I have a function called collatz and I need to find how many times it calls itself, but I'm not allowed to use any vars.
The function works perfectly with vars but i have to use vals.
In case sinanspd's answer does not answer your question, here is some example code.
Let us say your function collatz has a signature as follows:
def collatz(input: Type1): Type2 = ???
The way to count how many times it is called is to either modify collatz itself, or else to use some wrapper function.
def counter(oldCount: Int, fun: Type1 => Type2, input: Type1): (Int, Type2) = {
val output = fun(input)
(oldCount + 1, output)
}
The first time you call counter, call it with oldCount set to 0. Every time you call counter, pass in the old version of count. The first value of your output tuple will be the new count.
def to_initials(name):
initials = [x[0] for x in name.split()]
return ''.join(initials)
print(to_initials("Kelvin Bridges")) # => "KB"
print(to_initials("Michaela Yamamoto")) # => "MY"
print(to_initials("Mary La Grange")) # => "MLG"
I'm trying to create a method that takes the first letter from each name and prints the initials. Is there a simpler way to write this?
I don't think you can do more than leave out the intermediate variable and using a generator expression instead of the list comprehension (i.e. leaving out the square brackets). Other than that, it seems like a perfectly fine simple function!
def to_initials(name):
return ''.join(x[0] for x in name.split())
I have tried to get multiple user inputs to print them in Scala IDE.
I have tried the this piece of code
println(scala.io.StdIn.readLine())
which works, as the IDE takes my input and then print it in the line but this works only for a single input.
I want the code to take multiple inputs till only newline is entered. example,
1
2
3
so i decided we needed an iterator for the input, which led me to try the following 2 lines of code seperately
var in = Iterator.continually{ scala.io.StdIn.readLine() }.takeWhile { x => x != null}
and
var in = io.Source.stdin.getLines().takeWhile { x => x != null}
Unfortunately none of them worked as the IDE is not taking my input at all.
You're really close.
val in = Iterator.continually(io.StdIn.readLine).takeWhile(_.nonEmpty).toList
This will read input until an empty string is entered and saves the input in a List[String]. The reason for toList is because an Iterator element doesn't become real until next is called on it, so readLine won't be called until the next element is required. The transition to List creates all the elements of the Iterator.
update
As #vossad01 has pointed out, this can be made safer for unexpected input.
val in = Iterator.continually(io.StdIn.readLine)
.takeWhile(Option(_).fold(false)(_.nonEmpty))
.toList
Still trying to understand how to use class. I have now written the following:
`import random
class Grid():
def __init__(self, grid_row, grid_column):
self.__row = grid_row
self.__col = grid_column
self.__board=[]
def make_board(self):
for row in range(self.__row):
self.__board.append([])
for col in range(self.__col):
self.__board[row].append('0')
return self.__board
def change_tile(self):
choices = (0,1,2)
x = random.choice(choices)
y= random.choice(choices)
self.__board[x][y] = str(2)
def __repr__(self):
for row in self.__board:
print( " ".join(row))
g = Grid(3,3)
g.make_board()
g.change_tile()
print(g)
Firstly when I run this I get a grid printed followed by:
TypeError: __str__ returned non-string (type NoneType)
I don't understand why this happens. Second question. If I want to return the self.board, __str only returns the last row (0,0,0).With 'print' all three rows and columns are printed. Is there a way around the issue with 'return'?Is it an issue ( apart from the fact that I want to 'see' what I am doing)?
How would one call Grid(3,3) and get a grid with a randomly placed 2 without having to call each function separately as I have done in my example? Lastly why can I not use the integers 0 or 2, but have to convert everything to a string?. I hope that I have not exceeded the goodwill that exists on this forum by asking so many dumb questions!
The special methods __repr__ and __str__ are required to return a string. If there is no __str__ implementation given, the __repr__ will be used for the string conversion too.
Now in your case, __repr__ prints something instead of returning a string. It actually returns nothing, so None is implicitely returned. You have to change it to return a string. For example like this:
def __repr__(self):
return '\n'.join([' '.join(row) for row in self.__board])
I have the following code, but I can't get it to work. As soon as I place a while loop inside the case, it's returning a unit, no matter what I change within the brackets.
case While(c, body) =>
while (true) {
eval(Num(1))
}
}
How can I make this while loop return a non-Unit type?
I tried adding brackets around my while condition, but still it doesn't do what it's supposed to.
Any pointers?
Update
A little more background information since I didn't really explain what the code should do, which seems to be handy if I want to receive some help;
I have defined a eval(exp : Exp). This will evaluate a function.
Exp is an abstract class. Extended by several classes like Plus, Minus (few more basic operations) and a IfThenElse(cond : Exp, then : Exp, else : Exp). Last but not least, there's the While(cond: Exp, body: Exp).
Example of how it should be used;
eval(Plus(Num(1),Num(4)) would result in NumValue(5). (Evaluation of Num(v : Value) results in NumValue(v). NumValue extends Value, which is another abstract class).
eval(While(Lt(Num(1),Var("n")), Plus(Num(1), Var("n"))))
Lt(a : Exp, b : Exp) returns NumValue(1) if a < b.
It's probably clear from the other answer that Scala while loops always return Unit. What's nice about Scala is that if it doesn't do what you want, you can always extend it.
Here is the definition of a while-like construct that returns the result of the last iteration (it will throw an exception if the loop is never entered):
def whiley[T](cond : =>Boolean)(body : =>T) : T = {
#scala.annotation.tailrec
def loop(previous : T) : T = if(cond) loop(body) else previous
if(cond) loop(body) else throw new Exception("Loop must be entered at least once.")
}
...and you can then use it as a while. (In fact, the #tailrec annotation will make it compile into the exact same thing as a while loop.)
var x = 10
val atExit = whiley(x > 0) {
val squared = x * x
println(x)
x -= 1
squared
}
println("The last time x was printed, its square was : " + atExit)
(Note that I'm not claiming the construct is useful.)
Which iteration would you expect this loop to return? If you want a Seq of the results of all iterations, use a for expression (also called for comprehension). If you want just the last one, create a var outside the loop, set its value on each iteration, and return that var after the loop. (Also look into other looping constructs that are implemented as functions on different types of collections, like foldLeft and foldRight, which have their own interesting behaviors as far as return value goes.) The Scala while loop returns Unit because there's no sensible one size fits all answer to this question.
(By the way, there's no way for the compiler to know this, but the loop you wrote will never return. If the compiler could theoretically be smart enough to figure out that while(true) never terminates, then the expected return type would be Nothing.)
The only purpose of a while loop is to execute a side-effect. Or put another way, it will always evaluate to Unit.
If you want something meaningful back, why don't you consider using an if-else-expression or a for-expression?
As everyone else and their mothers said, while loops do not return values in Scala. What no one seems to have mentioned is that there's a reason for that: performance.
Returning a value has an impact on performance, so the compiler would have to be smart about when you do need that return value, and when you don't. There are cases where that can be trivially done, but there are complex cases as well. The compiler would have to be smarter, which means it would be slower and more complex. The cost was deemed not worth the benefit.
Now, there are two looping constructs in Scala (all the others are based on these two): while loops and recursion. Scala can optimize tail recursion, and the result is often faster than while loops. Or, otherwise, you can use while loops and get the result back through side effects.