algo-playground 0.1.1

Interactive terminal playground for classic algorithms (sorting, searching, graphs)

algo-playground

Interactive terminal playground for classic algorithms (sorting, searching, graphs).

• Beginner-friendly, step-by-step visualizations in your terminal using Rich
• CLI to list and run algorithms with adjustable speed and data size
• Pure, type-hinted Python library you can import and reuse

Installation

pip install algo-playground

Python 3.9+ is required.

Quick Start

• List algorithms:

algo-playground list

• Run quick sort on 20 elements with visualization:

algo-playground run quick_sort --size 20 --visual --speed 0.05

• Binary search over a generated sorted list:

algo-playground run binary_search --size 30 --target 15

• BFS traversal on a generated graph (shows a quick graph drawing, then a live adjacency view):

algo-playground run bfs --size 8 --visual --speed 0.08

CLI Reference

The CLI provides two commands: list and run.

• List available algorithms

algo-playground list

• Run an algorithm

algo-playground run <algorithm> [--size N] [--visual] [--speed S] [--target T] [--seed SEED]

• Common options

• --size: dataset size (array length or number of nodes). Default 20

• --visual: enable step-by-step, colored animations in the terminal

• --speed: delay between visual steps in seconds (e.g. 0.02, 0.1). Default 0.02

• --seed: seed for reproducible random data

• Searching only: --target: the value to find (picked randomly if omitted)

• Supported algorithms

• Sorting: bubble_sort, merge_sort, quick_sort

• Searching: linear_search, binary_search

• Graph: bfs, dfs, dijkstra

Examples

# Sorting
algo-playground run bubble_sort --size 15 --visual --speed 0.04
algo-playground run merge_sort --size 25
algo-playground run quick_sort --size 20 --visual

# Searching
algo-playground run linear_search --size 20 --target 7 --visual --speed 0.03
algo-playground run binary_search --size 30 --target 15 --visual

# Graphs
algo-playground run bfs --size 10 --visual --speed 0.08
algo-playground run dfs --size 10 --visual
algo-playground run dijkstra --size 10 --visual

Visualizations

• Sorting

• Colored bars represent values

• Yellow = compare, Red = swap, Blue = normal

• Indices are shown above bars, with step/phase status

• Searching

• Array is shown as bars

• For binary search, pointers lo, mid, hi are labeled under the array

• Step status shows progress and results

• Graphs

• A quick ASCII drawing places nodes around a circle with arrows indicating edge directions

• Then an interactive live view displays the adjacency list, highlighting the current and visited nodes

Tip: Increase --speed for slower, more guided visuals.

Python Library Usage

You can import and reuse the algorithms as pure functions.

Sorting

from algo_playground.algorithms.sorting import bubble_sort, merge_sort, quick_sort

arr = [5, 3, 8, 2]
sorted_arr, comparisons = quick_sort(arr)
print(sorted_arr)  # [2, 3, 5, 8]
print(comparisons) # comparisons performed

Searching

from algo_playground.algorithms.searching import linear_search, binary_search

arr = [1, 3, 5, 7, 9]
print(linear_search(arr, 7))  # 3
print(binary_search(arr, 5))  # 2

Graphs

from algo_playground.algorithms.graphs import bfs, dfs, dijkstra

graph = {
    "A": ["B", "C"],
    "B": ["D"],
    "C": ["D"],
    "D": [],
}
print(bfs(graph, "A"))  # ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D']
print(dfs(graph, "A"))  # ['A', 'B', 'D', 'C']

weighted = {
    "A": [("B", 2), ("C", 5)],
    "B": [("C", 1), ("D", 4)],
    "C": [("D", 1)],
    "D": [],
}
print(dijkstra(weighted, "A"))  # {'A':0, 'B':2, 'C':3, 'D':4}

Tracing Hooks (Advanced)

Sorting algorithms can emit fine-grained steps for visualization. You can attach a callback:

from algo_playground.algorithms.sorting import quick_sort, SortStep

arr = [4, 2, 6]

def on_step(step: SortStep) -> None:
    # inspect step.array, step.compare_indices, step.swap_indices
    pass

sorted_arr, comparisons = quick_sort(arr, trace=True, on_step=on_step)

FAQ

• The algo-playground command isn’t found
  • Ensure your virtualenv is active, or add ~/.local/bin to your PATH if using --user
• Visuals flicker or look odd in some terminals
  • Try a TrueColor-capable terminal and a monospaced font
• Graph drawing looks crowded
  • Reduce --size or increase terminal width; the live adjacency view remains clear

License

MIT