Help with a very basic MEL script

[moosebish]

I have homework for a basic scripting class and I'm stuck on this single problem. The problem is as follows:

"Use rand(0,1) to generate an array of 100 random floating numbers (between 0 and 1).

Then find the maximum values of the array and print out the maximum value AND its 

index in the array.

For example, if floatArray[25] has the maximum value of 0.9989,

you need to print out message "floatArray[25] = 0.9989 is the maximum value in the array"

So far this is what I have come up with:

float $array[];
int $counterA = 0;

float $random;

while ($counterA <= 99) //assign 100 random numbers into an array.

{

$random = rand(0,1);

$array[$counterA] = $random;

$counterA ++;

}

int $counterB;

int $counterC = 0;

float $largestNumber = 0;

int $largestArray = 0;

for ($counterB=0; $counterB<=99; $counterB++)

{

if ($array[$counterC + 1] > $array[$counterC]) //compare two numbers

{

$largestArray = $counterC + 1; //store the numbers

$largestNumber = $array[$counterC + 1];

$counterC ++;

}

}

print ("The largest number is: " + $largestNumber + "\n");

print ("The largest array is: " + $largestArray + "\n");

The problem is that the results aren't correct. It only ever print the last few numbers that it compares, whether they are the highest or not.

Could anyone point out where I'm going wrong, or show me a better way to do this?

Btw, we are not allowed to use the 'sort' command

[joojaa]

Quite unproductive and misleading mel exersise* oh well. Your allmost there.

You dont actually update counterC anywhere sane. In fact your code would work if you'd replace counterC with counterB (in essence you dont need counter C for anything) and eliminate the counter++. So what your basically doing is compare values over and over again because your comparasion doesnt compare all items in the list. Then a second thing because you compare loop with loop+1 you only want the loop to go form 0 to 98 to avoid overflow. Its just this does not make for the easiest readable code theres really no reason to compare 2 array values it just makes it harder to understand what your getting at. And code is PRIMARILY about readability. Simplifying naming would make you spot the problem too.

Anyway dont treat mel as c its not c and thats not its purpose. Your now very close to building a illusion for your self that it would be just a stupid version of C which kind of misses the entire point of mel! And yes i'm aware that MOST people get taught it as such, but its still wrong. Its just easier to teach worng things sometimes.

I would do it like this. (no maya at hand so there MIGHT be a syntax error somewhere), i blacked it out so you can ignore it because the purpose of exercises IS TO LEARN**:

{
  float $list[];
  $max = 0.0;
  $index = 0;
  for( $i = 0; $i < 100; $i++){
    $list[$i] = rand(0, 1);
    if ($list[$i] > $max){
      $index = $i;
      $max = $list[$i];
    }  
  }
  print ("floatArray["+$index+"] = "+$max+" is the maximum value in the array");
}

Btw, we are not allowed to use the 'sort' command

Well does not really help much either because it would mix up the indexes so youd just haveto make yet one more loop more.

• thing its not really purposeful to wirte allost any more complex algorithms in mel, because tahts not what you use mel for but rather just for building node networks and very simple queries. So whenever you do computer science stuff in mel your kind of doing it wrong. THis si kindof on the edge of usefullness.

** Learning mens making mistakes and fixing them yourself

[andrehitsoy]

Very elegant, Joojaa.