README.md

Sorting Visualizer in C++

This is my Capstone Project for the Udacity C++ Nanodegree. After launching the program you can choose (with your mouse) between Merge Sort, QuickSort, and Bubble Sort. When the sorting is done, you can generate a new array and pick another algorithm. To exit, press ESC.

Project Structure

button.h/button.cpp: Contains a class Button that is responsible for creating places in the screen where it is responsive to clicks.

layout.h/layout.cpp: Contains a class Layout that was written with the goal of easy portability. You can place it in a SDL application and add text to it with ease. Here, it display the sorting algorithm names and the project name.

quickSort.h/mergeSort.h: Contains both the functions that operate in the array and the functions that are responsible for the update of the screen and display of the sorting algorithm.

main.h/main.cpp: Contains the initialization of SDL and SDL_TFF. The text and buttons are inicialized afterwards. The first loop keeps checking for input of the user (through the buttons in the screen and keys) and a second loop is started only if the user choose a sorting algorithm and inicialize it. A condition variable is then used with a mutex to restrict changes in the array until the end of the sorting.

Dependencies for Running Locally (extended from here)

• cmake >= 3.7
  • All OSes: click here for installation instructions
• make >= 4.1 (Linux, Mac), 3.81 (Windows)
  • Linux: make is installed by default on most Linux distros
  • Mac: install Xcode command line tools to get make
  • Windows: Click here for installation instructions
• SDL2 >= 2.0
  • All installation instructions can be found here
  • Note that for Linux, an apt or apt-get installation is preferred to building from source.
• SDL2_ttf >= 2.0
  • All installation instructions can be found here (ubuntu) or here (from source)
• gcc/g++ >= 5.4
  • Linux: gcc / g++ is installed by default on most Linux distros
  • Mac: same deal as make - install Xcode command line tools
  • Windows: recommend using MinGW

Basic Build Instructions

1. Clone this repo.
2. Make a build directory in the top level directory: mkdir build && cd build
3. Compile: cmake .. && make
4. Run it: ./Visualizer.

Basic Instructions

• Rightwards arrow ( → ) increments array size
• Leftwards arrow ( ← ) decrements array size

References for SDL:

• https://lazyfoo.net/tutorials/SDL/