Swift on array.sort - Expression was too complex to be solved in reasonable time; consider breaking up the expression into distinct sub-expressions - swift

Question

I am downgrading Swift code from Xcode 8.3.1 to Xcode 7.3.1.
The Swift compiler of Xcode 7.3.1 raises
Expression was too complex to be solved in reasonable time; consider breaking up the expression into distinct sub-expressions
while pointing on line zeroParameterAndPaths.sort {. The code was ok in Xcode 8.3.1.
What's wrong and how to fix it?
class NewConnectingSegmentZeroParameterAndPath {
let step : Int; // 0 = main, 1 = first outline, 2 = second outline
let parameter : CGFloat;
init(step: Int, parameter: CGFloat) {
self.step = step;
self.parameter = parameter;
}
}
var zeroParameterAndPaths : [NewConnectingSegmentZeroParameterAndPath] = [];
// ... some zeroParameterAndPaths .appendContentsOf calls
zeroParameterAndPaths.sort {
return $0.parameter < $1.parameter
|| ($0.parameter == $1.parameter
&& ($0.step == 1 || ($0.step == 0 && $1.step == 2))
)
};

Answer 1

You have two choices. One is simply to do what the error message suggests, i.e. pulling the complex bool apart into separate pieces:
zeroParameterAndPaths.sort {
let bless = ($0.parameter < $1.parameter)
let beq = ($0.parameter == $1.parameter)
let band = ($0.step == 0 && $1.step == 2)
let bor = ($0.step == 1 || band)
let beqandbor = (beq && bor)
return (bless || beqandbor)
};
The other is to provide an explicit in line giving the param types and result type:
zeroParameterAndPaths.sort {
(a:NewConnectingSegmentZeroParameterAndPath, b:NewConnectingSegmentZeroParameterAndPath) -> Bool in
return a.parameter < b.parameter
|| (a.parameter == b.parameter
&& (a.step == 1 || (a.step == 0 && b.step == 2))
)
};

Answer 2

You could also make your class a little bit more helpful and make it implement the condition. The compiler is much less likely to get confused in a function body than in a closure:
class NewConnectingSegmentZeroParameterAndPath {
let step : Int; // 0 = main, 1 = first outline, 2 = second outline
let parameter : CGFloat;
init(step: Int, parameter: CGFloat) {
self.step = step;
self.parameter = parameter;
}
func orderedBefore(_ other: NewConnectingSegmentZeroParameterAndPath) -> Bool
{
return parameter < other.parameter
|| parameter == other.parameter
&& (step == 1 || step == 0 && other.step == 2)
}
}
var zeroParameterAndPaths : [NewConnectingSegmentZeroParameterAndPath] = [];
// ... some zeroParameterAndPaths .appendContentsOf calls
zeroParameterAndPaths.sort { $0.orderedBefore($1) }

Answer 3

Apart from the issue of the type inference engine not being able to quickly resolve such complex bool expressions, such expressions are really hard to follow. I suggest you break it down into something simpler, like so:
zeroParameterAndPaths.sort {
if $0.parameter != $1.parameter { return $0.parameter < $1.parameter ]
if $0.step == 1 { return true }
if $0.step == 0 && $1.step == 2 { return true }
return false
};
There's my attempt at it. I'm not even sure if it's correct, the original expression is pretty hard to follow.