OneKey Binary Selection

[TempodiBasic]

Hi Boys and Gals

just to say
binary search is speeder than bubble sequential choice
so here my OneKey selector using a binary search

it lets me remember the textual game Guess the number!

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. 'one key input  2021-10-04 TempoDiBasic
2. ' Saint Francis is patron of this day
3.  
4. choice$ = "0123456789"
5. choosen$ = ""
6. getInput choice$, choosen$
7. Print choice$, choosen$
8. _Delay 3
9. choice$ = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
10. choosen$ = ""
11. getInput choice$, choosen$
12. Print choice$, choosen$
13. _Delay 3
14. Input "Enter set of one character choice...", choice$
15. choosen$ = ""
16. getInput choice$, choosen$
17. Print choice$, choosen$
18. _Delay 3
19. End
20.  
21. Sub getInput (cho$, choo$) 'Static
22.     Dim As Integer leng, tim, f1, s1
23.     Dim As String FirstHalf, SecondHalf, f, s
24.     leng = Len(cho$)
25.     FirstHalf = Left$(cho$, Int(leng / 2))
26.     SecondHalf = Right$(cho$, leng - Int(leng / 2))
27.     If leng = 1 Then choo$ = cho$: Exit Sub
28.     While leng > 1
29.         Cls
30.         If f = " " Then
31.             f = "þ"
32.             s = " "
33.             f1 = 29
34.             s1 = 15
35.         Else
36.             f = " "
37.             s = "þ"
38.             f1 = 15
39.             s1 = 29
40.         End If
41.         Locate 2
42.         Color f1
43.         Print f + FirstHalf + f + "  ";
44.         Color s1
45.         Print s + SecondHalf + s
46.         Locate 3
47.         Color 15
48.         Print "press spacebar to choose, wait 2 second to refuse"
49.         tim = Int(Timer)
50.         While InKey$ = "" And (Timer - tim <= 2)
51.             If InKey$ = " " Then
52.                 If f = " " Then getInput SecondHalf, choo$ Else getInput FirstHalf, choo$
53.             End If
54.             If Len(choo$) = 1 Then Exit Sub
55.         Wend
56.     Wend
57. End Sub

my sub getInput at your service!
One suggestion, you must press and release the spacebar in 1 second to get the best result or you need to increase the time of autoselection if you want more slowly interaction.

[bplus]

Hi Boys and Gals

just to say
binary search is speeder than bubble sequential choice
so here my OneKey selector using a binary search

it lets me remember the textual game Guess the number!

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. 'one key input  2021-10-04 TempoDiBasic
2. ' Saint Francis is patron of this day
3.  
4. choice$ = "0123456789"
5. choosen$ = ""
6. getInput choice$, choosen$
7. Print choice$, choosen$
8. _Delay 3
9. choice$ = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
10. choosen$ = ""
11. getInput choice$, choosen$
12. Print choice$, choosen$
13. _Delay 3
14. Input "Enter set of one character choice...", choice$
15. choosen$ = ""
16. getInput choice$, choosen$
17. Print choice$, choosen$
18. _Delay 3
19. End
20.  
21. Sub getInput (cho$, choo$) 'Static
22.     Dim As Integer leng, tim, f1, s1
23.     Dim As String FirstHalf, SecondHalf, f, s
24.     leng = Len(cho$)
25.     FirstHalf = Left$(cho$, Int(leng / 2))
26.     SecondHalf = Right$(cho$, leng - Int(leng / 2))
27.     If leng = 1 Then choo$ = cho$: Exit Sub
28.     While leng > 1
29.         Cls
30.         If f = " " Then
31.             f = "þ"
32.             s = " "
33.             f1 = 29
34.             s1 = 15
35.         Else
36.             f = " "
37.             s = "þ"
38.             f1 = 15
39.             s1 = 29
40.         End If
41.         Locate 2
42.         Color f1
43.         Print f + FirstHalf + f + "  ";
44.         Color s1
45.         Print s + SecondHalf + s
46.         Locate 3
47.         Color 15
48.         Print "press spacebar to choose, wait 2 second to refuse"
49.         tim = Int(Timer)
50.         While InKey$ = "" And (Timer - tim <= 2)
51.             If InKey$ = " " Then
52.                 If f = " " Then getInput SecondHalf, choo$ Else getInput FirstHalf, choo$
53.             End If
54.             If Len(choo$) = 1 Then Exit Sub
55.         Wend
56.     Wend
57. End Sub

my sub getInput at your service!
One suggestion, you must press and release the spacebar in 1 second to get the best result or you need to increase the time of autoselection if you want more slowly interaction.

Hi @TempodiBasic

Something really off with that code. Line 28 is

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. While leng > 1  
2.  

but nothing inside that loop changes the value of leng.

My output is just a continuous flashing of stuff in upper 3 rows of screen.

[bplus]

OK I see it follows my Binary Selection routine by going recursive so maybe doesn't matter it doesn't finish looping.

