Finding all non-conflicting combinations of values from multiple lists of values

Question

I have the following array which contains arrays of values:

$array = array(
    array(\'1\', \'2\'),
    array(\'a\', \'b\', \'c\'),
    array(\'x\', \'y\'),         


        

Answer 1

Interesting problem! This turned out to be more complex than I thought, but it seems to work.

Basic strategy is to first order the arrays smallest to largest (keeping track of what order they were in, so I can output the answers in the correct order).

I keep answers in the form of an array of indexes into this sorted array of input lists.

Now that the lists are sorted, I can store the first correct answer as array(0,1,2,...,n);

Then I recurse into a function for trying all values in the first slot there (the 0 above) by swapping it with other values in that answer array (all the ones that aren't too big for that slot). Since I've got it sorted by size, I can move any value to the right when I'm swapping, without worrying about it being to big for that right slot.

outputting each valid slot has some crazy indirection to undo all the sorting.

Sorry if this looks confusing. I didn't spend much time cleaning it up.

<?php
# $lists is an array of arrays
function noconfcombos($lists) {
    $lengths = array();
    foreach($lists as $list) {
        $lengths[] = count($list);
    }

    # find one solution (and make sure there is one)
    $answer = array();
    $sorted_lengths = $lengths;
    asort($sorted_lengths);
    $answer_order_lists = array();
    $answer_order_lengths = array();
    $output_order = array();
    $min = 1;
    $max_list_length = 0;
    foreach($sorted_lengths as $lists_key => $list_max) {
        if($list_max < $min) {
            # no possible combos
            return array();
        }
        $answer[] = $min - 1; # min-1 is lowest possible value (handing out colums starting with smallest rows)
        $output_order[$lists_key] = $min - 1; # min-1 is which slot in $answers corresponds to this list
        $answer_order_lists[] = $lists[$lists_key];
        $answer_order_lengths[] = $lengths[$lists_key];
        ++$min;
    }
    ksort($output_order);
    $number_of_lists = count($lists);
    $max_list_length = end($sorted_lengths);
    if($max_list_length > $number_of_lists) {
       for($i = $number_of_lists; $i < $max_list_length; ++$i) {
          $answer[] = $i;
       }
       $stop_at = $number_of_lists;
    } else {
       $stop_at = $number_of_lists - 1;
    }

    # now $answer is valid (it has the keys into the arrays in $list for the
    # answer), and we can find the others by swapping around the values in
    # $answer.

    $ret = array();
    $ret[] = noconfcombos_convert($answer, $answer_order_lists, $output_order);
    noconfcombos_recurse($ret, $max_list_length, $stop_at, $answer_order_lengths, $answer_order_lists, $output_order, $answer, 0);

    return $ret;
}

# try swapping in different indexes into position $index, from the positions
# higher, then recurse
function noconfcombos_recurse(&$ret, $max_list_length, $stop_at, &$lengths, &$lists, &$output_order, $answer, $index) {
    if($index < $stop_at) {
        noconfcombos_recurse($ret, $max_list_length, $stop_at, $lengths, $lists, $output_order, $answer, $index + 1);
    }
    for($other = $index + 1; $other < $max_list_length; ++$other) {
        if($answer[$other] < $lengths[$index]) { # && $answer[$index] < $lengths[$other]) {
            $tmp = $answer[$index];
            $answer[$index] = $answer[$other];
            $answer[$other] = $tmp;
            $ret[] = noconfcombos_convert($answer, $lists, $output_order);
            if($index < $stop_at) {
                noconfcombos_recurse($ret, $max_list_length, $stop_at, $lengths, $lists, $output_order, $answer, $index + 1);
            }
        }
    }
}


function noconfcombos_convert(&$indexes, &$lists, &$order) {
    $ret = '';
    foreach($order as $i) {
        $ret .= $lists[$i][$indexes[$i]];
    }
    return $ret;
}

function noconfcombos_test() {
    $a = array('1', '2', '3', '4');
    $b = array('a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e');
    $c = array('x', 'y', 'z');
    $all = array($a, $b, $c);
    print_r(noconfcombos($all));
}

noconfcombos_test();

Answer 2

This can be refactored using recursion making it work with any arbitrary amount of arrays. If I find the time, I'll give it a try myself.

ps. I don't know php, the example is written in Delphi.

Edit: recursive solution with arbitrary # arrays

type
  TSingleArray = array of string;
  TMasterArray = array of TSingleArray;
var
  solutions: array of integer; // Q&D container to hold currently used indexes of SingleArrays


procedure WriteSolution(const masterArray: TMasterArray);
var
  I: Integer;
  indexes: string;
  solution: string;
begin
  for I := 0 to High(solutions) do
  begin
    indexes := indexes + IntToStr(solutions[I]) + ' ';
    solution := solution + masterArray[I][solutions[I]];
  end;
  Writeln('Solution: ' + solution + ' Using indexes: ' + indexes);
end;

procedure FindSolution(const masterArray: TMasterArray; const singleArrayIndex: Integer; var bits: Integer);
var
  I: Integer;
begin
  for I := 0 to High(masterArray[singleArrayIndex]) do
  begin
    //***** Use bit manipulation to check if current index is already in use
    if bits and (1 shl I)  = (1 shl I ) then continue;
    solutions[singleArrayIndex] := I;
    Inc(bits, 1 shl I);
    //***** If it is not the last array in our masterArray, continue by calling RecursArrays recursivly.
    if singleArrayIndex <> High(masterArray) then FindSolution(masterArray, Succ(singleArrayIndex), bits)
    else WriteSolution(masterArray);
    Dec(bits, 1 shl I);
  end;
end;

//***************
// Initialization
//***************
var
  I, J: Integer;
  bits: Integer;
  singleArrayString: string;
  masterArray: TMasterArray;
begin
  I := 10;
  SetLength(masterArray, I);
  for I := 0 to High(masterArray) do
  begin
    SetLength(masterArray[I], High(masterArray) + Succ(I));
    singleArrayString := EmptyStr;
    for J := 0 to High(masterArray[I]) do
    begin
      masterArray[I][J] := IntToStr(J);
      singleArrayString := singleArrayString + masterArray[I][J];
    end;
    WriteLn(singleArrayString)
  end;
  ReadLn;

  //****** Start solving the problem using recursion
  bits := 0;
  SetLength(solutions, Succ(High(masterArray)));
  FindSolution(masterArray, 0, bits);    
end.

Answer 3

Another option:

    $arr = array(
        array('1', '2'),
        array('a', 'b', 'c'),
        array('x', 'y'),
    );
    //-----
    //assuming $arr consists of non empty sub-arrays
    function array_combinations($arr){ 
        $max = 1;
        for ($i = 0; $i < count($arr); $i ++){
            $max *= count($arr[$i]); 
        }
        $matrix = array();
        for ($i = 0; $i < $max; $i ++){
            $matrix = array(); 
        }
        $c_rep = 1;
        for ($i = count($arr) - 1; $i >= 0; $i --){
            $c_rep *= ($i < count($arr) - 1)//last sub-array 
                ? count($arr[$i + 1])
                : 1;
            $k = 0; 
            while ($k < $max){
                for ($t = 0; $t < count($arr[$i]); $t ++){
                    for ($j = 0; $j < $c_rep; $j ++){
                        $matrix[$i][$k ++] = $arr[$i][$t];
                    }
                }   
            }
        }
        return $matrix;
    }
    //-----
    $matrix = array_combinations($arr);