This notebook was prepared by [Donne Martin](http://donnemartin.com). Source and license info is on [GitHub](https://github.com/donnemartin/interactive-coding-challenges).

Challenge Notebook

Problem: Sort a stack. You can use another stack as a buffer.

Constraints

  • When sorted, should the largest element be at the top or bottom?
    • Top
  • Can you have duplicate values like 5, 5?
    • Yes
  • Can we assume we already have a stack class that can be used for this problem?
    • Yes

Test Cases

  • Empty stack -> None
  • One element stack
  • Two or more element stack (general case)
  • Already sorted stack

Algorithm

Refer to the Solution Notebook. If you are stuck and need a hint, the solution notebook's algorithm discussion might be a good place to start.

Code


In [ ]:
%run ../stack/stack.py
%load ../stack/stack.py

In [ ]:
class MyStack(Stack):

    def sort(self):
        # TODO: Implement me
        pass

Unit Test

The following unit test is expected to fail until you solve the challenge.


In [ ]:
# %load test_sort_stack.py
from random import randint
from nose.tools import assert_equal


class TestSortStack(object):

    def get_sorted_stack(self, numbers):
        stack = MyStack()
        for x in numbers:
            stack.push(x)
        sorted_stack = stack.sort()
        return sorted_stack

    def test_sort_stack(self):
        print('Test: Empty stack')
        sorted_stack = self.get_sorted_stack([])
        assert_equal(sorted_stack.pop(), None)

        print('Test: One element stack')
        sorted_stack = self.get_sorted_stack([1])
        assert_equal(sorted_stack.pop(), 1)

        print('Test: Two or more element stack (general case)')
        num_items = 10
        numbers = [randint(0, 10) for x in range(num_items)]
        sorted_stack = self.get_sorted_stack(numbers)
        sorted_numbers = []
        for _ in range(num_items):
            sorted_numbers.append(sorted_stack.pop())
        assert_equal(sorted_numbers, sorted(numbers, reverse=True))

        print('Success: test_sort_stack')


def main():
    test = TestSortStack()
    test.test_sort_stack()


if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Solution Notebook

Review the Solution Notebook for a discussion on algorithms and code solutions.