Powered by AppSignal & Oban Pro

Stack Server

exercises/stack_server.livemd

Stack Server

Mix.install([
  {:jason, "~> 1.4"},
  {:kino, "~> 0.8.0", override: true},
  {:youtube, github: "brooklinjazz/youtube"},
  {:hidden_cell, github: "brooklinjazz/hidden_cell"}
])

Navigation

Return Home Report An Issue

Stack

A stack is a data structure which can push elements onto the top of the stack and pop them off of the top of the stack. We’re going to create a Stack process which stores a stack as a list of elements in it’s state. We should be able to send a {:push, element} message and a :pop message to add and remove elements from the beginning of the list.

The {:push, element} message should add an element onto the stack, and return the current state.

{:ok, stack_pid} = GenServer.start_link(Stack, [])

GenServer.call(stack_pid, {:push, 1})
[1]

GenServer.call(stack_pid, {:push, 2})
[2, 1]

The :pop message should remove an element from the stack and return the removed element.

2 = GenServer.call(stack_pid, :pop)

[1] = :sys.get_state(stack_pid)

1 = GenServer.call(stack_pid, :pop)

[] = :sys.get_state(stack_pid)

Example Solution

defmodule Stack do
  use GenServer

  def start_link(_opts) do
    GenServer.start_link(__MODULE__, [])
  end

  def push(stack_pid, element) do
    GenServer.call(stack_pid, {:push, element})
  end

  def pop(stack_pid) do
    GenServer.call(stack_pid, :pop)
  end

  def init(_opts) do
    {:ok, []}
  end

  def handle_call({:push, element}, _from, state) do
    new_state = [element | state]
    {:reply, new_state, new_state}
  end

  def handle_call(:pop, _from, state) do
    [head | tail] = state
    {:reply, head, tail}
  end
end

Implement the Stack module below. You do not need to handle :pop-ing an element from an empty stack.

Consider starting with the handle_call/3 callback functions, then implement the client API functions Stack.push/2 and Stack.pop/1.

defmodule Stack do
  use GenServer

  @doc """
  Start the `Stack` process.

  ## Examples

      iex> {:ok, pid} = Stack.start_link([])
  """
  def start_link(_opts) do
  end

  @doc """
  Synchronously push an element onto the top of the `Stack`. Return the current stack.

  ## Examples

      iex> {:ok, pid} = Stack.start_link([])
      iex> Stack.push(pid, 1)
      [1]
      iex> Stack.push(pid, 2)
      [2, 1]
      iex> Stack.push(pid, 3)
      [3, 2, 1]
  """
  def push(stack_pid, element) do
  end

  @doc """
  Pop an element from the top of the `Stack`.

  ## Examples

      iex> {:ok, pid} = Stack.start_link([])
      iex> Stack.push(pid, 1)
      iex> Stack.push(pid, 2)
      iex> Stack.push(pid, 3)
      iex> Stack.pop(pid)
      3
      iex> Stack.pop(pid)
      2
      iex> Stack.pop(pid)
      1
  """
  def pop(stack_pid) do
  end

  @doc """
  Necessary callback function to start the `Stack` process.

  ## Examples

      iex> {:ok, pid} = GenServer.start_link(Stack, []) 
  """
  def init(_opts) do
  end

  @doc """
  Callback function to add an element onto the top of the `Stack`.

  ## Examples

      iex> {:ok, pid} = GenServer.start_link(Stack, [])
      iex> GenServer.call(pid, {:push, 1})
      [1]
      iex> GenServer.call(pid, {:push, 2})
      [2, 1]
      iex> GenServer.call(pid, {:push, 3})
      [3, 2, 1]
  """
  def handle_call({:push, element}, _from, state) do
  end

  @doc """
  Callback function to pop an element off of the top of the `Stack`.
  You do not need to handle popping when a stack is empty.

  ## Examples

      iex> {:ok, pid} = GenServer.start_link(Stack, [])
      iex> GenServer.call(pid, {:push, 1})
      iex> GenServer.call(pid, {:push, 2})
      iex> GenServer.call(pid, {:push, 3})
      iex> GenServer.call(pid, :pop)
      3
      iex> GenServer.call(pid, :pop)
      2
      iex> GenServer.call(pid, :pop)
      1
  """
  def handle_call(:pop, _from, state) do
  end
end

Mark As Completed

file_name = Path.basename(Regex.replace(~r/#.+/, __ENV__.file, ""), ".livemd")

save_name =
  case Path.basename(__DIR__) do
    "reading" -> "stack_server_reading"
    "exercises" -> "stack_server_exercise"
  end

progress_path = __DIR__ <> "/../progress.json"
existing_progress = File.read!(progress_path) |> Jason.decode!()

default = Map.get(existing_progress, save_name, false)

form =
  Kino.Control.form(
    [
      completed: input = Kino.Input.checkbox("Mark As Completed", default: default)
    ],
    report_changes: true
  )

Task.async(fn ->
  for %{data: %{completed: completed}} <- Kino.Control.stream(form) do
    File.write!(
      progress_path,
      Jason.encode!(Map.put(existing_progress, save_name, completed), pretty: true)
    )
  end
end)

form

Commit Your Progress

Run the following in your command line from the curriculum folder to track and save your progress in a Git commit. Ensure that you do not already have undesired or unrelated changes by running git status or by checking the source control tab in Visual Studio Code.

$ git checkout -b stack-server-exercise
$ git add .
$ git commit -m "finish stack server exercise"
$ git push origin stack-server-exercise

Create a pull request from your stack-server-exercise branch to your solutions branch. Please do not create a pull request to the DockYard Academy repository as this will spam our PR tracker.

DockYard Academy Students Only:

Notify your teacher by including @BrooklinJazz in your PR description to get feedback. You (or your teacher) may merge your PR into your solutions branch after review.

If you are interested in joining the next academy cohort, sign up here to receive more news when it is available.

Up Next

Previous Next
Generic Server Traffic Light Server