Sort using recursion (10.2 Rite of Passage: Sorting)

Only using the methods from the first 10 chapters of the book, the solution hasn’t come to me. What have you come up with?

I was on the exact same issue and I’m so pleased with myself that I figured it out I thought I’d share.

Keep in mind, that if you want to solve it yourself this gives you the answer and you should disregard the reply…

NOTE: Remember to uncomment the method you’d prefer to run in the sort method.

def sort an_array
  #recursive_sort an_array, [], 0
  #iterative_sort an_array, []
end

def iterative_sort unsorted_array, sorted_array

    i = 0
    loop do

      break if unsorted_array.length == 0

      score     = 0                      
      length    = unsorted_array.length  
      this_word = unsorted_array[i]      

      # count each time this_word is the smallest & count itself once
      unsorted_array.each do |array_word|
        if this_word <= array_word
          score += 1
        end
      end

      # this_word is the smallest when score == length      
      if score == length
        sorted_array.push(this_word)
        unsorted_array.delete(this_word)
        i = 0  # start at the beginning of the array next time.
      else
        i += 1 # increment the array to check the next word.
      end

    end

  sorted_array
end

def recursive_sort unsorted_array, sorted_array, i

  return if unsorted_array.length == 0

    score     = 0                      
    length    = unsorted_array.length  
    this_word = unsorted_array[i]      

    # count each time this_word is the smallest & count itself once
    unsorted_array.each do |array_word|
      if this_word <= array_word
        score += 1
      end
    end

    # this_word is the smallest when score == length      
    if score == length
      sorted_array.push(this_word)
      unsorted_array.delete(this_word)
      i = 0
    else
      i += 1 # increment the array to check the next word.
    end

  recursive_sort unsorted_array, sorted_array, i

  sorted_array
end

messy_array = ['alpha', 'echo', 'delta', 'beta', 'charlie']

puts sort(messy_array)