from notebook_preamble import J, V, define
Square Spiral Example Joy Code¶
Here is the example of Joy code from the README file:
[[[abs]ii <=][[<>][pop !-]||]&&][[!-][[++]][[--]]ifte dip][[pop !-][--][++]ifte]ifte
It might seem unreadable but with a little familiarity it becomes just as legible as any other notation. Some layout helps:
[ [[abs] ii <=]
[
[<>] [pop !-] ||
] &&
]
[[ !-] [[++]] [[--]] ifte dip]
[[pop !-] [--] [++] ifte ]
ifte
This function accepts two integers on the stack and increments or decrements one of them such that the new pair of numbers is the next coordinate pair in a square spiral (like the kind used to construct an Ulam Spiral).
Original Form¶
It’s adapted from the original code on StackOverflow:
If all you’re trying to do is generate the first N points in the spiral (without the original problem’s constraint of masking to an N x M region), the code becomes very simple:
void spiral(const int N)
{
int x = 0;
int y = 0;
for(int i = 0; i < N; ++i)
{
cout << x << '\t' << y << '\n';
if(abs(x) <= abs(y) && (x != y || x >= 0))
x += ((y >= 0) ? 1 : -1);
else
y += ((x >= 0) ? -1 : 1);
}
}
Translation to Joy¶
I’m going to make a function that take two ints (x and y) and
generates the next pair, we’ll turn it into a generator later using the
x combinator.
First Boolean Predicate¶
We need a function that computes abs(x) <= abs(y), we can use ii
to apply abs to both values and then compare them with <=:
[abs] ii <=
I’ve defined two short-circuiting Boolean combinators && and ||
that each accept two quoted predicate programs, run the first, and
conditionally run the second only if required (to compute the final
Boolean value). They run their predicate arguments nullary.
define('&& [nullary] cons [nullary [0]] dip branch')
define('|| [nullary] cons [nullary] dip [1] branch')
Given those, we can define x != y || x >= 0 as:
[<>] [pop 0 >=] ||
And (abs(x) <= abs(y) && (x != y || x >= 0)) as:
[[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop 0 >=] ||] &&
It’s a little rough, but, as I say, with a little familiarity it becomes legible.
The Increment / Decrement Branches¶
Turning to the branches of the main if statement:
x += ((y >= 0) ? 1 : -1);
Rewrite as a hybrid (pseudo-code) ifte expression:
[y >= 0] [x += 1] [X -= 1] ifte
Change each C phrase to Joy code:
[0 >=] [[++] dip] [[--] dip] ifte
Factor out the dip from each branch:
[0 >=] [[++]] [[--]] ifte dip
Similar logic applies to the other branch:
y += ((x >= 0) ? -1 : 1);
[x >= 0] [y -= 1] [y += 1] ifte
[pop 0 >=] [--] [++] ifte
“Not Negative”¶
define('!- 0 >=')
Putting the Pieces Together¶
We can assemble the three functions we just defined in quotes and give
them them to the ifte combinator. With some arrangement to show off
the symmetry of the two branches, we have:
[[[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop !-] ||] &&]
[[ !-] [[++]] [[--]] ifte dip]
[[pop !-] [--] [++] ifte ]
ifte
As I was writing this up I realized that, since the && combinator
doesn’t consume the stack (below its quoted args), I can unquote the
predicate, swap the branches, and use the branch combinator instead
of ifte:
[[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop !-] ||] &&
[[pop !-] [--] [++] ifte ]
[[ !-] [[++]] [[--]] ifte dip]
branch
define('spiral_next [[[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop !-] ||] &&] [[!-] [[++]] [[--]] ifte dip] [[pop !-] [--] [++] ifte] ifte')
Let’s try it out:
J('0 0 spiral_next')
1 0
J('1 0 spiral_next')
1 -1
J('1 -1 spiral_next')
0 -1
J('0 -1 spiral_next')
-1 -1
Turning it into a Generator with x¶
It can be used with the x combinator to make a kind of generator for spiral square coordinates.
We can use codireco to make a generator
codireco ::= cons dip rest cons
It will look like this:
[value [F] codireco]
Here’s a trace of how it works:
[0 [dup ++] codireco] . x
[0 [dup ++] codireco] . 0 [dup ++] codireco
[0 [dup ++] codireco] 0 . [dup ++] codireco
[0 [dup ++] codireco] 0 [dup ++] . codireco
[0 [dup ++] codireco] 0 [dup ++] . cons dip rest cons
[0 [dup ++] codireco] [0 dup ++] . dip rest cons
. 0 dup ++ [0 [dup ++] codireco] rest cons
0 . dup ++ [0 [dup ++] codireco] rest cons
0 0 . ++ [0 [dup ++] codireco] rest cons
0 1 . [0 [dup ++] codireco] rest cons
0 1 [0 [dup ++] codireco] . rest cons
0 1 [[dup ++] codireco] . cons
0 [1 [dup ++] codireco] .
