From: Bill Clagett <bill@32768.com>
Date: 2002-03-19T10:46:34+09:00
Subject: RE: Wanted: slick rubyesqe algorithm

I took a slightly different tack. Does ruby know about tail recursion?

bill

def weird_compress from, to=[]
  return to if from.size == 0
  t = from.shift
  if (to.last.is_a? String) && (t.is_a? String)
    to.push to.pop + t
  else
    to.push t
  end
  weird_compress from, to
end

a = [ "AB","CD",:alpha,"DE",:beta,:gamma,"FG","HI"]
p weird_compress(a)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joseph McDonald [mailto:joe@vpop.net]
> Sent: 18 March, 2002 5:20 pm
> To: ruby-talk ML; Marko Schulz
> Cc: (ruby-talk ML)
> Subject: Re: Wanted: slick rubyesqe algorithm
> 
> 
> 
> MS> I don't consider it a slick solution, but it is the one 
> I came up
> MS> with:
> 
> Nice.  I shortened it a bit:
> 
> def stringCompress(arr)
>   newArr = []
>   arr.each do |element|
>     if element.type == String and newArr[-1].type == String
>       newArr[-1] += element
>     else
>       newArr << element
>     end
>   end
>   return newArr
> end
> 
> p stringCompress(["AB","CD",:alpha,"DE",:beta,:gamma,"FG","HI"])
> 
> Hopefully I didn't break it.
> -joe
>