Zig-zag scan an N x N array

Question

I have a simple array. The array length always has a square root of an integer. So 16, 25, 36 etc.

$array = array('1', '2', '3', '4' ... '25');

What I do, is arrange the array with HTML so that it looks like a block with even sides.

What I want to do, is sort the elements, so that when I pass the JSON encoded array to jQuery, it will iterate the array, fade in the current block, and so I'd get a sort of wave animation. So I'd like to sort the array kind of like this

So my sorted array would look like

$sorted = array('1', '6', '2', '3', '7', '11', '16, '12' .. '25');

Is there way to do so?.. Thanks

Answer 1

With a single loop and taking advantage of the simetry and with no sorts:

function waveSort(array $array) {
    $n2=count($array);
    $n=sqrt($n2);
    if((int)$n != $n) throw new InvalidArgumentException();

    $x=0; $y=0; $dir = -1;

    $Result = array_fill(0, $n2, null);
    for ($i=0; $i < $n2/2; $i++) {

        $p=$y * $n +$x;

        $Result[$i]=$array[$p];
        $Result[$n2-1-$i]=$array[$n2-1-$p];

        if (($dir==1)&&($y==0)) {
            $x++;
            $dir *= -1;
        } else if (($dir==-1)&&($x==0)) {
            $y++;
            $dir *= -1;
        } else {
            $x += $dir;
            $y -= $dir;
        }
    }

    return $Result;
}

$a = range(1,25);
var_dump(waveSort($a));

Answer 2

One more PHP solution, using just for and if, traverses array only once

function waveSort(array $array) {

    $elem = sqrt(count($array));

    for($i = 0; $i < $elem; $i++) {
        $multi[] = array_slice($array, $i*$elem , $elem);
    }

    $new = array();
    $rotation = false;
    for($i = 0; $i <= $elem-1; $i++) {
        $k = $i;
        for($j = 0; $j <= $i; $j++) {
            if($rotation)
                $new[] = $multi[$k][$j];
            else
                $new[] = $multi[$j][$k];
            $k--;
        }   
        $rotation = !$rotation;
    }

    for($i = $elem-1; $i > 0; $i--) {
        $k = $elem - $i;

        for($j = $elem-1; $j >= $elem - $i; $j--) {

            if(!$rotation)
                $new[] = $multi[$k][$j];
            else
                $new[] = $multi[$j][$k];
            $k++;
        }   
        $rotation = !$rotation;
    }

    return $new;
}

$array = range(1, 25);
$result = waveSort($array);
print_r($result);

$array = range(1, 36);
$result = waveSort($array);
print_r($result);

Here it is in action