboring elements may also be equal in length)
“Unsorted” - if the lengths of the elements fluctuate from left to right
“Constant” - if all element's lengths are the same.

Numbers and Strings should be evaluated based on the number of characters or digits used to write them.

The space character (" ") doesn't count as length. Wide characters are not allowed as an input.

The default answer (if there are 0 or 1 argument) must be "Constant".

Input:

"a, 34, 555, AAAAA"

Identical to:

"a", 34, 555, "AAAAA"

Output:

"Increasing"

Note

Use this code to check the solution length

Rules

The signature of the contest entry MUST be:

Class codeGolf.LengthOrder
{

ClassMethod Type(args...) As %String
{
  // Your solution here
}

}

It is forbidden to modify class/signature, including but not limited to:

Adding inheritance
Setting default argument values
Adding class elements (Parameters, Methods, Includes, etc).

It is forbidden to refer to non-system code from your entry. For example, this is not a valid entry:

ClassMethod Build(f As %Integer)
{
  W ##class(myPackage.myClass).test(a)
}

The use of $ZWPACK and $ZWBPACK is also discouraged.

You can use this test case:

Class tests.codeGolf.unittests.LenghtOrderType Extends %UnitTest.TestCase
{


Method TestLengthOrderType()
{
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("1, b, p, 2"), "Constant")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("123, 1234, 12345, 123456"), "Increasing")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("a, abc, abcde, ab"), "Unsorted")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("buffalo"), "Constant")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("1, 2, 3, 4", "5,6,7", "8, 9"), "Constant")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("ab,cdef, g","hi,jk,lmnopq","rst,uv,wx","yz"), "Unsorted")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("1, 2, 3, 4, 16"), "Increasing")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("pyp, pyp, buffalo, pyp"), "Unsorted")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type(), "Constant")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type(",    , ,     "), "Constant")
    Do $$$AssertEquals(##class(codeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("abcde, abc, ab", "12,43,1"), "Decreasing")
}

}

ClassMethod Type(a...) As %String { s (f,r)=0,c=2 i $g(a){f i=1:1:a{s $p(b,",",*+1)=$zstrip(a(i),"*"," ")} f{q:(c=$l(b,",")) s p=$l($p(b,",",$i(c)-1))-$l($p(b,",",c)),f=$s(p>0:-1,p<0:1,1:0) i f,r,r'=f{ret "Unsorted"} s:f r=f}} ret $s(r<0:"Decreasing",r>0:"Increasing",1:"Constant") }

ClassMethod Type(a...) As %String { f i=$i(r):1:$g(a){f j=1:1:$l(a(i),","){s l=$l($tr($p(a(i),",",j)," ")),c=$g(c,l),r=$s(l=c:r,r<3*l>c:2,r#2*c>l:3,1:4),c=l} k c} q $p("Constant1Increasing1Decreasing1Unsorted",1,r) }

Stuart Strickland · Mar 12

ClassMethod Type(args...) As %String
{
// no attempt made at miniturizing the code, 362 chars not including comments
s res="Constant"
f i=1:1 {
q:'$d(args(i)) s w=$tr(args(i)," ")
f p=2:1:$l(w,",") {
   s a=$l($p(w,",",p)),b=$l($p(w,",",p-1))
   s d=$s(a>b:1,a<b:-1,1:0)
   i d>0 s res=$case(res,"Constant":"Increasing","Increasing":"Increasing",:"Unsorted")
   i d<0 s res=$case(res,"Constant":"Decreasing","Decreasing":"Decreasing",:"Unsorted")
   }
}
q res
}

0 0

Vitaliy Serdtsev · Mar 12

Have you used a test case?

I'm afraid not. I didn't read the question properly but thankfully we have you who does a better job than test cases!

Corrected it now.

