Question

I’m making a converter app, and after realising I would have to type about 200 lines of code to get it working with more than 5 units converted, I should have a better conversion calculation.

What I have currently is a ifelse that find out what units i selected from the wheel, a sting to find out what it should answer and a float to calculate. It looks like this atm:

 #import "MainViewController.h"
@interface MainViewController ()

@end

@implementation MainViewController;

@synthesize _convertFrom, _convertTo, _convertRates;
@synthesize inputText, picker, resultLabel;
- (void)viewDidLoad
{
    [super viewDidLoad];
    {
        [super viewDidLoad];
    // Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib.
        _convertFrom = @[@"MTPA", @"MMcf/day",
        @"Mill.Sm3/day", @"MMBTU", @"Boe/day"];

        _convertRates = @[ @1.0f, @2.0f, @3.0f,
        @4.0f, @5.0f];

        _convertTo = @[@"MTPA", @"MMcf/day",
        @"Mill.Sm3/day", @"MMBTU", @"Boe/day"];

    _convertRates = @[ @1.0f, @2.0f, @3.0f,
    @4.0f, @5.0f];
}
}
- (void)didReceiveMemoryWarning
{
 [super didReceiveMemoryWarning];
// Dispose of any resources that can be recreated.
//dont forget to put something in here later
}


-(IBAction)textFieldReturn:(id)sender
{
    [sender resignFirstResponder];
}
-(IBAction)backgroundTouched:(id)sender
{
    [inputText resignFirstResponder];
}


#pragma mark -
#pragma mark PickerView DataSource

- (NSInteger)numberOfComponentsInPickerView:
(UIPickerView *)pickerView
{
    return 2;
}

- (NSInteger)pickerView:(UIPickerView *)pickerView numberOfRowsInComponent:    (NSInteger)component
{
    if (component == 0)  {
        return [_convertFrom count];
    }
    return [_convertTo count];
}


- (NSString *) pickerView: (UIPickerView *)pickerView
          titleForRow:(NSInteger)row
         forComponent:(NSInteger)component
{
    if (component == 0) {
        return [_convertFrom objectAtIndex:row];
    }
    return [_convertTo objectAtIndex:row];
}




#pragma mark -
#pragma mark PickerView Delegate
-(void)pickerView:(UIPickerView *)pickerView didSelectRow:(NSInteger)row
  inComponent:(NSInteger)component
{
    float convertFrom = [[_convertRates objectAtIndex:[pickerView selectedRowInComponent:0]] floatValue];
    float convertTo = [[_convertRates objectAtIndex:[pickerView selectedRowInComponent:1]] floatValue];
    float input = [inputText.text floatValue];
float to = convertTo;
float from = convertFrom;
float convertValue = input;

float MTPATilMTPAFloat               = convertValue * 1;
float MTPATilMMScfdayFloat           = convertValue * 133.425;
float MTPATilMillSm3dayFloat         = convertValue * 3.779735;
float MTPATilMMBTUFloat              = convertValue * 4;
float MTPATilboedayFloat               = convertValue * 5;

float MMScfdayTilMTPAFloat           = convertValue * 0.5;
float MMScfdayTilMMScfdayFloat       = convertValue * 1;
float MMScfdayTilMillSm3dayFloat     = convertValue * 6;
float MMScfdayTilMMBTUFloat          = convertValue * 7;
float MMScfdayTilboedayFloat           = convertValue * 8;

float MillSm3dayTilMTPAFloat = convertValue / 1;
float MillSm3dayTilMMScfdayFloat = convertValue / 2;
float MillSm3dayTilMillSm3dayFloat = convertValue / 3;
float MillSm3dayTilMMBTUFloat = convertValue / 4;
float MillSm3dayTilboedayFloat = convertValue / 5;

float MMBTUTilMTPAFloat = convertValue * 2;
float MMBTUTilMMScfdayFloat = convertValue * 2;
float MMBTUTilMillSm3dayFloat = convertValue * 2;
float MMBTUTilMMBTUFloat = convertValue * 2;
float MMBTUTilboeday = convertValue * 2;

float boedayTilMTPAFloat = convertValue * 3;
float boedayTilMMScfdayFloat = convertValue * 3;
float boedayTilMillSm3dayFloat = convertValue * 3;
float boedayTilMMBTUFloat = convertValue * 3;
float boedayTilboeday = convertValue * 3;





NSString *MTPATilMTPA = [[NSString alloc ] initWithFormat:
                         @" %f MTPA = %f MTPA", convertValue, MTPATilMTPAFloat];

NSString *MTPATilMMScfday = [[NSString alloc ] initWithFormat:
                             @" %f MTPA = %f MMScf/day", convertValue, MTPATilMMScfdayFloat];

NSString *MTPATilMillSm3day = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:
                               @" %f MTPA = %f Mill.SM3/day", convertValue, MTPATilMillSm3dayFloat];

NSString *MTPATilMMBTU = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:
                          @" %f MTPA = %f MMBTU", convertValue, MTPATilMMBTUFloat];

NSString *MTPATilboeday = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:
                         @" %f MTPA = %f Boe/day", convertValue, MTPATilboedayFloat];




NSString *MMScfdayTilMTPA = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:
                             @" %f MMScfday = %f MTPA", convertValue, MMScfdayTilMTPAFloat];

NSString *MMScfdayTilMMScfday = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:
                                 @" %f MMScfday = %f MMScfday", convertValue, MMScfdayTilMMScfdayFloat];

NSString *MMScfdayTilMillSm3day = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:
                                   @" %f MMScfday = %f MillSm3day", convertValue, MMScfdayTilMillSm3dayFloat];

