CodeGuru Home VC++ / MFC / C++ .NET / C# Visual Basic VB Forums Developer.com
Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Posts
    6

    Recursive wildcard expansion

    I'm experimenting with a recursive function to do wildcard expansion. The asterisk, '*', can expand to 0-n characters.

    My question is if there is something fundamentally wrong with my recursive code.
    My goal is to have the expansion not creating duplicates.
    The recursive code below is the bare minimum and I've added code so it's easy to see the unique strings and the duplicate ones.

    Code:
    #include <stdio.h>
    #include <string>
    #include <vector>
    #include <algorithm>
    
    using namespace std;
    
    // Forward declarations
    void WildcardExpansion(const char* key, int nodeLevel);    
    size_t SeparateDuplicates(vector<string>& vec, vector<string>& dup);
    
    // Global varables
    int g_maxWordLen;
    int g_minWordLen;
    vector <string> g_words; // Generated words here
    
    int main()
    {
        int d, u, i;
        vector<string> duplicates;
    
        g_maxWordLen = 2;    // Max length of generated words
        g_minWordLen = 2;    // Min length
    
        WildcardExpansion("*b*", 0);                // Collects all generated words in g_words
        SeparateDuplicates(g_words, duplicates);    // Separates the duplicates from g_words
    
        u = (int)g_words.size();       // Size of unique words
        d = (int)duplicates.size();    // Size of duplicated words
        printf("Unique count: %d\n", u);
        for (i = 0; i < u; i++)
            printf("%s\n", g_words[i].c_str());
        printf("Duplicate count: %d\n", d);
        for (i = 0; i < d; i++)
            printf("%s\n", duplicates[i].c_str());
        return 0;
    }
    ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    // Recursive function to do wildcard expansion
    // Key can contain one or more wildcards, '*' but not in sequence
    // (** is equal to * but is not handled here)
    //
    void WildcardExpansion(const char* key, int charPos)
    {
        int letter;
        int keyLen;
        int astCount;
        char c;
        char* p;
        char keyX[20];
    
        strcpy(keyX, key);
        astCount = 0;
        p = keyX;
        while (*p)                                // Count asterisks
            if (*p++ == '*')
                astCount++;
        keyLen = (int)strlen(keyX) - astCount;    // Letter count
        if (keyLen > g_maxWordLen)
            return;                               // Too long word
    
        do // while c 
        {
            c = key[charPos];
            switch (c)
            {
            case '*':         // -> key[nodeLevel] == '*'
            {
                //
                // Remove one asterisk
                //
                strcpy(keyX + charPos, key + charPos + 1);
                WildcardExpansion(keyX, charPos);            // Recurs same level
                strcpy(keyX, key);                           // Copy original with wildcard back for replacement below
                //
                // Replace * with letter a-z
                 // *b* -> bb* -> bb AND *b* -> *bb -> bb => Duplicates!
                //
                for (letter = 0; letter < 26; letter++)
                {
                    keyX[charPos] = ('a' + letter);                // Replace * with letter
                    strcpy(keyX + charPos + 1, key + charPos);     // Expanded: abc -> abc* 
                    WildcardExpansion(keyX, charPos + 1);          // Recurs next level
                }
                return;
            } // *
            case '\0':    // Found a complete word without wildcards
            {
                if (keyLen < g_minWordLen)
                    return;
                g_words.push_back(key);
                break;
            }
            default:    // Dive deeper
            {
                charPos++;
            }
            } // switch
        } while (c);
    }
    ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
    // Helper function to store the duplicates in a separate vector
    //
    size_t SeparateDuplicates(vector<string>& vec, vector<string>& dup)
    {
        typename std::vector<string>::iterator it;
    
        std::sort(vec.begin(), vec.end());
        it = unique(vec.begin(), vec.end(), [&dup](auto& first, auto& second) -> bool
            {
                if (first == second)
                {
                    dup.push_back(second);
                    return true;
                }
                return false;
            });
        vec.resize(distance(vec.begin(), it));
        return dup.size();
    }
    Program input '*b*' with output length 2:
    The pattern '*b*' will expand to bb*, the asterisk removed and 'bb' remains. So far, so good.
    The pattern '*b*' will also expand to *bb, the asterisk removed and 'bb' remains. This creates a duplicate.

    Program output:

    Code:
    Unique count: 51
    ab
    ba
    bb
    bc
    bd
    be
    bf
    bg
    bh
    bi
    bj
    bk
    bl
    bm
    bn
    bo
    bp
    bq
    br
    bs
    bt
    bu
    bv
    bw
    bx
    by
    bz
    cb
    db
    eb
    fb
    gb
    hb
    ib
    jb
    kb
    lb
    mb
    nb
    ob
    pb
    qb
    rb
    sb
    tb
    ub
    vb
    wb
    xb
    yb
    zb
    Duplicate count: 1
    bb

  2. #2
    2kaud's Avatar
    2kaud is offline Super Moderator Power Poster
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    England
    Posts
    7,822

    Re: Recursive wildcard expansion

    To avoid duplicates, store the words in a set.
    All advice is offered in good faith only. All my code is tested (unless stated explicitly otherwise) with the latest version of Microsoft Visual Studio (using the supported features of the latest standard) and is offered as examples only - not as production quality. I cannot offer advice regarding any other c/c++ compiler/IDE or incompatibilities with VS. You are ultimately responsible for the effects of your programs and the integrity of the machines they run on. Anything I post, code snippets, advice, etc is licensed as Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ and can be used without reference or acknowledgement. Also note that I only provide advice and guidance via the forums - and not via private messages!

    C++23 Compiler: Microsoft VS2022 (17.6.5)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Posts
    6

    Re: Recursive wildcard expansion

    Thanks for the answer. I'm aware of set that but I'd like to have the code perform without removing duplicates.

  4. #4
    2kaud's Avatar
    2kaud is offline Super Moderator Power Poster
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    England
    Posts
    7,822

    Re: Recursive wildcard expansion

    I doubt anyone here is going to debug the code. Have you traced through it with the debugger to determine where it deviates from that expected from the design?
    All advice is offered in good faith only. All my code is tested (unless stated explicitly otherwise) with the latest version of Microsoft Visual Studio (using the supported features of the latest standard) and is offered as examples only - not as production quality. I cannot offer advice regarding any other c/c++ compiler/IDE or incompatibilities with VS. You are ultimately responsible for the effects of your programs and the integrity of the machines they run on. Anything I post, code snippets, advice, etc is licensed as Public Domain https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ and can be used without reference or acknowledgement. Also note that I only provide advice and guidance via the forums - and not via private messages!

    C++23 Compiler: Microsoft VS2022 (17.6.5)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Posts
    6

    Re: Recursive wildcard expansion

    Yes:
    Program input '*b*' with output length 2:
    The pattern '*b*' will expand to bb*, the asterisk removed and 'bb' remains. So far, so good.
    The pattern '*b*' will also expand to *bb, the asterisk removed and 'bb' remains. This creates a duplicate.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  





Click Here to Expand Forum to Full Width

Featured