From: Gautam Dey <gdey@...>
Date: 2006-05-05T22:18:38+09:00
Subject: Re: [QUIZ] Bracket Packing (#78)

Have a question,

is each bracket always packaged individually?
For example : [(BB)] is this an error, should it be [(B)(B)]?

The other question is: the program always return the correct number  
of B just messes up the packaging?
For example: {}B} or {}{B}? So these should be corrected to {B}, and  
not {B}{B}.

Thank you,

Gautam.

On May 5, 2006, at 4:46 AM, Ruby Quiz wrote:

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>
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
> by Ross Bamford
>
> The BigCo Bracket Company, one of the world's largest suppliers of  
> brackets,
> hinges and fittings, has lately been experiencing problems in it's  
> manufacturing
> division, with a large number or brackets lost or broken in transit  
> owing to
> faulty packaging at the end of the line.
>
> Investigations into the cause of the problem have led engineers to  
> an ancient
> COBOL program controlling the packaging machinery. This program is  
> responsible
> for selecting the type of packaging a given bracket should be  
> shipped in, based
> on input from an array of sensors on the production line. It then  
> sends a
> description of the package to the packager itself, which packs the  
> bracket and
> sends it on to shipping. The description is a simple text string,  
> made up of
> brackets with the following format:
>
> 	(B)     - Bracket in a soft wrapping
> 	[B]     - Bracket in a cardboard box
> 	{B}     - Bracket in a wooden box
>
> Often, brackets have multiple layers of packaging for protection,  
> for example:
>
> 	{(B)}   - Soft-wrapped bracket in a wooden box
> 	[{B}]   - Wooden-boxed bracket with cardboard outer
> 	
> 	[{(B)}{(B)(B)}] - Wooden boxed single and double bracket packs  
> with soft
> 	                  inner wrap, in cardboard outer.
>
> Now, the problem is that this venerable program has for some reason  
> begun to
> output malformed packaging descriptions, occasionally missing off a  
> bracket, for
> example:
>
> 	[{(B}{(B)(B)}]
>
> or:
>
> 	{(B)}{(B)(B)}]
>
> After a fruitless search for someone with the skills to fix this  
> problem, the
> engineers changed tack and called you in to fix the problem from  
> the outside.
>
> 	What needs to be done?
> 	======================
>
> Basically, the plan is to insert another computer between the  
> controller and the
> packer, upon which will run your program. The engineers can handle the
> integration with their systems - they just need you to write a  
> slick bit of Ruby
> code to validate the packaging descriptions as they're passed in.  
> You've been
> given two choices:
>
> 	* Check the description, and return exitcode indicating it's okay (0)
> 	  or bad (1). If correct, you should also print the description to  
> stdout.
> 	  If it's bad, the system can then force the controller to try again.
> 	
> 	* Fix the description, if possible, and print it to stdout. The  
> system
> 	  will then pass the fixed code to the packer.
>