NSString *MMScfdayTilMMBTU = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:
                              @" %f MMScfday = %f MMBTU", convertValue, MMScfdayTilMMBTUFloat];

NSString *MMScfdayTilboeday = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:
                             @" %f MMScfday = %f Boe/day", convertValue, MMScfdayTilboedayFloat];




NSString *MillSm3dayTilMTPA = [[NSString alloc] initWithFormat:
                               @" %f MillSm3day = %f MTPA", convertValue, MillSm3dayTilMTPAFloat];



if (from == 1) {
    if (to == 1) {
        resultLabel.text = MTPATilMTPA;
    }
    else if (to == 2) {
        resultLabel.text = MTPATilMMScfday;
    }
    else if (to == 3) {
        resultLabel.text = MTPATilMillSm3day;
    }
    else if (to == 4) {
        resultLabel.text = MTPATilMMBTU;
    }
    else if (to == 5) {
        resultLabel.text = MTPATilboeday;
    }
}
else if (from == 2) {
    if (to == 1) {
        resultLabel.text = MMScfdayTilMTPA;
    }
    else if (to == 2) {
        resultLabel.text = MMScfdayTilMMScfday;
    }
    else if (to == 3) {
        resultLabel.text = MMScfdayTilMillSm3day;
    }
    else if (to == 4) {
        resultLabel.text = MMScfdayTilMMBTU;
    }
    else if (to == 5) { 
        resultLabel.text = MMScfdayTilboeday;
    }
}
}

As you can see, a huge mess with alot of more code needed if I want more units.

When I realised that, i tried to calculate it by using a commmon variable that I convert everything into, and then convert back into a output unit. Think of it with lenght calculation. The common variable i want everything to be converted to first, is meters. so 1 meters = 1, 1 cm = 0.01 and 1 mm = 0.001. So, if I wanted to calculate, i would use.

unitIwantToConvertToComparedTo1Meter = 0.5 (of 1 meter)
result = from * to * input * unitIwantToConvertToComparedTo1Meter.

Which, surprisingly, works.
As used here:

#import "MainViewController.h"
@interface MainViewController ()

@end

@implementation MainViewController;

@synthesize _convertFrom, _convertTo, _convertRates;
@synthesize inputText, picker, resultLabel;
- (void)viewDidLoad
{
    [super viewDidLoad];
    {
        [super viewDidLoad];
    // Do any additional setup after loading the view, typically from a nib.
        _convertFrom = @[@"Kubikk M", @"Kubikk CM",
        @"Kubikk MM", @"MMBTU", @"Boe/day"];

        _convertRates = @[ @1.0f, @0.01f, @0.001f,
        @4.0f, @5.0f];

    _convertTo = @[@"Kubikk M", @"Kubikk CM",
    @"Kubikk MM", @"MMBTU", @"Boe/day"];

    _convertRates = @[ @1.0f, @0.01f, @0.001f,
    @4.0f, @5.0f];
}
}
- (void)didReceiveMemoryWarning
{
[super didReceiveMemoryWarning];
// Dispose of any resources that can be recreated.
//dont forget to put something in here later
}


    -(IBAction)textFieldReturn:(id)sender
    {
    [sender resignFirstResponder];
}
-(IBAction)backgroundTouched:(id)sender
{
    [inputText resignFirstResponder];
}


#pragma mark -
#pragma mark PickerView DataSource

- (NSInteger)numberOfComponentsInPickerView:
(UIPickerView *)pickerView
{
    return 2;
}

- (NSInteger)pickerView:(UIPickerView *)pickerView numberOfRowsInComponent:(NSInteger)component
{
if (component == 0)  {
    return [_convertFrom count];
}
return [_convertTo count];
}


- (NSString *) pickerView: (UIPickerView *)pickerView
          titleForRow:(NSInteger)row
         forComponent:(NSInteger)component
{
    if (component == 0) {
        return [_convertFrom objectAtIndex:row];
    }
    return [_convertTo objectAtIndex:row];
}




#pragma mark -
#pragma mark PickerView Delegate
-(void)pickerView:(UIPickerView *)pickerView didSelectRow:(NSInteger)row
  inComponent:(NSInteger)component
{
    float convertFrom = [[_convertRates objectAtIndex:[pickerView   selectedRowInComponent:0]] floatValue];
float convertTo = [[_convertRates objectAtIndex:[pickerView selectedRowInComponent:1]] floatValue];
float input = [inputText.text floatValue];
float to = convertTo;
float from = convertFrom;
float convertValue = input;

float kubikkfot = 0.1;

float result = from * convertValue * kubikkfot;



NSString *resultString = [[NSString alloc ] initWithFormat:
                         @" %f MTPA = %f MTPA", convertValue, result];
resultLabel.text = resultString;
}

The problem with this is
1. My brain is having a meltdown trying to figure out how
2. I would like to have a custom label for every answer, where it says what unit i converted from and to. How can i implement this?

So, can anyone give me a hand with some better calculation code?

Answer 1

Dude use C arrays to create an nxn matrix of conversions. Then just have one array with unit names in it. Done and done. If you don’t know what a matrix is, then you have more theory to learn.

It goes like this. C is your conversion matrix:

       inch      meter
      +-----------------
inch  | 1        0.0254
meter | 39.3701  1

So if x is in inches then C[inch][meter] * x is the same length in meters.

And C[i][j] * C[j][i] == 1. Always.

You will have a different conversion matrix for each quantity that you are measuring. That is, you will have one for heat, one for time, one for distance (the example above), one for energy, one for force… etc. Good luck!