\datethis @*Generalized exact cover. This program implements the algorithm discussed in my paper about ``dancing links.'' I hacked it together from the {\mc XCOVER} program that I wrote in 1994; I apologize for not having time to apply spit and polish. Given a matrix whose elements are 0 or 1, the problem is to find all subsets of its rows whose sum is at most~1 in all columns and {\it exactly\/}~1 in all ``primary'' columns. The matrix is specified in the standard input file as follows: Each column has a symbolic name, from one to seven characters long. The first line of input contains the names of all primary columns, followed by `\.{\char"7C}', followed by the names of all other columns. (If all columns are primary, the~`\.{\char"7C}' may be omitted.) The remaining lines represent the rows, by listing the columns where 1 appears. The program prints the number of solutions and the total number of link updates. It also prints every $n$th solution, if the integer command line argument $n$ is given. A second command-line argument causes the full search tree to be printed, and a third argument makes the output even more verbose. @d max_level 150 /* at most this many rows in a solution */ @d max_degree 10000 /* at most this many branches per search tree node */ @d max_cols 10000 /* at most this many columns */ @d max_nodes 1000000 /* at most this many nonzero elements in the matrix */ @d verbose Verbose /* kludge because of 64-bit madness in SGB library */ @c #include #include #include #include @@; @@; @; @# main(argc,argv) int argc; char *argv[]; { @; verbose=argc-1; if (verbose) sscanf(argv[1],"%d",&spacing); @; @; printf("Altogether %lld solutions, after %.15g updates.\n",count,updates); if (verbose) @; exit(0); } @ @= int verbose; /* $>0$ to show solutions, $>1$ to show partial ones too */ long long count=0; /* number of solutions found so far */ double updates; /* number of times we deleted a list element */ int spacing=1; /* if |verbose|, we output solutions when |count%spacing==0| */ double profile[max_level][max_degree]; /* tree nodes of given level and degree */ double upd_prof[max_level]; /* updates at a given level */ int maxb=0; /* maximum branching factor actually needed */ int maxl=0; /* maximum level actually reached */ @*Data structures. Each column of the input matrix is represented by a \&{column} struct, and each row is represented as a linked list of \&{node} structs. There's one node for each nonzero entry in the matrix. More precisely, the nodes are linked circularly within each row, in both directions. The nodes are also linked circularly within each column; the column lists each include a header node, but the row lists do not. Column header nodes are part of a \&{column} struct, which contains further info about the column. Each node contains five fields. Four are the pointers of doubly linked lists, already mentioned; the fifth points to the column containing the node. @s col_struct int @= typedef struct node_struct { struct node_struct *left,*right; /* predecessor and successor in row */ struct node_struct *up,*down; /* predecessor and successor in column */ struct col_struct *col; /* the column containing this node */ } node; @ Each \&{column} struct contains five fields: The |head| is a node that stands at the head of its list of nodes; the |len| tells the length of that list of nodes, not counting the header; the |name| is a user-specified identifier; |next| and |prev| point to adjacent columns, when this column is part of a doubly linked list. As backtracking proceeds, nodes will be deleted from column lists when their row has been blocked by other rows in the partial solution. But when backtracking is complete, the data structures will be restored to their original state. @= typedef struct col_struct { node head; /* the list header */ int len; /* the number of non-header items currently in this column's list */ char name[8]; /* symbolic identification of the column, for printing */ struct col_struct *prev,*next; /* neighbors of this column */ } column; @ One |column| struct is called the root. It serves as the head of the list of columns that need to be covered, and is identifiable by the fact that its |name| is empty. @d root col_array[0] /* gateway to the unsettled columns */ @ A row is identified not by name but by the names of the columns it contains. Here is a routine that prints a row, given a pointer to any of its columns. It also prints the position of the row in its column. @= void print_row(p) node *p; {@+register node *q=p; register int k; do { printf(" %s",q->col->name); q=q->right; } while (q!=p); for (q=p->col->head.down,k=1;q!=p;k++) if (q==&(p->col->head)) { printf("\n");@+return; /* row not in its column! */ }@+else q=q->down; printf(" (%d of %d)\n",k,p->col->len); } @# void print_state(int lev) { register int l; for (l=0;l<=lev;l++) print_row(choice[l]); } @*Inputting the matrix. Brute force is the rule in this part of the program. @= @; @; @ @d buf_size 8*max_cols+3 /* upper bound on input line length */ @= column col_array[max_cols+2]; /* place for column records */ node node_array[max_nodes]; /* place for nodes */ char buf[buf_size]; @ @d panic(m) {@+fprintf(stderr,"%s!\n%s",m,buf);@+exit(-1);@+} @= cur_col=col_array+1; fgets(buf,buf_size,stdin); if (buf[strlen(buf)-1]!='\n') panic("Input line too long"); for (p=buf,primary=1;*p;p++) { while (isspace(*p)) p++; if (!