Prints the temp closest to 0 among input data - Coding Game

Question

I am new at coding and I don't understand why my code doesn't work for the last test of this Coding Game problem : https://www.codingame.com/ide/puzzle/temperatures

Language : Javascript

Last test is : Display 0 (zero) if no temperatures are provided

Problem : In this exercise, you have to analyze records of temperature to find the closest to zero.

Rules: Write a program that prints the temperature closest to 0 among input data. If two numbers are equally close to zero, positive integer has to be considered closest to zero (for instance, if the temperatures are -5 and 5, then display 5).

Game Input: Your program must read the data from the standard input and write the result on the standard output. Input Line 1: N, the number of temperatures to analyze Line 2: A string with the N temperatures expressed as integers ranging from -273 to 5526

Output: Display 0 (zero) if no temperatures are provided. Otherwise, display the temperature closest to 0. Constraints 0 ≤ N < 10000

Here is my code:

`/**

• Auto-generated code below aims at helping you parse
• the standard input according to the problem statement. **/

`

const n = parseInt(readline()); // the number of temperatures to analyse
var inputs = readline().split(' '); // this is the array of split temperature 
var t;
for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
     t = parseInt(inputs[i]);// a temperature expressed as an integer ranging from -273 to 5526
}



var temperatureOfZero = 0;
function closest(array){
  return array.reduce((a, b) => {
    let aDiff = Math.abs(a - temperatureOfZero);
    let bDiff = Math.abs(b - temperatureOfZero);
    
   if (Array.isArray(array) && array[0] === "" ) {
   return 0;
   }
   else if ( aDiff == bDiff){
     if (a > b){
       return a;
     }else{
       return b;
     }
   }//end of first else if (aDiff == bDiff)
   else if (aDiff > bDiff){
     return b;
   }else{
     return a;
   }
    
  }); }

let result = closest(inputs);
console.log(result);`

Input test 1:

5

1 -2 -8 4 5

Output test 1:

1

Input test 5 (Display 0 (zero) if no temperatures are provided

0

Output test 5 that I should get

0

Output that I get when I run my code:

Failure

Found: Nothing

Expected: 0

Thx you in advance for the explanation

Answer 1

I think you need to return 0 when the array is empty. Something like:

function closest(array){

  if(array.length === 0) return 0;

  return array.reduce((a, b) => {
    ...
  }); 
}

Answer 2

Don't know if you already found out the solution. I found out about codingame this week and I was doing that same exercise and I came to a solution. I will share with you.

function closestToZero(numbers) {

  if(!numbers.length) return 0;

  let closest = Math.max(...numbers);
  for (let i = 0; i < numbers.length ; i++) { 
    if (Math.abs(numbers[i]) < Math.abs(closest)) {
      closest = numbers[i];
    } else if (Math.abs(numbers[i]) === Math.abs(closest)) {
       if (numbers[i] > closest) closest = numbers[i];
    }
  }
  return closest;

};

let inpArr = [0, -1, 1, 42];
console.log(`inpArr: ${inpArr.join(', ')} result: ${closestToZero(inpArr)}`);

inpArr = [];
console.log(`inpArr: ${inpArr.join(', ')} result: ${closestToZero(inpArr)}`);

inpArr = [30, -30, 43, 84, 102, -31];
console.log(`inpArr: ${inpArr.join(', ')} result: ${closestToZero(inpArr)}`);

inpArr = [93, -11, 22, -15, 43, 3, -2];
console.log(`inpArr: ${inpArr.join(', ')} result: ${closestToZero(inpArr)}`);

inpArr = [-30, -3, -6, -9, 44];
console.log(`inpArr: ${inpArr.join(', ')} result: ${closestToZero(inpArr)}`);

I don't know if there is a more accurate way of doing this, but after a few moments of thinking, this was the way I found to pass the 6 tests

Answer 3

LauraS solution is pretty smooth, but is not considering what happen when you have a 0 inside the array, also CodinGame is not taking that possibility, that's why is passing all tests, but is cleaner if you add ts[i] === 0 return ts[i] in my opinion