Question

I currently have this method:

-(void)seperateGuides
{
   DLog("GetGuideListCount: %i", [[appDelegate getGuideList] count]);

   columnOneArray = [[NSMutableArray alloc] init];
   columnTwoArray = [[NSMutableArray alloc] init];
   columnThreeArray = [[NSMutableArray alloc] init];

   for (int i = 0; i < [[appDelegate getGuideList] count]; i = i + 3) {
      [columnOneArray addObject:[[appDelegate getGuideList]objectAtIndex:i]];
   }

   for (int i = 1; i < [[appDelegate getGuideList] count]; i = i + 3) {
      [columnTwoArray addObject:[[appDelegate getGuideList]objectAtIndex:i]];
   }

   for (int i = 2; i < [[appDelegate getGuideList] count]; i = i + 3) {
      [columnThreeArray addObject:[[appDelegate getGuideList]objectAtIndex:i]];
   }
}

And need to do this more dynamic, so I can define how many arrays I want and then get the arrays.

Different possibilities I’m considering is making it a mutli-dimensional array (although I’m not sure how to handle it in Objectvie-C), or making a method that simply loops through as many times as I define, the problem there is that I’m not quite sure how to get the different arrays.

A simple algorithm or another possible solution would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

The algorithm you’re describing sounds equivalent to what we do when we deal a deck of cards into multiple hands, so I’d do it like this:

- (NSArray *)dealObjects:(NSArray *)objects intoArrays:(NSInteger)numArrays
{
    NSMutableArray *arrays = [NSMutableArray arrayWithCapacity:numArrays];
    for (a = 0; a < numArrays; a++) {
        [arrays addObject:[NSMutableArray arrayWithCapacity:[objects count] / numArrays];
    }
    for (i = 0; i < [objects count]; i++) {
        [[arrays objectAtIndex:i % numArrays] addObject:[objects objectAtIndex:i]];
    }
    return arrays;
}