*p) break; if (*p=='|') { primary=0; if (cur_col==col_array+1) panic("No primary columns"); (cur_col-1)->next=&root, root.prev=cur_col-1; continue; } for (q=p+1;!isspace(*q);q++); if (q>p+7) panic("Column name too long"); if (cur_col>=&col_array[max_cols]) panic("Too many columns"); for (q=cur_col->name;!isspace(*p);q++,p++) *q=*p; cur_col->head.up=cur_col->head.down=&cur_col->head; cur_col->len=0; if (primary) cur_col->prev=cur_col-1, (cur_col-1)->next=cur_col; else cur_col->prev=cur_col->next=cur_col; cur_col++; } if (primary) { if (cur_col==col_array+1) panic("No primary columns"); (cur_col-1)->next=&root, root.prev=cur_col-1; } @ @= register column *cur_col; register char *p,*q; register node *cur_node; int primary; @ @= cur_node=node_array; while (fgets(buf,buf_size,stdin)) { register column *ccol; register node *row_start; if (buf[strlen(buf)-1]!='\n') panic("Input line too long"); row_start=NULL; for (p=buf;*p;p++) { while (isspace(*p)) p++; if (!*p) break; for (q=p+1;!isspace(*q);q++); if (q>p+7) panic("Column name too long"); for (q=cur_col->name;!isspace(*p);q++,p++) *q=*p; *q='\0'; for (ccol=col_array;strcmp(ccol->name,cur_col->name);ccol++); if (ccol==cur_col) panic("Unknown column name"); if (cur_node==&node_array[max_nodes]) panic("Too many nodes"); if (!row_start) row_start=cur_node; else cur_node->left=cur_node-1, (cur_node-1)->right=cur_node; cur_node->col=ccol; cur_node->up=ccol->head.up, ccol->head.up->down=cur_node; ccol->head.up=cur_node, cur_node->down=&ccol->head; ccol->len++; cur_node++; } if (!row_start) panic("Empty row"); row_start->left=cur_node-1, (cur_node-1)->right=row_start; } @*Backtracking. Our strategy for generating all exact covers will be to repeatedly choose always the column that appears to be hardest to cover, namely the column with shortest list, from all columns that still need to be covered. And we explore all possibilities via depth-first search. The neat part of this algorithm is the way the lists are maintained. Depth-first search means last-in-first-out maintenance of data structures; and it turns out that we need no auxiliary tables to undelete elements from lists when backing up. The nodes removed from doubly linked lists remember their former neighbors, because we do no garbage collection. The basic operation is ``covering a column.'' This means removing it from the list of columns needing to be covered, and ``blocking'' its rows: removing nodes from other lists whenever they belong to a row of a node in this column's list. @= level=0; forward: @; cover(best_col); cur_node=choice[level]=best_col->head.down; advance:if (cur_node==&(best_col->head)) goto backup; if (verbose>1) { printf("L%d:",level); print_row(cur_node); } @; if (root.next==&root) @; level++; goto forward; backup: uncover(best_col); if (level==0) goto done; level--; cur_node=choice[level];@+best_col=cur_node->col; recover: @; cur_node=choice[level]=cur_node->down;@+goto advance; done:if (verbose>3) @; @ @= register column *best_col; /* column chosen for branching */ register node *pp; /* traverses a row */ @ @= int level; /* number of choices in current partial solution */ node *choice[max_level]; /* the row and column chosen on each level */ @ When a row is blocked, it leaves all lists except the list of the column that is being covered. Thus a node is never removed from a list twice. @= cover(c) column *c; {@+register column *l,*r; register node *rr,*nn,*uu,*dd; register k=1; /* updates */ l=c->prev;@+r=c->next; l->next=r;@+r->prev=l; for (rr=c->head.down;rr!=&(c->head);rr=rr->down) for (nn=rr->right;nn!=rr;nn=nn->right) { uu=nn->up;@+dd=nn->down; uu->down=dd;@+dd->up=uu; k++; nn->col->len--; } updates+=k; upd_prof[level]+=k; } @ Uncovering is done in precisely the reverse order. The pointers thereby execute an exquisitely choreo\-graphed dance which returns them almost magically to their former state. @= uncover(c) column *c; {@+register column *l,*r; register node *rr,*nn,*uu,*dd; for (rr=c->head.up;rr!=&(c->head);rr=rr->up) for (nn=rr->left;nn!=rr;nn=nn->left) { uu=nn->up;@+dd=nn->down; uu->down=dd->up=nn; nn->col->len++; } l=c->prev;@+r=c->next; l->next=r->prev=c; } @ @= for (pp=cur_node->right;pp!=cur_node;pp=pp->right) cover(pp->col); @ We included |left| links, thereby making the rows doubly linked, so that columns would be uncovered in the correct LIFO order in this part of the program. (The |uncover| routine itself could have done its job with |right| links only.) (Think about it.) @= for (pp=cur_node->left;pp!=cur_node;pp=pp->left) uncover(pp->col); @ @= minlen=max_nodes; if (verbose>2) printf("Level %d:",level); for (cur_col=root.next;cur_col!=&root;cur_col=cur_col->next) { if (verbose>2) printf(" %s(%d)",cur_col->name,cur_col->len); if (cur_col->lenlen; } if (verbose) { if (level>maxl) { if (level>=max_level) panic("Too many levels"); maxl=level; } if (minlen>maxb) { if (minlen>=max_degree) panic("Too many branches"); maxb=minlen; } profile[level][minlen]++; if (verbose>2) printf(" branching on %s(%d)\n",best_col->name,minlen); } @ @= register int minlen; register int j,k,x; @ @= { count++; if (verbose) { profile[level+1][0]++; if (count%spacing==0) { printf("%lld:\n",count); for (k=0;k<=level;k++) print_row(choice[k]); } } goto recover; } @ @= { printf("Final column lengths"); for (cur_col=root.next;cur_col!=&root;cur_col=cur_col->next) printf(" %s(%d)",cur_col->name,cur_col->len); printf("\n"); } @ @= { double tot,subtot; tot=1; /* the root node doesn't show up in the profile */ for (level=1;level<=maxl+1;level++) { subtot=0; for (k=0;k<=maxb;k++) { printf(" %5.6g",profile[level][k]); subtot+=profile[level][k]; } printf(" %5.15g nodes, %.15g updates\n",subtot,upd_prof[level-1]); tot+=subtot; } printf("Total %.15g nodes.\n",tot); } @*Index.