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ECOO 2011 Local - Problem #2: Braille
The problem:
Braille characters are written using a 3x2 arrangement
of up to 6 dots (See right). To represent Braille
characters in the input file DATA21.txt, each line of
Braille characters is composed of a set of 3
conventional lines composed of x's and o's (in lower
case). The X represents the presence of a dot and the
O the absence of a dot. The file contains 5 sets of 3
lines, where each set represents a phrase in Braille.
No line will be longer than 250 characters (125 braille
characters).
OX
XX for example represents the letter t and
XO
OXXOXO
XXXXOX the word: the
XOOOOO
Write a program that will read DATA21.txt (DATA22.txt
for the second try) and translate each phrase into
conventional text.
Sample Input
oxxoxooxoooxoxoooxxoxoooxooxxoooxoxxooxoooxoxoxoxo
xxxxooxxooxoxoooxxxxoxooooxooxoooxxoooooooxooxoxoo
oxooooxoooooxoooxoooooooxxxoooooxoooooooooooxoxoxo
oxoxoxxoxoxooxooxxoxxxoxxoxoxooxooxoxoooxxxoxxxoxoxooxxooxoxxoxxox
xxxoxxxxoxooxxooxoxoooxxooxxoxxooooxxxoooooxoxxooxxxxoooxxxooxoxxo
oxooxoooxoxxxoooxoooooxoxxxoooxoooxoxoooooxoxoxxooxoxoooxoooxoxoxo
xoxoooxxxxooxoxoxooxooxoxxxxoooxxooxoxxoxoxooxoo
oxxxoooooxoooxooxxxooooooxoxooxxxxxoxooooxxxxooo
xoooooxoxxooooooxoxoooooxooooooxooooxoxoooxoxooo
xoxooxooxoxooxxooooxoxoxooxxxooxoxoxxxxx
xxoxxxooxoooxxoxooxoxxxoooxxoxxxxxxooxxx
ooxooxooxoooxoooooooxoxoooooooxoxoooxooo
xxxoxooxxoxooxxoxoooxoxxxxooxxxoxooxxoxooxxoxo
ooooxxxooxooxooxxxoooooxoxooooooxxxooxooxooxxx
ooxxxoooxoxxxoooxoooooxoooooooxxxoooxoxxxoooxo
Sample Output
what is the use of a book
without pictures or conversations
oh my ears and whiskers
how late its getting
curiouser and curiouser
My solution (in Java):
import java.io.File;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Scanner;
public class Problem_2_Braille {
public static void main(String[] args) {
try {
Scanner scanner = new Scanner(new File("C:\\Users\\Mike\\Desktop\\problem_2_braille_DATA11.txt"));
ArrayList<String> list = new ArrayList<String>();
// read in the file line by line to the ArrayList
while (scanner.hasNextLine()) {
list.add(scanner.nextLine());
}
// five string arrays for the five sets of braille sentences
// group braille in 2x3 so only have the array be half the length
String[] set1 = new String[list.get(0).length() / 2];
String[] set2 = new String[list.get(3).length() / 2];
String[] set3 = new String[list.get(6).length() / 2];
String[] set4 = new String[list.get(9).length() / 2];
String[] set5 = new String[list.get(12).length() / 2];
// go through each set of three lines individually and construct the array elements
// so that one array element contained three vertical pairs of braille (separated by commas)
for (int line = 0; line < 3; line++) {
for (int pair = 0; pair < list.get(line).length() - 1; pair += 2) { // every two characters
String s = list.get(line).substring(pair, pair + 2); // collect this pair of characters
if (line == 0) set1[pair / 2] = s + ","; // first line in the set of three, so set the entire element
else if (line == 1) set1[pair / 2] += s + ","; // second line in the set of three, so append to the element (also with a comma)
else set1[pair / 2] += s; // third line in the set of three, so append to the element (without a comma)
}
}
// same thing for the rest of the loops, except add three to every index because it's a new set of three lines.