@TempodiBasic this actually worked for you?

[TempodiBasic]

Hi Bplus

at  first thanks for testing an feedback

about

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. While leng > 1

you have a good eyesight!
It  is a fake (or Dummy) condition to test  because it never change  so the WHILE...WEND is infinite
I learned it from a good coder that use as Nickname in this forum of Bplus and he sometimes loves to use

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. WHILE 1
2. WEND

Thinking over you are right it is more correct to use

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. Do
2. Loop

About results of output:
Sincerely yesterday  night it was too late to try to answer, so I made another test to my code and it run fine, so that I decided to do a step by step  screenshot... thinking that you were kidding
here are screenshots
 

 

 

But today, robbing some time to my appointments, I have run again the code to choose one screenshot explicative
and SURPRICE  I've got the same messing no sense output!
With just a bit of disappointment I have thinking about issue:
yesterday I noticed that sometime routine missed the input key, and as you see from comment to my code I suggest to be quickly in press and release the spacebar or to increase the time of delay from 2 to 3 or 4 seconds.
Looking at main loop I rem out the inkey$="" condition of inner While, and my memory have said me that in speed concurrency the result of INKEY$ can change between 2 statements. So I save result of Inkey$ and I slow the 2 While loop.
And TADA! All work good with no glith of input.

[TempodiBasic]

Updaate code with no glitch about CPU speed and Inkey$

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. 'one key input  2021-10-04 TempoDiBasic
2. ' Saint Francis is patron of this day
3.  
4. choice$ = "0123456789"
5. choosen$ = ""
6. getInput choice$, choosen$
7. Print choice$, choosen$
8. _Delay 3
9. choice$ = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
10. choosen$ = ""
11. getInput choice$, choosen$
12. Print choice$, choosen$
13. _Delay 3
14. Input "Enter set of one character choice...", choice$
15. choosen$ = ""
16. getInput choice$, choosen$
17. Print choice$, choosen$
18. _Delay 3
19. End
20.  
21. Sub getInput (cho$, choo$)
22.     Dim As Integer leng, f1, s1
23.     Dim As String FirstHalf, SecondHalf, f, s, k
24.     Dim tim
25.     leng = Len(cho$)
26.     FirstHalf = Left$(cho$, Int(leng / 2))
27.     SecondHalf = Right$(cho$, leng - Int(leng / 2))
28.     If leng = 1 Then choo$ = cho$: Exit Sub
29.     While leng > 1
30.         Cls
31.         If f = " " Then
32.             f = "þ"
33.             s = " "
34.             f1 = 29
35.             s1 = 15
36.         Else
37.             f = " "
38.             s = "þ"
39.             f1 = 15
40.             s1 = 29
41.         End If
42.         Locate 2
43.         Color f1
44.         Print f + FirstHalf + f + "  ";
45.         Color s1
46.         Print s + SecondHalf + s
47.         Locate 3
48.         Color 15
49.         Print "press spacebar to choose, wait 2 second to refuse"
50.         tim = Timer
51.         While (Timer - tim <= 2)
52.             k = InKey$
53.             If k = " " Then
54.                 If f = " " Then getInput SecondHalf, choo$ Else getInput FirstHalf, choo$
55.             End If
56.             If Len(choo$) = 1 Then Exit Sub
57.             _Limit 5
58.         Wend
59.         _Limit 5
60.     Wend
61. End Sub

[bplus]

Ah... that's better!

[bplus]

The blinking is kind of confusing to me but I like how it keeps trying the two choices until press spacebar press.

[bplus]

Upon further reflection, Steve's method is clearly the winner for One Key access to Whole Key Board or parts of it.

Both yours ( @TempodiBasic ) and mine tend to need confirmation because so easy to screwup and miss the correct path down the Binary Tree. Steve's method has us stopping exactly where we intend to be and THEN waiting for computer to "get it". Ours has the user pausing all the way down the Binary Tree, hurry up and wait, repeat...

Of course my Function mod of his idea is better than his demo ;-)) Still his advice to use _KeyDown for it, was better too! This, my opinion, is based on my experience in applying it to the one app I am trying to get going, Crypt-O-Gram.
Your experience in applying the idea may be different.

[TempodiBasic]

Yes I can agree

1. with a binary search or choice we play following a Wait -> Choose(keypress) ---->next level of choice  scheme. The point of vulnerability is keypressing too close the change item event. In this moment you can get a wrong choice! So to avoid this we should add the confirmation method (that used originally by Steve) so it becomes  a Wait -> Choose(keypress) ->waitNoInputToConfirm----->next level of choice 
2. moreover the binary choice is faster than other in a big list of items, not so evidenti in a short list

3. with sequential search or choice we play following a waitingINPUT -> UntilInputActivatedSearch-> waitNoInputToConfirm->choicedone scheme. The point of vulnerability fo this other scheme is a big list of items. So to avoid this we should add the choice by groups of items  using the binary choice (faster) or the multiple groups choice (slower then binary). This last one is like than of buttons of cellular telephone (NOT smartphone) https://www.prezzoforte.it/images/webp/Brondi_AMICOCHIC_56b372db99547b08cb9b7be07343c138_0.webpor telephone with button https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81AkSWUyDxL._AC_SX425_.jpg

So my conclusion is that for a poor list like 23 or 40 items the Steve's scheme is still effective. But not for a different list, just think 256 items (printable ASCII like in the tool of Fellippe for QB64 IDE).
In that case (a big list) is better a binary choice with confirm, so a fusion of the two approaches is the best.