But first we have to change the spiral_next function to work on a
quoted pair of integers, and leave a copy of the pair on the stack.
From:
y x spiral_next
---------------------
y' x'
to:
[x y] [spiral_next] infra
-------------------------------
[x' y']
J('[0 0] [spiral_next] infra')
[0 1]
So our generator is:
[[x y] [dup [spiral_next] infra] codireco]
Or rather:
[[0 0] [dup [spiral_next] infra] codireco]
There is a function make_generator that will build the generator for
us out of the value and stepper function:
[0 0] [dup [spiral_next] infra] make_generator
----------------------------------------------------
[[0 0] [dup [spiral_next] infra] codireco]
Here it is in action:
J('[0 0] [dup [spiral_next] infra] make_generator x x x x pop')
[0 0] [0 1] [-1 1] [-1 0]
Four x combinators, four pairs of coordinates.
Conclusion¶
So that’s an example of Joy code. It’s a straightforward translation of the original. It’s a little long for a single definition, you might break it up like so:
_spn_P ::= [[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop !-] ||] &&
_spn_T ::= [ !-] [[++]] [[--]] ifte dip
_spn_E ::= [pop !-] [--] [++] ifte
spiral_next ::= _spn_P [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
This way it’s easy to see that the function is a branch with two quasi-symmetrical paths.
We then used this function to make a simple generator of coordinate
pairs, where the next pair in the series can be generated at any time by
using the x combinator on the generator (which is just a quoted
expression containing a copy of the current pair and the “stepper
function” to generate the next pair from that.)
define('_spn_P [[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop !-] ||] &&')
define('_spn_T [!-] [[++]] [[--]] ifte dip')
define('_spn_E [pop !-] [--] [++] ifte')
define('spiral_next _spn_P [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch')
V('23 18 spiral_next')
. 23 18 spiral_next
23 . 18 spiral_next
23 18 . spiral_next
23 18 . _spn_P [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 . [[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop !-] ||] && [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] . [[<>] [pop !-] ||] && [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop !-] ||] . && [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop !-] ||] . [nullary] cons [nullary [0]] dip branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] [[<>] [pop !-] ||] [nullary] . cons [nullary [0]] dip branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] . [nullary [0]] dip branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] [nullary [0]] . dip branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] . nullary [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] . [stack] dinfrirst [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] [stack] . dinfrirst [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [[abs] ii <=] [stack] . dip infra first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 . stack [[abs] ii <=] infra first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [18 23] . [[abs] ii <=] infra first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [18 23] [[abs] ii <=] . infra first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 . [abs] ii <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [abs] . ii <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [abs] . [dip] dupdip i <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [abs] [dip] . dupdip i <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [abs] . dip [abs] i <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 . abs 18 [abs] i <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 . 18 [abs] i <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 . [abs] i <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [abs] . i <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 . abs <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 . <= [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
False . [18 23] swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
False [18 23] . swaack first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 [False] . first [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 False . [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 False [0] . [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 False [0] [[[<>] [pop !-] ||] nullary] . branch [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 . 0 [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 0 . [_spn_E] [_spn_T] branch
23 18 0 [_spn_E] . [_spn_T] branch
23 18 0 [_spn_E] [_spn_T] . branch
23 18 . _spn_E
23 18 . [pop !-] [--] [++] ifte
23 18 [pop !-] . [--] [++] ifte
23 18 [pop !-] [--] . [++] ifte
23 18 [pop !-] [--] [++] . ifte
23 18 [pop !-] [--] [++] . [nullary not] dipd branch
23 18 [pop !-] [--] [++] [nullary not] . dipd branch
23 18 [pop !-] . nullary not [--] [++] branch
23 18 [pop !-] . [stack] dinfrirst not [--] [++] branch
23 18 [pop !-] [stack] . dinfrirst not [--] [++] branch
23 18 [pop !-] [stack] . dip infra first not [--] [++] branch
23 18 . stack [pop !-] infra first not [--] [++] branch
23 18 [18 23] . [pop !-] infra first not [--] [++] branch
23 18 [18 23] [pop !-] . infra first not [--] [++] branch
23 18 . pop !- [18 23] swaack first not [--] [++] branch
23 . !- [18 23] swaack first not [--] [++] branch
23 . 0 >= [18 23] swaack first not [--] [++] branch
23 0 . >= [18 23] swaack first not [--] [++] branch
True . [18 23] swaack first not [--] [++] branch
True [18 23] . swaack first not [--] [++] branch
23 18 [True] . first not [--] [++] branch
23 18 True . not [--] [++] branch
23 18 False . [--] [++] branch
23 18 False [--] . [++] branch
23 18 False [--] [++] . branch
23 18 . --
23 17 .