for (int line = 3; line < 6; line++) {
for (int pair = 0; pair < list.get(line).length() - 1; pair += 2) {
String s = list.get(line).substring(pair, pair + 2);
if (line == 3) set2[pair / 2] = s + ",";
else if (line == 4) set2[pair / 2] += s + ",";
else set2[pair / 2] += s;
}
}
for (int line = 6; line < 9; line++) {
for (int pair = 0; pair < list.get(line).length() - 1; pair += 2) {
String s = list.get(line).substring(pair, pair + 2);
if (line == 6) set3[pair / 2] = s + ",";
else if (line == 7) set3[pair / 2] += s + ",";
else set3[pair / 2] += s;
}
}
for (int line = 9; line < 12; line++) {
for (int pair = 0; pair < list.get(line).length() - 1; pair += 2) {
String s = list.get(line).substring(pair, pair + 2);
if (line == 9) set4[pair / 2] = s + ",";
else if (line == 10) set4[pair / 2] += s + ",";
else set4[pair / 2] += s;
}
}
for (int line = 12; line < 15; line++) {
for (int pair = 0; pair < list.get(line).length() - 1; pair += 2) {
String s = list.get(line).substring(pair, pair + 2);
if (line == 12) set5[pair / 2] = s + ",";
else if (line == 13) set5[pair / 2] += s + ",";
else set5[pair / 2] += s;
}
}
// print each braille sentence
for (String s : set1) {
System.out.print(brailleToEnglish(s));
}
System.out.println();
for (String s : set2) {
System.out.print(brailleToEnglish(s));
}
System.out.println();
for (String s : set3) {
System.out.print(brailleToEnglish(s));
}
System.out.println();
for (String s : set4) {
System.out.print(brailleToEnglish(s));
}
System.out.println();
for (String s : set5) {
System.out.print(brailleToEnglish(s));
}
} catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println("Exception");
}
}
/* returns the English letter representation of the braille string parameter */
public static String brailleToEnglish(String braille) {
if (braille.equals("xo,oo,oo")) return "a";
else if (braille.equals("xo,xo,oo")) return "b";
else if (braille.equals("xx,oo,oo")) return "c";
else if (braille.equals("xx,ox,oo")) return "d";
else if (braille.equals("xo,ox,oo")) return "e";
else if (braille.equals("xx,xo,oo")) return "f";
else if (braille.equals("xx,xx,oo")) return "g";
else if (braille.equals("xo,xx,oo")) return "h";
else if (braille.equals("ox,xo,oo")) return "i";
else if (braille.equals("ox,xx,oo")) return "j";
else if (braille.equals("xo,oo,xo")) return "k";
else if (braille.equals("xo,xo,xo")) return "l";
else if (braille.equals("xx,oo,xo")) return "m";
else if (braille.equals("xx,ox,xo")) return "n";
else if (braille.equals("xo,ox,xo")) return "o";
else if (braille.equals("xx,xo,xo")) return "p";
else if (braille.equals("xx,xx,xo")) return "q";
else if (braille.equals("xo,xx,xo")) return "r";
else if (braille.equals("ox,xo,xo")) return "s";
else if (braille.equals("ox,xx,xo")) return "t";
else if (braille.equals("xo,oo,xx")) return "u";
else if (braille.equals("xo,xo,xx")) return "v";
else if (braille.equals("ox,xx,ox")) return "w";
else if (braille.equals("xx,oo,xx")) return "x";
else if (braille.equals("xx,ox,xx")) return "y";
else if (braille.equals("xo,ox,xx")) return "z";
else if (braille.equals("oo,oo,oo")) return " ";
else return "ERROR";
}
}
Note: I did hard code in the braille conversions and the sets of three lines parsing.
It just happened to be much faster to do that, rather than worrying about getting a complicated array working.
DOWNLOAD as .java
My test case (as .txt file):
Using their sample input:
oxxoxooxoooxoxoooxxoxoooxooxxoooxoxxooxoooxoxoxoxo
xxxxooxxooxoxoooxxxxoxooooxooxoooxxoooooooxooxoxoo
oxooooxoooooxoooxoooooooxxxoooooxoooooooooooxoxoxo
oxoxoxxoxoxooxooxxoxxxoxxoxoxooxooxoxoooxxxoxxxoxoxooxxooxoxxoxxox
xxxoxxxxoxooxxooxoxoooxxooxxoxxooooxxxoooooxoxxooxxxxoooxxxooxoxxo
oxooxoooxoxxxoooxoooooxoxxxoooxoooxoxoooooxoxoxxooxoxoooxoooxoxoxo
xoxoooxxxxooxoxoxooxooxoxxxxoooxxooxoxxoxoxooxoo
oxxxoooooxoooxooxxxooooooxoxooxxxxxoxooooxxxxooo
xoooooxoxxooooooxoxoooooxooooooxooooxoxoooxoxooo
xoxooxooxoxooxxooooxoxoxooxxxooxoxoxxxxx
xxoxxxooxoooxxoxooxoxxxoooxxoxxxxxxooxxx
ooxooxooxoooxoooooooxoxoooooooxoxoooxooo
xxxoxooxxoxooxxoxoooxoxxxxooxxxoxooxxoxooxxoxo
ooooxxxooxooxooxxxoooooxoxooooooxxxooxooxooxxx
ooxxxoooxoxxxoooxoooooxoooooooxxxoooxoxxxoooxo
And the output to that is:
what is the use of a book
without pictures or conversations
oh my ears and whiskers
how late its getting
curiouser and curiouser
DOWNLOAD as .txt
Created: April 1, 2014
Completed in full by: Michael Yaworski