Timo Lindenschmid · Mar 13

size ~~258~~ 249

all unit tests passed

1 0

Vitaliy Serdtsev · Mar 13

size = ~~207 195~~ 179

ClassMethod Type(a...) As %String
{
 f j=$i(r):1:a{s w=$tr(a(j)," "),p=$f(w,",")-2 f i=2:1:$l(w,",") s c=$l($p(w,",",i)),r=$s(p=c:r,r+p-c<2:2,c<p*2#r:3,1:4),p=c} q $p("Constant7Increasing7Decreasing7Unsorted",7,r)
}

Stuart Strickland · Mar 13

size=193

ClassMethod Type(a...) As %String
{
s r=3 f i=1:1:a{s w=$tr(a(i)," "),b=$l($p(w,",")) f p=2:1:$l(w,",") s c=b,b=$l($p(w,",",p)),d=$s(c<b:1,c>b:2,1:3),r=$s(r=3:d,3_r[d:r,1:4)} q $p("Increasing1Decreasing1Constant1Unsorted",1,r)
}

Yes this time, but unfortunately running tests agains ClassMethod Test1() and then posting ClassMethod Test() on here can make me look silly.

Vitaliy Serdtsev · Mar 14

Ah, got it.

I improved my score to 179 (see above).

Stuart Strickland · Mar 14

The for loop initialising r to 1 is top class thinking. You can still take 2 more characters off:

ClassMethod Type(a...) As %String
{
f j=$i(r):1:a{s w=$tr(a(j)," "),p=$f(w,",")-2 f i=2:1:$l(w,",") s c=$l($p(w,",",i)),r=$s(p=c:r,p<c&(r<3):2,r#2:3,1:4),p=c} q $p("Constant7Increasing7Decreasing7Unsorted",7,r)
}

Robert Barbiaux · Mar 14

Indeed f j=$i(r)... would get a !! mark if it was a chess move 😉
Congratulations !

Eduard Lebedyuk · Mar 14

Yes, I don't think we saw that on our Code Golfs before.

Shaved down to 174. A dubious $Find-2 to get first string length. Changed a condition in the $Select from p<c&(r<3) to r<3*c>p

ClassMethod Type(a...) As %String
{
f j=$i(r):1:a{s w=$tr(a(j)," "),p=$f(w,",")-2 f i=2:1:$l(w,",") s c=$l($p(w,",",i)),r=$s(p=c:r,r<3*c>p:2,r#2:3,1:4),p=c} q $p("Constant7Increasing7Decreasing7Unsorted",7,r)
}
also fits in @Robert Barbiaux attempt

ClassMethod Type(a...) As %String
{
f i=$i(r):1:$g(a){f j=1:1:$l(a(i),","){s l=$l($tr($p(a(i),",",j)," ")),c=$g(c,l),r=$s(l=c:r,r<3*l>c:2,r#2:3,1:4),c=l} k c} q $p("Constant1Increasing1Decreasing1Unsorted",1,r)
}

Vitaliy Serdtsev · Mar 15

There is no limit to perfection.

By the way, your code shows 175 characters, where did the number 174 come from?

Stuart Strickland · Mar 15

174 probably from an inaccurate count of the difference between some versions. You still have the r#2:3 problem

W ##Class(CodeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("abc,de","de,abc") should be Unsorted

Thanks for the hint, I fixed it.
By the way, your code can be reduced to 173: f i=$i(r):1:a

Robert Barbiaux · Mar 13

Size ~~201~~ ~~181~~ 181, all unit tests passed (including undefined argument, and additional .Type("abc,de","de,abc") --> Unsorted)
Thanks Eduard, I missed the extraneous quotes (my mind is still not entirely purged of strongly typed languages habits 😅)

At the last $piece a delimiter could be 1 instead of "1", no?

Any of these that use r#2:3 give the wrong answer for

W ##Class(CodeGolf.LengthOrder).Type("abc,de","de,abc")

Size=177, problem fixed and another reduction found at the start of the $Select

ClassMethod Type(a...) As %String
{
f i=$i(r):1:$g(a){f j=1:1:$L(a(i),","){s L=$L($tr($p(a(i),",",j)," ")),r=$s(L=$g(c,L):r,r<3*L>c:2,r#2*c>L:3,1:4),c=L} k c} q $p("Constant1Increasing1Decreasing1Unsorted",1,r)
}

Code Golf: Length Order

Input:

Identical to:

Output:

Note

Rules