Nested for loops

[luke]

Hi,
I have to display a diamond shape using asterisks. At the beginning I start with four ' ' (single space) followed by one '*' and again four ' ' symbol. The second line is four minus one ' ' followed by one plus two '*' and again four minus one ' ' and so on.

static void printDiamond() {
        
        for( int i = 1; i <= 4; i++ )
            System.out.print(' ');
        
        System.out.print('*');
        
        for( int i = 1; i <= 4; i++ )
            System.out.print(' ');
            
        System.out.println();
        
        for( int i = 1; i <= 3; i++ )
            System.out.print(' ');
        
        for( int i = 1; i <= 3; i++ )
            System.out.print('*');
        
        for( int i = 1; i <= 3; i++ )
            System.out.print(' ');
        
        System.out.println();
        
        for( int i = 1; i <= 2; i++ )
            System.out.print(' ');
        
        for( int i = 1; i <= 5; i++ )
            System.out.print('*');
        
        for( int i = 1; i <= 2; i++ )
            System.out.print(' ');

and so on (I am not pasting the whole code since it is going to be too much lines)
        
    }

I tried to do this by using nested for loops but I couldn't make the diamond shape. That's why I am using for loops one after another.
The idea is that I want to use more for loops and less output statements.
Any hints are more than welcome.

[al_Marshy_1981]

I would sketch how this would look on paper first, including println logic

[luke]

I would sketch how this would look on paper first, including println logic

I already did it.

[al_Marshy_1981]

looks like the thickest part of the diamond is nine char's long and the height is 9 chars long. that should be a big clue
assume chars are * .

****'*'****

centre in any row is always the 5th char '*' and char length is always 9

I bet you can get it from here...

[luke]

I bet you can get it from here...

Unfortunately I can't. May be some more hints...
Just to clarify - for this task I am supposed to use nested for loops and as less as possible System.out.print

[al_Marshy_1981]

I am actually having a go at it myself as we speak, good challenge! I misread your post originally, sorry, will post any findings.

[luke]

I am actually having a go at it myself as we speak, good challenge! I misread your post originally, sorry, will post any findings.

If it is done with for loops one after another it's easy. But with nested for loops, as less as possible System.out.prints and nothing else more then it gets interesting (well, at least to me).
Thanks for your replies btw, al_Marshy_1981.

[Fubarable]

If it is done with for loops one after another it's easy. But with nested for loops, as less as possible System.out.prints and nothing else more then it gets interesting (well, at least to me).
Thanks for your replies btw, al_Marshy_1981.

Hm, let's see your attempt with nested loops to see just what you're doing wrong.

[luke]

Hm, let's see your attempt with nested loops to see just what you're doing wrong.

static void printDiamond() {
        
        for( int i = 4; i >= 0; i-- ) {
            System.out.print(' ');
            
            for( int j = 1; j <= 9; j += 2 ) {
                System.out.print('*');
                
                for( int k = 4; k >= 0; k--) {
                    System.out.print(' ');
                    
                }
                
            }
        }
    }

This is the last version of what I was playing with. I don't keep the previous attempts since they were not working correctly either.
Thanks, Fubarable.

I recall one of the previous attempts:

for( int i = 4; i >= 0; i-- ) {
                        
            for( int j = 1; j <= 9; j += 2 ) {
                      
                for( int k = 4; k >= 0; k--) {
                    System.out.print(' ');
                    System.out.print('*');
                    System.out.print(' ');
                    System.out.println();
}
}
}

but it was making no sense,as well.

[al_Marshy_1981]

I have got it down to 4 prints, just ironing out an array index bug I cant find, I got the diamond printing

[Fubarable]

Use Math.abs and you can get it down to just two System.out.prints and one System.out.println. No need for arrays, just some basic math.

[luke]

I have got it down to 4 prints, just ironing out an array index bug I cant find, I got the diamond printing

I am not supposed to use arrays.

[luke]

Use Math.abs and you can get it down to just two System.out.prints and one System.out.println. No need for arrays, just some basic math.

Hm,interesting. I'll need to think about it.

[Fubarable]

Hint: The key is to count the left spaces and the stars and try to figure out formulas:

i		spaces		stars
=====================================
0		4		1
1		3		3
2		2		5
3		1		7
4		0		9
5		1		7
6		2		5
7		3		3
8		4		1

You will have one outer loop going from int i = 0 to i < 9 and nested in the outer loop are 2 inner loops, one after the other. The first for the spaces the second for the stars, followed by a println.

[al_Marshy_1981]

I am not supposed to use arrays.

