def a = "Can a fella get a job?"
StringBuilder b = new StringBuilder()
for (int i = a.length(); i > 0; i--) {
b.append(a.charAt(i-1))
}
print b.toString()
}
But it doesn't use arrays because quite frankly, I haven't used an array in years. I despise the noise of the brackets. :-)
Seriously, I use ArrayLists instead of arrays. But even on this FizzBuzz lite exercise, I got tripped up. My "i > 0" was off by one. And I started down the path of a.substring, but that was a bad move. I quickly switched to charAt.
But about the only relevant piece of this: on an IDE, I was able to place a breakpoint, see where I'm at, what my variables look like, and make adjustments.
That's real life. My original cut of this would have disqualified me. Actually, even the cut above would disqualify me since I didn't use arrays.
But I need to confess. What you see above is literally the first time I've ever reversed a string in this manner. It's just not something I do. And it didn't roll off the tongue so to speak. I knew I had to process the string from the end and work backwards, but it still felt like trivia and not a substantive inquisition into my skills or experience.
Trivial? A bit. It took me about 5 min. The off by one was killing me. It hits you in two places: the i > 0 and the charAt(i-1).
That isn't a bad solution. You obviously hope that someone you're interviewing can come up with something like that fairly quickly, but I certainly wouldn't disqualify you based on your method of solving it or an initial off-by-one error.
> What you see above is literally the first time I've ever reversed a string in this manner. It's just not something I do.
There is a certain amount of value in that - seeing how someone reacts to and solves something they've never seen before. Can you come up with a reasonable plan for attacking the problem, implement it, test it to see if it works in a bunch of cases, and make the necessary adjustments?
To be fair, the coding you do in an interview is a bit artificial - the problems may not be typical and you are without the environment you are usually coding in. The good news is that it is a skill that you can work on and become better at, and it is usually worth doing so if you are pursuing a job and you know these kinds of things will come up. I don't think it is wasted effort either - I've been trying to work on my algorithm/data structure skills by solving interview-type problems, and I've noticed that the work I've been doing to learn to solve them better has been beneficial in my daily programming as well.
Your solution is fine, you've passed, flying colours. I might poke a bit around the edges to see if I can get you to say the word "array", but mostly out of interest.
The important bit is that this is not an assessment of your ability as a programmer, it's a negative filter: Are you one of these people who simply can't program, because if you can't, let's not waste any more of each others time.
I've never liked arrays due to the brackets. But in a twist of irony, I now spend all day in Groovy and I use maps, thus brackets all the time. Yet I don't even notice.
So after carefully thinking about it, I now realize its not the brackets. I can't explain it. There's something about arrays I just despise despite having no similar ill will towards ArrayLists. They just feel so 70s.
Here's my solution:
def reverse() {
}But it doesn't use arrays because quite frankly, I haven't used an array in years. I despise the noise of the brackets. :-)
Seriously, I use ArrayLists instead of arrays. But even on this FizzBuzz lite exercise, I got tripped up. My "i > 0" was off by one. And I started down the path of a.substring, but that was a bad move. I quickly switched to charAt.
But about the only relevant piece of this: on an IDE, I was able to place a breakpoint, see where I'm at, what my variables look like, and make adjustments.
That's real life. My original cut of this would have disqualified me. Actually, even the cut above would disqualify me since I didn't use arrays.
But I need to confess. What you see above is literally the first time I've ever reversed a string in this manner. It's just not something I do. And it didn't roll off the tongue so to speak. I knew I had to process the string from the end and work backwards, but it still felt like trivia and not a substantive inquisition into my skills or experience.
Trivial? A bit. It took me about 5 min. The off by one was killing me. It hits you in two places: the i > 0 and the charAt(i-1).