[SMcNeill]

For a choice of 256 items, such as an ASCII chart, I'd still go with my method: I'd just run it twice.   First time to choose row, second time to choose column.  If desired, add a third time to toggle between a "Is this what you want" yes/no confirmation if you feel it's necessary.

Still a lot simpler than choosing the proper half the value is in 8 different  times, not counting confirmation checks.

Now, if I had a big list of 100,000 items to choose from, I'd....  still stick to my method.  I'd just choose 6 numbers from 0 to 9 and make it a decimal selection. 

Honestly, I don't see many places at all where having an user do a binary choice works very good.  Binary searches are excellent for computers, but not for people.  We think linearly, and in base-10, no binarily or in base-2.

For people interaction, I personally feel that simpler is better than more efficient.  ;)

[bplus]

Yeah the main problem with Binary Search with human interacting is the wait at every branch for that dang slow poke human to get his decision in so we can move onto the next branch, and this whole process is so easily messed up when the human has a call of nature or phone and can't devote 100% attention to current branch of tree; then you have to start all over again, sheesh.

With more choices there are more branches = more total waiting to get a selection.

[TempodiBasic]

Hi
here oneKeyBinarySearch with the scheme of Steve Wait to confirm, press key to select (just the opposite of that I have coded here above)

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. 'one key input  2021-10-15 TempoDiBasic
2. ' MODification of structure of program
3. ' following the scheme posted by Steve and discussed with Bplus
4. Option _Explicit
5. Dim choice$, choosen$
6. choice$ = "0123456789"
7. choosen$ = ""
8. getInput choice$, choosen$
9. Print choice$, choosen$
10. _Delay 3
11. choice$ = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ"
12. choosen$ = ""
13. getInput choice$, choosen$
14. Print choice$, choosen$
15. _Delay 3
16. Input "Enter set of one character choice...", choice$
17. choosen$ = ""
18. getInput choice$, choosen$
19. Print choice$, choosen$
20. _Delay 3
21. End
22.  
23. Sub getInput (cho$, choo$)
24.     Dim As Integer leng, f1, s1
25.     Dim As String FirstHalf, SecondHalf, f, s, k
26.     Dim tim
27.     leng = Len(cho$)
28.     FirstHalf = Left$(cho$, Int(leng / 2))
29.     SecondHalf = Right$(cho$, leng - Int(leng / 2))
30.     If leng = 1 Then choo$ = cho$: Exit Sub
31.     While leng > 1
32.         Cls
33.         ShowItem f, s, f1, s1, FirstHalf, SecondHalf
34.         k = InKey$
35.         If k = "" Then
36.             ' if user don't press a key, it starts countdown to confirm choice
37.             tim = Timer
38.             While (Timer - tim <= 4)
39.                 k = InKey$
40.                 If k = " " Then Exit While 'we stop countdown if user presses key
41.             Wend
42.             tim = 0
43.  
44.             ' if user  doesn't press a key and time waited is more the 4 second and choice is confirmed
45.             If (k = "") Then
46.                 If Len(choo$) = 1 Then Exit Sub
47.                 If f = " " Then getInput SecondHalf, choo$ Else getInput FirstHalf, choo$
48.                 Exit Sub
49.             End If
50.         End If
51.     Wend
52. End Sub
53.  
54. Sub ShowItem (f As String, s As String, f1 As Integer, s1 As Integer, Firsthalf As String, SecondHalf As String)
55.     If f = " " Then
56.         f = "þ"
57.         s = " "
58.         f1 = 29
59.         s1 = 15
60.     Else
61.         f = " "
62.         s = "þ"
63.         f1 = 15
64.         s1 = 29
65.     End If
66.     Locate 2
67.     Color f1
68.     Print f + Firsthalf + f + "  ";
69.     Color s1
70.     Print s + SecondHalf + s
71.  
72.     Locate 3
73.     Color 15
74.     Print "press spacebar to choose, wait more than 4 second to select"
75. End Sub

surely faster than the first version but user spend more time to choose.

@LOL I have not been able to think how to show 10000 monoitem made with random characters,
in screen 0 we can reach 80x50 = 400 items in the screen.... in sequential search
think now about the binary search... I should show 2 set of 5000 characters

Strange how the perspective changes changing your seeing.