Awww darn it! just got it working, going to try that Math.abs now :D

[luke]

Hint: The key is to count the left spaces and the stars and try to figure out formulas:

i		spaces		stars
=====================================
0		4		1
1		3		3
2		2		5
3		1		7
4		0		9
5		1		7
6		2		5
7		3		3
8		4		1

You will have one outer loop going from int i = 0 to i < 9 and nested in the outer loop are 2 inner loops, one after the other. The first for the spaces the second for the stars, followed by a println.

Fubarable, thanks a lot for your hints. I've been working on this for a couple of hours. I've made some progress but it's not enough. This is what I've got so far:

static void printDiamond() {
        
        for( int i = 0; i < 9; i++ ){
            
            for( int j = Math.abs(i - 4); j > 0; j -= 1)
                System.out.print(' ');
            
            for( int k = 2 * i + 1; k >= i; k-- ){
                System.out.print('*');
            }
            System.out.println();
                
            }
            
        }

but the result is
If you can possibly give me some more hints because I am stuck...

[Fubarable]

You're close.

If you look at my "hint" table again, you'll see a relationship between spaces and stars --
namely: (2 * spaces) + stars = what?

So, inside your outer for loop, just before your inner for loop, calculate spaceMax and use it in the for loop, then use this number and MAX (9) to calculate starMax:

public class Fu2 {
   private static final int MAX = 9;

   public static void main(String[] args) {
      for (int i = 0; i < MAX; i++) {
         int spaceMax = Math.abs(MAX/2 - i);
         for (int j = 0; j < spaceMax; j++) {
            System.out.print(" ");
         }
         
         int starMax = // [color="red"]*** use MAX and spaceMax to calculate this ***[/color]
         for (int j = 0; j < starMax; j++) {
            System.out.print("*");
         }
         System.out.println("");
      }
   }
}

Having said all this, you really don't need to use Math.abs, but instead could do all this with a simple if condition, but I think the Math.abs is cooler, and makes it easier to be able to create a diamond of any size.

Luck!

[luke]

Thanks again for your help, Fubarable. Without your assistance I wouldn't be able to do it.
When I started this problem I thought it's easy. But eventually turned out to be challenging (at least to me).
The solution with Math.abs is very cool. Nice, short and flexible code :) Thank you.

[luke]

You're close.

If you look at my "hint" table again, you'll see a relationship between spaces and stars --
namely: (2 * spaces) + stars = what?

So, inside your outer for loop, just before your inner for loop, calculate spaceMax and use it in the for loop, then use this number and MAX (9) to calculate starMax:

public class Fu2 {
   private static final int MAX = 9;

   public static void main(String[] args) {
      for (int i = 0; i < MAX; i++) {
         int spaceMax = Math.abs(MAX/2 - i);
         for (int j = 0; j < spaceMax; j++) {
            System.out.print(" ");
         }
         
         int starMax = // [color="red"]*** use MAX and spaceMax to calculate this ***[/color]
         for (int j = 0; j < starMax; j++) {
            System.out.print("*");
         }
         System.out.println("");
      }
   }
}

Having said all this, you really don't need to use Math.abs, but instead could do all this with a simple if condition, but I think the Math.abs is cooler, and makes it easier to be able to create a diamond of any size.

Luck!

Fubarable, even though my problem is solved there is something that still confuses me. 2 * spaces + stars = middle line or MAX. I used this formula to get starMax. I thought you used the same formula to get spaceMax. But actually

spaceMax = Math.abs(MAX/2 - i);

I understand that if it was

spaceMax = Math.abs(MAX  - i / 2);

it would give me a kind of triangle. Not a diamond.
But how did you find that the correct is

spaceMax = Math.abs(MAX/2 - i);

, not something else?
Thanks in advance.

[Fubarable]

It's all about generating equations from patterns. If we linearize the data by making it a straight line without a "reflection" like so:

x		y	
===================
0		4		
1		3		
2		2		
3		1		
4		0		
5		-1		
6		-2		
7		-3		
8		-4

We see that this is the plot of a line with slope -1 that intersects the y axis at 4 which mathematically means:

y = -x + 4

To make all negatives positive, I must take the absolute value of the right side:

y = |4 - x|

Substituting i for x and spaceMax for y and using the Java Math method for obtaining absolute value gives:

spaceMax = Math.abs(C - i);

Where C is a constant that here = 4.

Now when we play around with different values of MAX and check to see how this affects C we get:

MAX		C	
===================
3		1		
5		2		
7		3		
9		4		
11		5		
13		6

we see that C = ((MAX - 1) / 2.0)
but since int division tosses out any remainder, in Java, C is nothing more than MAX / 2