README.md

Advent of Code

This is repository holds my solutions to the Advent of Code puzzles.

Using

1. export AOC_SESSION=D34DBEEF before running to get input dynamically from AoC server. How to get session cookie.
2. cd 2024; cargo run 4 runs just Day04.rs
3. cargo run all runs all days
4. cargo run --release all for fastest benchmark
5. cargo test --doc runs all tests

Annual Thoughts

• 2024: Rustaceans assemble! Focusing on faster solutions this year. Caching in rust feels quite clumsy compared to python's @lru_cache decorator.
• 2023: Going with rust again!
• 2022: Using this as an opportunity to learn rust. I did use python on some of the puzzles where I was racing against colleagues. :D

Visualizations

2024 Day18: RAM Run

2024 Day14: Restroom Redoubt

2022 Day15: Beacon Exclusion Zone

Most Useful Crates

Serde

use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug)]
struct Part {
    x: usize,
    m: usize,
    a: usize,
    s: usize,
}
// then later
let json_line: &str = "{x=787,m=2655,a=1222,s=2876}";
let some_part: Part = serde_json::from_str(&json_line).unwrap();
// and it adds the debug print so you can
println!("{:?}", some_part)

ProgressBar

let max = 777u64;
use indicatif::{ProgressBar, ProgressStyle};
let progress = ProgressBar::new(max);
progress.set_style(
    ProgressStyle::with_template(
        "{bar:40.cyan/blue} {pos:>9}/{len:9} [{eta} left] {msg}",
    ).unwrap(),
);
progress.set_message("finding repeating sequence...");
for idx in 0..max {
    // do something
    progress.set_position(idx as u64);
}
progress.finish_with_message("Done");

Rayon

use rayon::prelude::*;
use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
acc = AtomicUsize::new(0);
lines.par_iter().for_each(|line| {
    // do something
    acc.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
})
let final_acc = acc.load(Ordering::Relaxed);

Requirements

• libssl needed for aoc input fetch
• ffmpeg needed for animated GIFs (2024 day14)

apt install libssl-dev ffmpeg