Secret Handshake approach

exercises/practice/secret-handshake/.approaches/config.json

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+{
+  "introduction": {
+    "authors": ["bobahop"],
+    "contributors": []
+  },
+  "approaches": [
+    {
+      "uuid": "cd0c0a31-0905-47f0-815c-02597a7cdf40",
+      "slug": "iterate-once",
+      "title": "Iterate once",
+      "blurb": "Iterate once even when reversed.",
+      "authors": ["bobahop"]
+    }
+  ]
+}

exercises/practice/secret-handshake/.approaches/introduction.md

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+# Introduction
+
+There are many ways to solve Secret Handshake.
+One approach is to iterate only once, even when the signs are to be reversed.
+
+## General guidance
+
+Something to consider is to keep the number of iterations at a minimum to get the best performance.
+However, if that is felt to adversely impact readability, then to use a series of `if` statements and then reverse is also valid.
+
+## Approach: Iterate once
+
+```rust
+const SIGNS: [&'static str; 4] = ["wink", "double blink", "close your eyes", "jump"];
+const REVERSE_SIGNS: u8 = 16;
+
+pub fn actions(n: u8) -> Vec<&'static str> {
+    let (mut action, action_incr, end) = match n & REVERSE_SIGNS {
+        0 => (0, 1, 4),
+        _ => (3, -1, -1),
+    };
+    let mut output: Vec<&'static str> = Vec::new();
+
+    loop {
+        if action == end {
+            break;
+        }
+        if (n & (1 << action)) != 0 {
+            output.push(SIGNS[action as usize])
+        }
+        action += action_incr
+    }
+    output
+}
+```
+
+For more information, check the [Iterate once approach][approach-iterate-once].
+
+[approach-iterate-once]: https://exercism.org/tracks/rust/exercises/secret-handshake/approaches/iterate-once

exercises/practice/secret-handshake/.approaches/iterate-once/content.md

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+# Iterate once
+
+```rust
+const SIGNS: [&'static str; 4] = ["wink", "double blink", "close your eyes", "jump"];
+const REVERSE_SIGNS: u8 = 16;
+
+pub fn actions(n: u8) -> Vec<&'static str> {
+    let (mut action, action_incr, end) = match n & REVERSE_SIGNS {
+        0 => (0, 1, 4),
+        _ => (3, -1, -1),
+    };
+    let mut output: Vec<&'static str> = Vec::new();
+
+    loop {
+        if action == end {
+            break;
+        }
+        if (n & (1 << action)) != 0 {
+            output.push(SIGNS[action as usize])
+        }
+        action += action_incr
+    }
+    output
+}
+```
+
+This approach starts by defining a fixed-size [array][array] to hold the signal values in normal order.
+
+The `[&'static str; 4]` is used to give the type and length of the array.
+To be a [`const`][const], the size of the array must be known at compile time, so setting the type and length must be done explicitly,
+so the size in bytes of the fixed array can be deduced by the compiler from that and not by inspecting the element types and counting
+the elements itself.
+
+The value of `16` is defined as a `const` with a meaningful name so it won't be used as a [magic number][magic-number].
+
+The `actions` function uses multiple assignment with a `match` expression to define the variables that control iterating through the signals array,
+setting their values to iterate in either the normal or reverse order.
+
+The [bitwise AND operator][bitand] is used to check if the input number contains the signal for reversing the order of the other signals.
+
+For example, if the number passed in is `19`, which is `10011` in binary, then it is ANDed with `16`, which is `10000` in binary.
+The `1` in `10000` is also at the same position in `10011`, so the two values ANDed will not be `0`.
+- `10011` AND
+- `10000` =
+- `10000`
+
+If the number passed in is `3`, which is `00011` in binary, then it is ANDed with `16`, which is `10000` in binary.
+The `1` in `10000` is not at the same position in `00011`, so the two values ANDed will be `0`.
+- `00011` AND
+- `10000` =
+- `00000`
+
+If the number passed in does not contain the signal for reverse, then the iteration variables are set to iterate through the array of signals
+in their normal order, otherwise they are set to iterate through the arrray backwards..
+
+The output `vector` is defined, and then the [`loop`][loop] begins.
+
+Normal iteration will start at index `0`.
+Reverse iteration will start at index `3`.
+
+Normal iteration will terminate when the index equals `4`.
+Reverse iteration will terminate when the index equals `-1`.
+
+Normal iteration will increase the index by `1` for each iteration.
+Reverse iteration will decrease the index by `1` for each iteration.
+
+For each iteration of the `loop`, the AND operator is used to check if the number passed in contains `1` [shifted left][shl] (`<<`) for the number of positions
+as the value being iterated.
+
+```rust
+if (n & (1 << action)) != 0 {
+    output.push(SIGNS[action as usize])
+}
+```
+
+For example, if the number being iterated is `0`, then `1` is shifted left `0` times (so not shifted at all), and the number passed in is ANDed with `00001`.
+If the number passed in is `3`, which is `00011` in binary, then it is ANDed with `00001`.
+`00011` ANDed with `00001` is not equal to `0`, so the signal at the index of the array of signals is added to the output `vector`.
+The index used is the number being iterated, which is `0`, so the element at index `0` (`"wink"`) would be added to the output `vector`
+using the [push][push] function.
+
+If the number being iterated is `1`, then `1` is shifted left `1` time, and the number passed in is ANDed with `00010`.
+If the number passed in is `3`, which is `00011` in binary, then it is ANDed with `00010`.
+`00011` ANDed with `00010` is not equal to `0`, so the signal at the index of the array of signals is added to the output `vector`.
+The index used is the number being iterated, which is `1`, so the element at index `1` (`"double blink"`) would be added to the output `vector`.
+
+If the number passed in ANDed with the number being iterated is equal to `0`, then the signal in the array for that index is not added to the output `vector`.
+
+After iterating through the array of signals is done, the output `vector` is returned from the function.
+
+[array]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/primitive.array.html
+[const]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/keyword.const.html
+[magic-number]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_number_(programming)
+[bitand]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/ops/trait.BitAnd.html
+[shl]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/ops/trait.Shl.html
+[loop]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/rust-by-example/flow_control/loop.html
+[push]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/vec/struct.Vec.html#method.push

exercises/practice/secret-handshake/.approaches/iterate-once/snippet.txt

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+let (mut action, action_incr, end) = match n & REVERSE_SIGNS {
+    0 => (0, 1, 4),
+    _ => (3, -1, -1),
+};