# lib_combin
###### Basic combinatorics for Erlang lists and maps.
[](https://hex.pm/packages/lib_combin) [](https://travis-ci.org/joergen7/lib_combin)
This library provides basic combinatoric operations like permutation or combinations without replacement for the most common data structures in Erlang: lists and maps.
The [documentation](https://cuneiform-lang.org/man/lib_combin/index.html) of the `lib_combin` module's API is available online.
## Usage
### Adding lib_combin to a Project
#### rebar3
To integrate `lib_combin` into a rebar3 managed project change the `deps` entry in your application's `rebar.config` file to include the tuple `{lib_combin, "0.1.4"}`.
{deps, [{lib_combin, "0.1.4"}]}.
#### mix
{:lib_combin, "~> 0.1.4"}
### Examples
#### Combinations without replacement
To enumerate all combinations (order does not matter) without replacement of length 2 by drawing from the list `[a, b, c]` we use the `cnr/2` function as follows:
lib_combin:cnr( 2, [a, b, c] ).
[[b,a],[c,a],[c,b]]
To enumerate all combinations (order does not matter) without replacement of any possible length by drawing from the list `[a, b, c]` we use the `cnr_all/1` function as follows:
lib_combin:cnr_all( [a, b, c] ).
[[],[a],[b],[c],[b,a],[c,a],[c,b],[c,b,a]]
#### Variations and Permutations
To enumerate all variations (order matters) without replacement of length 2 by drawing from the list `[a, b, c]` we use the `vnr/2` function as follows:
lib_combin:vnr( 2, [a, b, c] ).
[[b,a],[c,a],[a,b],[c,b],[a,c],[b,c]]
To enumerate all permutations (order matters) without replacement from the list `[a, b, c]` we use the `pnr/1` function as follows:
lib_combin:pnr( [a, b, c] ).
[[c,b,a],[b,c,a],[c,a,b],[a,c,b],[b,a,c],[a,b,c]]
#### Maps
Say, we're leading a burger restaurant which serves burgers made up from a fixed palette of ingredients for bread, meat, and sauce. We can represent the ingredients as an Erlang map in the following way:
Ingredients = #{ sauce => [ketchup, mayo],
bread => [sesame, plain],
meat => [beef, chicken, mutton] }.
To find out which burgers can appear on the menu, we use the function `permut_map/1` as follows:
lib_combin:permut_map( Ingredients ).
[#{bread => plain,meat => beef,sauce => ketchup},
#{bread => sesame,meat => beef,sauce => ketchup},
#{bread => plain,meat => chicken,sauce => ketchup},
#{bread => sesame,meat => chicken,sauce => ketchup},
#{bread => plain,meat => mutton,sauce => ketchup},
#{bread => sesame,meat => mutton,sauce => ketchup},
#{bread => plain,meat => beef,sauce => mayo},
#{bread => sesame,meat => beef,sauce => mayo},
#{bread => plain,meat => chicken,sauce => mayo},
#{bread => sesame,meat => chicken,sauce => mayo},
#{bread => plain,meat => mutton,sauce => mayo},
#{bread => sesame,meat => mutton,sauce => mayo}]
#### Factorial
The library also contains an implementation of the factorial function.
lib_combin:fac( 4 ).
24
## System Requirements
- Erlang OTP 18.0 or higher
- Rebar3 3.0.0 or higher
## Resources
- [joergen7/gen_pnet](https://github.com/joergen7/gen_pnet) A generic Petri net OTP behavior using `lib_combin` to enumerate transition firing modes.
- [seantanly/elixir-combination](https://github.com/seantanly/elixir-combination). An alternative library for combinations and permutations in Elixir.
## Authors
- Jorgen Brandt (joergen7) [joergen.brandt@onlinehome.de](mailto:joergen.brandt@onlinehome.de)
## License
[Apache 2.0](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html)
