my combinations function returns an empty list - scala

Question

I am working on S-99: Ninety-Nine Scala Problems and already stuck at question 26.
Generate the combinations of K distinct objects chosen from the N elements of a list.
After wasting a couple hours, I decided to peek at a solution written in Haskell:
combinations :: Int -> [a] -> [[a]]
combinations 0 _ = [ [] ]
combinations n xs = [ y:ys | y:xs' <- tails xs
, ys <- combinations (n-1) xs']
It looks pretty straightforward so I decided to translate into Scala. (I know that's cheating.) Here's what I got so far:
def combinations[T](n: Int, ls: List[T]): List[List[T]] = (n, ls) match {
case (0, _) => List[List[T]]()
case (n, xs) => {
for {
y :: xss <- allTails(xs).reverse
ys <- combinations((n - 1), xss)
} yield y :: ys
}
}
My helper function:
def allTails[T](ls: List[T]): List[List[T]] = {
ls./:(0, List[List[T]]())((acc, c) => {
(acc._1 + 1, ls.drop(acc._1) :: acc._2)
})._2 }
allTails(List(0, 1, 2, 3)).reverse
//> res1: List[List[Int]] = List(List(0, 1, 2, 3), List(1, 2, 3), List(2, 3), List(3))
However, my combinations returns an empty list. Any idea?
Other solutions with explanation are very welcome as well. Thanks
Edit: The description of the question
Generate the combinations of K distinct objects chosen from the N elements of a list.
In how many ways can a committee of 3 be chosen from a group of 12 people? We all know that there are C(12,3) = 220 possibilities (C(N,K) denotes the well-known binomial coefficient). For pure mathematicians, this result may be great. But we want to really generate all the possibilities.
Example:
scala> combinations(3, List('a, 'b, 'c, 'd, 'e, 'f))
res0: List[List[Symbol]] = List(List('a, 'b, 'c), List('a, 'b, 'd), List('a, 'b, 'e), ...

Answer 1

As Noah pointed out, my problem is for of an empty list doesn't yield. However, the hacky work around that Noah suggested is wrong. It adds an empty list to the result of every recursion step. Anyway, here is my final solution. I changed the base case to "case (1, xs)". (n matches 1)
def combinations[T](n: Int, ls: List[T]): List[List[T]] = (n, ls) match {
case (1, xs) => xs.map(List(_))
case (n, xs) => {
val tails = allTails(xs).reverse
for {
y :: xss <- allTails(xs).reverse
ys <- combinations((n - 1), xss)
} yield y :: ys
}
}
//combinations(3, List(1, 2, 3, 4))
//List(List(1, 2, 3), List(1, 2, 4), List(1, 3, 4), List(2, 3, 4))
//combinations(2, List(0, 1, 2, 3))
//List(List(0, 1), List(0, 2), List(0, 3), List(1, 2), List(1, 3), List(2, 3))
def allTails[T](ls: List[T]): List[List[T]] = {
ls./:(0, List[List[T]]())((acc, c) => {
(acc._1 + 1, ls.drop(acc._1) :: acc._2)
})._2
}
//allTails(List(0,1,2,3))
//List(List(3), List(2, 3), List(1, 2, 3), List(0, 1, 2, 3))

Answer 2

You made a mistake when translating the Haskell version here:
case (0, _) => List[List[T]]()
This returns an empty list. Whereas the Haskell version
combinations 0 _ = [ [] ]
returns a list with a single element, and that element is an empty list.
This is essentially saying that there is one way to choose zero items, and that is important because the code builds on this case recursively for the cases where we choose more items. If there were no ways to select zero items, then there would also be no ways to select one item and so on. That's what's happening in your code.
If you fix the Scala version to do the same as the Haskell version:
case (0, _) => List(List[T]())
it works as expected.

Answer 3

Your problem is using the for comprehension with lists. If the for detects an empty list, then it short circuits and returns an empty list instead of 'cons'ing your head element. Here's an example:
scala> for { xs <- List() } yield println("It worked!") // This never prints
res0: List[Unit] = List()
So, a kind of hacky work around for your combinations function would be:
def combinations[T](n: Int, ls: List[T]): List[List[T]] = (n, ls) match {
case (0, _) => List[List[T]]()
case (n, xs) => {
val tails = allTails(xs).reverse
println(tails)
for {
y :: xss <- tails
ys <- Nil :: combinations((n - 1), xss) //Now we're sure to keep evaulating even with an empty list
} yield y :: ys
}
}
scala> combinations(2, List(1, 2, 3))
List(List(1, 2, 3), List(2, 3), List(3))
List(List(2, 3), List(3))
List(List(3))
List()
res5: List[List[Int]] = List(List(1), List(1, 2), List(1, 3), List(2), List(2, 3), List(3))

Answer 4

One more way of solving it.
def combinations[T](n: Int, ls: List[T]): List[List[T]] = {
var ms: List[List[T]] = List[List[T]]();
val len = ls.size
if (n > len)
throw new Error();
else if (n == len)
List(ls)
else if (n == 1)
ls map (a => List(a))
else {
for (i <- n to len) {
val take: List[T] = ls take i;
val temp = combinations(n - 1, take.init) map (a => take.last :: a)
ms = ms ::: temp
}
ms
}
}
So combinations(2, List(1, 2, 3)) gives: List[List[Int]] = List(List(2, 1), List(3, 1), List(3, 2))