Sorting Algorithm Visualizer using a Chessboard Metaphor

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Welcome! This is a unique command-line tool, written in Java, that visualizes classic sorting algorithms in a highly original way: by using a chessboard and its pieces as the data to be sorted.

Please Note: This is an educational tool for visualizing algorithms and not a playable chess game.

✨ Core Concept

The program works by placing a specified number of chess pieces randomly onto an 8x8 board. It then sorts these pieces based on a chosen algorithm and comparison criteria (either by a number or a letter assigned to each piece).

The key feature is the visualization: after each significant step of the sorting algorithm (e.g., a swap), the entire board is reprinted to the console. This creates a step-by-step animation, allowing you to observe how each algorithm operates and manipulates the data.

🚀 Features

• Multiple Sorting Algorithms: Visualize and compare different sorting strategies.
  • Bubble Sort
  • Insertion Sort
  • Quick Sort
  • Merge Sort
• Configurable Execution: Tailor the visualization to your needs through command-line arguments:
  • Choose the sorting algorithm.
  • Select the sorting criteria (numeric or alphabetic).
  • Define the number of pieces on the board.
  • Control the visualization speed with a configurable pause between steps.
• Clean Architecture: The project leverages fundamental design patterns:
  • Strategy Pattern: To easily switch between different sorting algorithms.
  • Factory Pattern: To decouple the main logic from the concrete algorithm implementations.

⚙️ How to Use

Prerequisites

Ensure you have a Java Development Kit (JDK) installed on your system.

Compilation

The project is structured to be compiled directly from the command line using the standard Java compiler, javac.

Command:

javac -d out/production/Chess src/*.java

Running the Visualizer

After successful compilation, run the program using the java command, which executes the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

Command:

java -cp out/production/Chess Main [ARGUMENTS]

Command-Line Arguments

All arguments are required and use a key=value format:

• a=<algorithm>: The sorting algorithm to use.
  • b: Bubble Sort
  • i: Insertion Sort
  • q: Quick Sort
  • m: Merge Sort
• t=<type>: The comparison criteria for sorting. Each piece, defined in WhitePieces.java and BlackPieces.java, has both a hard-coded number and a letter. This flag determines which of those attributes is used for comparison.
  • n: Sort by the number associated with each piece.
  • c: Sort by the letter associated with each piece.
• c=<color>: The color of the pieces to use.
  • w: White pieces
  • b: Black pieces
• r=<number>: The number of pieces to place on the board.
  • Allowed values: 8, 10, 16.
• s=<milliseconds>: The pause time between each step of the algorithm.
  • Allowed values: 0 to 1000.

Example

To run a visualization of Bubble Sort (a=b) on 16 black pieces (r=16, c=b), sorting them by number (t=n) with a 100ms pause (s=100) between steps, use the following command:

java -cp out/production/Chess Main a=b t=n c=b r=16 s=100

2025-08-02.01-03-46.mp4

📂 Project Structure

The project is organized with a clear separation of concerns:

• Main.java: The entry point of the application.
• CLIInputValidator.java: Parses and validates all command-line arguments.
• ChessManager.java: The core class that orchestrates the setup and execution of the sorting visualization.
• Board.java & Cell.java: Represent the chessboard and its individual cells.
• Piece.java, WhitePieces.java, BlackPieces.java: Define the interface and concrete implementations for the chess pieces, which act as the data elements.
• SortStrategy.java: The interface for all sorting algorithm implementations (Strategy Pattern).
• BubbleSort.java, InsertionSort.java, etc.: Concrete implementations of the sorting algorithms.
• SortStrategyFactory.java: A factory class to create the appropriate sorting strategy instance based on user input.
• CellComparators.java: Provides Comparator objects used to define the sorting logic (by number or by letter).

🤝 Contributions

Contributions are welcome! If you have ideas for improvements, new features, or bug fixes, feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.