Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
interleaving 2 arrays
#1
I don't know if I should post this as a "challenge" or in the "programming help" section...anyway...here it is. What I want to do is to take 2 arrays and interleave them, so that the values from each array are (approxamately) evenly distributed in a third array. I know how to do this, but want to know if anyone has a more elegant way. My method is to create a new array sized the sum of size of the 2 original arrays. Then, this array is filled with alternating chuncks from each array. The size of the chunk is determined by dividing the larger array by the smaller then inserting the whole number followed by a single element from the smaller array.

if, for example, array1 contained 3 elements elements: x,x,x
and arrat2 contained 11 elements: a,a,a,a,a,a,a,a,a,a,a

My method produces a third array containing:

aaaxaaaaxaaaax


I would like to have the elements more evenly distributed, for example: aaxaaaxaaaxaaa

Does anyone see an efficient way to do this?

Thanks. The following snippet should get us started on the same page...

Code:
'INPUT "Number of elements in Array 1";s1
'Input "Range for values in array 1 (0 to ?)";r1
'Input "Number of elements in Array 2";s2
'input "range for values in array 2 (0 to ?)";r2

s1=100   'array1...100 elements between 0 and 5
r1=5
s2=20    'array2...20 elements between 0 and 30
r2=30

dim array1(1 to s1) as integer
dim array2(1 to s2) as integer

for x=1 to s1
array1(x)=rnd*r1   'fill array1 with values
next x

for x=1 to s2       'fill array2 with values
array2(x)=rnd*r2
next x


DIM array3(1 TO (UBOUND(a)-LBOUND(a))+(UBOUND(b)-LBOUND(b))) AS INTEGER

'How to fill array3 with interleaved elements of array1 and array2???

Thanks
Reply
#2
since the mixing isn't critical, I decided to just use

xxaaaaaxx

to mix aaaaa with xxxx

thanks again
Reply
#3
errr if it turns out to be critical...
say that second array is smaller than the first array.

Goes something like this (untested and prolly faulty):

Code:
ratio% = len.first.array% / len.second.array%
len.third.array% = len.first.array%+len.second.array%

extra% = (len.first.array% - ratio% * len.first.array%) / 2
if extra% > 0 then
extra1% = extra%/2
extra2% = extra%-extra1%
for i% = 1 to extra1%
third.array%(I%) = first.array%(I%)
next i%
for i% = len.third.array% - extra2% + 1 to len.third.array%
third.array%(I%) = first.array%(I%)
next i%
end if

for I% = extra%+1 to len.third.array% - extra%
if j%< ratio% then j% = j% + 1 else j% = 0
if j%>0 then third.array%(i%) = first.array%(i%) else third.array%(i%) = second.array%(i%)
next i%
Peace cannot be obtained without war. Why? If there is already peace, it is unnecessary for war. If there is no peace, there is already war."

Visit www.neobasic.net to see rubbish in all its finest.
Reply
#4
Quote:errr if it turns out to be critical...
say that second array is smaller than the first array.

Goes something like this (untested and prolly faulty):

Thanks for the response. It turns out that your code idea had some...um... problems :roll: however, it got me thinking. I was hoping there was an easier way than what I ended up using, since interleaving the arrays was just a very small part of a larger program...anyway...the following sub will do the trick with any 2 arrays.

The example shown uses text arrays to make the demo-display easy to understand. However, the array mixer works fine on any datatype, as long as it's correctly specified in the call.

Code:
DEFINT A-Z
DECLARE SUB mix (small() AS STRING, large() AS STRING, combined() AS STRING)
CLS

DO

  DO
   INPUT "size of array1"; sa1
   INPUT "size of array2"; sa2
  LOOP UNTIL sa1 > 0 AND sa2 > 0

  combosize = sa1 + sa2
  REDIM array1(1 TO sa1) AS STRING
  REDIM array2(1 TO sa2) AS STRING
  REDIM combo(1 TO combosize) AS STRING

  FOR x = 1 TO sa1
    array1(x) = "x"
    PRINT array1(x);
  NEXT x

  PRINT

  FOR x = 1 TO sa2
    array2(x) = "a"
    PRINT array2(x);
  NEXT x

  PRINT

  IF UBOUND(array1) > UBOUND(array2) THEN  'put small array first in argument list
    CALL mix(array2(), array1(), combo())
  ELSE
    CALL mix(array1(), array2(), combo())
  END IF

  FOR x = 1 TO UBOUND(combo)
    PRINT combo(x);
  NEXT x

  PRINT

LOOP
END

SUB mix (small() AS STRING, large() AS STRING, combined() AS STRING)

SAS = UBOUND(small)     'Small Array Size
LAS = UBOUND(large)      'Large Array Size
CAS = UBOUND(combined)  'Combined Array Size
TC = SAS + 1               'Total Chunks
SCS = LAS \ (SAS + 1)      'Small Chunk Size
LCS = SCS + 1              'Large Chunk Size
SAP = 1: LAP = 1: CAP = 1  'Small, Large, Combined Array Position
NLC = LAS - (SCS * TC)     'Number of large chunks



FOR x = 1 TO NLC                  'interleave starting with large chunks
    FOR y = 1 TO LCS
      combined(CAP) = large(LAP)
      CAP = CAP + 1: LAP = LAP + 1
  
    NEXT y
    combined(CAP) = small(SAP)
    CAP = CAP + 1: SAP = SAP + 1
NEXT x

FOR x = 1 TO TC - NLC              'interleave small chunks
    FOR y = 1 TO SCS
      combined(CAP) = large(LAP)
      CAP = CAP + 1: LAP = LAP + 1
  
    NEXT y
    IF x = TC - NLC THEN EXIT SUB  'out of data...exit sub
    combined(CAP) = small(SAP)
    CAP = CAP + 1: SAP = SAP + 1
NEXT x


END SUB
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)