# Word Chains (#65) **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [February 3, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/word-chains-65/100645 "2006-02-03T15:02:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bbazzarrakk)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/word-chains-65/100645/1 "2006-02-03T15:02:50Z")
The three rules of Ruby Q.: 1. Please do not post any solutions or spoiler discussion for this quiz until 48 hours have passed from the time on this message. 2. Support Ruby Q. by submitting ideas as often as you can: [http://www.rubyquiz.com/](http://www.rubyquiz.com/) 1. Enjoy! Suggestion: A [QUIZ] in the subject of emails about the problem helps everyone on Ruby T. follow the discussion. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= When someone asked for a set of exercises on Ruby T. this week, one of the answers was to check out the Code Katas by Dave T… I’m a big fan of those problems myself, so let’s do one of them. This week’s quiz is to write a program that takes two words as program arguments. The words will be the same length. Please also support a -d command-line option that can be used to switch dictionary files (one word per line), but it’s fine to use a reasonable default for your system. The output of your program is to be a word chain, printing one word per line. The first word in the chain is the first argument to the program and the last word is the other argument. All other words in the chain vary by exactly one letter from the words surrounding it. If a chain can not be formed from the arguments using the selected dictionary, print a simple error message. Here are some sample runs of my solution, so you can see how chains look: ``` $ ruby word_chain.rb work play work pork pory pony piny piky puky puly paly paty katy kath hath hash pash push puss poss post pout prut prat plat play $ ruby word_chain.rb lead gold lead load goad gold $ ruby word_chain.rb love hate love hove have hate ``` Aim for the shortest paths if you can find them (the above examples may not be them) and fast running times. ---
**Author:** ![bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bbazzarrakk)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/word-chains-65/100645/2 "2006-02-03T15:18:00Z")
- On Feb 3 23:00, Ruby Q. (removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > When someone asked for a set of exercises on Ruby T. this week, one > of the answers was to check out the Code Katas by Dave T… I’m a > big fan of those problems myself, so let’s do one of them. Pardon me if I’m missing something, James, but wasn’t this Quiz #44? [http://www.rubyquiz.com/quiz44.html](http://www.rubyquiz.com/quiz44.html) Tom ---
**Author:** ![bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bbazzarrakk)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/word-chains-65/100645/3 "2006-02-03T15:21:05Z")
déjà vu? [http://www.rubyquiz.com/quiz44.html](http://www.rubyquiz.com/quiz44.html) (hope I am not violating rule #1) ---
**Author:** ![bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bbazzarrakk)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/word-chains-65/100645/4 "2006-02-03T15:21:05Z")
On Feb 3, 2006, at 8:15 AM, Thomas K. wrote: > - On Feb 3 23:00, Ruby Q. (removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > When someone asked for a set of exercises on Ruby T. this week, one > > of the answers was to check out the Code Katas by Dave T… I’m a > > big fan of those problems myself, so let’s do one of them. > > Pardon me if I’m missing something, James, but wasn’t this Quiz #44? > > [Ruby Quiz - Word Chains (#44)](http://www.rubyquiz.com/quiz44.html) Boy I’m glad some of you are paying attention, because I’m obviously not! Sorry, I get lots of duplicate ideas sent in. Looks like this is the first one I failed to catch. I’ll get a another quiz out later today… James Edward G. II ---
**Author:** ![bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bbazzarrakk)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/word-chains-65/100645/5 "2006-02-03T15:30:10Z")
- On Feb 3 23:20, James Edward G. II (removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Boy I’m glad some of you are paying attention, because I’m > obviously not! No problem - we appreciate the work you put in! Love the quizzes, even if I’m usually quiet about them. > I’ll get a another quiz out later today… Shucks. I was hoping to do this one (avoiding the summary/solution, of course) to make up for missing the last 😉 Tom ---
**Author:** ![bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bbazzarrakk)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/word-chains-65/100645/6 "2006-02-03T15:42:17Z")
Patrick H. schrieb: > déjà vu? > > [http://www.rubyquiz.com/quiz44.html](http://www.rubyquiz.com/quiz44.html) > (hope I am not violating rule #1) Haha! The page turned! I made once a submission to make a quiz to build regexp automatically to match a range of numbers. JEG2 told meto look at quiz4 😉 ## errare humanum est ~waiting ---
**Author:** ![bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/47e85d/32.png) [@bbazzarrakk](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bbazzarrakk)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/word-chains-65/100645/7 "2006-02-03T15:48:21Z")
On Feb 3, 2006, at 8:39 AM, Robert R. wrote: > I made once a submission to make a quiz to build regexp > automatically to match a range of numbers. > JEG2 told meto look at quiz4 😉 My wife asked me a while back, “Hey, have you done a Su Doku quiz?” I’m only slightly embarrassed to admit that I had to go look to answer her. 🙂 James Edward G. II