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Quick Start Guide

This guide will get you from zero to sorting stacks with Push Swap in just a few minutes.
1

Clone the Repository

Clone the Push Swap repository to your local machine:
git clone https://github.com/ibon-ira/Push_swap-42-turk-algorithm-.git
cd Push_swap-42-turk-algorithm-
2

Build the Program

Compile the program using the provided Makefile:
make
This compiles all source files and creates the push_swap executable.
3

Run Your First Sort

Sort a simple list of numbers:
./push_swap 3 2 1
Output:
sa
rra
These operations will sort the numbers in ascending order!
4

Verify the Sort

The output shows the sequence of operations needed. Each line represents one stack operation:
  • sa - Swap the top two elements of stack A
  • rra - Reverse rotate stack A (move bottom element to top)
After these operations, stack A contains [1, 2, 3] in sorted order.

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Try Different Examples

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Two Numbers

./push_swap 5 3
Output: 
sa
A single swap is all you need!

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Already Sorted

./push_swap 1 2 3 4 5
Output: 
(no output - already sorted!)
The program detects when input is already sorted and outputs nothing.

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Larger Input

./push_swap 5 2 8 1 9 3
The program will output a sequence of operations to efficiently sort this larger set.

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Understanding the Output

Each operation manipulates one or both stacks:

Swap Operations

sa, sb, ss - Swap top two elements

Push Operations

pa, pb - Move element between stacks

Rotate Operations

ra, rb, rr - Shift all elements up

Reverse Rotate

rra, rrb, rrr - Shift all elements down

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Common Use Cases

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Testing with Random Numbers

Generate random input using shell commands: 
./push_swap $(seq 1 100 | shuf | tr '\n' ' ')
This sorts 100 random numbers and shows the operation sequence.

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Counting Operations

See how many operations are needed: 
./push_swap 5 2 8 1 9 3 | wc -l
The count shows the algorithm’s efficiency for that input.

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Input as a String

You can also pass numbers as a single quoted string: 
./push_swap "3 2 1"
This is equivalent to ./push_swap 3 2 1.

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Next Steps

Learn the Algorithm

Understand how the Turkish algorithm works

Operations Reference

Detailed documentation of all operations

More Examples

See comprehensive usage examples

Error Handling

Learn about input validation

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