Discussion on: Advent of Code 2020 Solution Megathread - Day 1: Report Repair

[willsmart]

Yep, this'll be another year fighting the urge to pre-optimise xmas code 🤦

Anyway, here's a nice efficient implementation in JS... (linear for part one, which is nice. Square for part two which could be improved but, like, why?)

const input = JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync('1a.json', 'utf-8'));

// sort ascending
input.sort((a, b) => a - b);


function go(c, tgt) {
  // tgt is the target sum we're aiming for
  // a is an index which moves through the array, 
  // b is ahead of a but retreats to maintain a sum <= to target.

  for (let a = c, b = input.length - 1; a < input.length; a++) {
    let { [a]: av, [b]: bv } = input;
    while (av + bv > tgt && b >= a) bv = input[--b];
    if (av + bv == tgt) return { a, b };
  }
}

let res;
// Part 1
(res = go(0, 2020)) &&
  console.log({
    part: 1,
    sum: input[res.a] + input[res.b],
    prod: input[res.a] * input[res.b],
  });

// Part 2
for (const c in input)
  (res = go(c, 2020 - input[c])) &&
    console.log({
      part: 2,
      sum: input[res.a] + input[res.b] + input[c],
      prod: input[res.a] * input[res.b] * input[c],
    });

[willsmart]

I'm liking Ryan's idea of using this to practice new languages and get out of the comfort zone (though JS is just so comfy now 😌 )
Plan is to make myself a twister-style spinner with 5 or so languages, and force myself to use whichever one the arrow lands on on the day.