push_swap, the only mandatory project of ring 2, involved sorting data on a stack, using a limited set of instructions, in the smallest amount of moves possible. This project acted as an introduction to various sorting algorithms, and the concept of time and space complexity, with the idea to have the most optimised data sorting algorithm based on the restrictions.
I opted to go down the path of bit comparisons, which is also known as a radix sort. I chose this algorithm as I enjoyed the logic behind the solution, and the mathematical approach. Having used bitwise operators in minitalk, and then worked with complex numbers in fract-ol, I liked the idea of going down the more mathematical route and working with the numbers in bit form.
To compile and run the program, run the following commands:
# Make using the Makefile
make # Creates the push_swap executable
# Run the executable, using the following arguments
./push_swap <int_list>
# e.g. ./push_swap 1 6 2 4 3Note: The list of integers given must be an unsorted list of unique integers.
Important
Use the included checker programs (provided by 42) to make sure the integers are correctly sorted.
Tip
To generate a random int list, I used calculator soup's number generator and set it to a variable for later use.
# Set integer list to variable
ARG="<copied_list_of_ints>"
# e.g. ARG="1 5 2 ... 9 6 3"
# Run program using variable
./push_swap $ARGCaution
Setting a variable doesn't seem to work on ZSH, so must use bash.
To check the integer list is successfully sorted:
./push_swap $ARG | ./checker_programs/<checker_OS> $ARGNote: <checker_OS> must be changed with the version that works for your OS
Important
To check how many moves it takes to sort, pipe the command wc -l, as we print one line per instruction
./push_swap $ARG | wc -l- Implement optimisations for the sorting algorithm I currently use
- Attempt to use different sorting algorithms to achieve greater optimisation
- Distant Futute: Attempt bonus - build own checker/visualiser