Re: (Golf) Decorating the Christmas Tree

[runrig]

I don't think the rules are clearly defined, so here's my attempt to clarify them (though Masem is the final arbiter, of course :), it sounds like we assume that $h and $f are already set, and so don't count that assignment, though we do count the assignment of the 'decoration character class'. So following what I think are the rules (subject to clarification), here's my try weighing in at 96 characters:

$j=-1;print" "x(--$h),map({$_==1?"*":rand()<$f?(qw(0 @ * +))[rand 4]:"
+="}1..($j+=2)),$/for 1..$h

Update: Curses! foiled again :-)

Though japhy's reply does lead to this 87 character answer:

$j=1;print$"x--$h,($_-1?map rand>$f?"=":qw(0 @ * +)[rand 4],1..($j+=2)
+:"*"),$/for 1..$h

[japhy]

Every line of your tree starts with a star! But I can knock the count down a bit:

$j--;print$"x--$h,($j+=2and$_-1?map rand>$f?"="
:qw(0 @ * +)[rand 4],1..$j:"*"),$/for 1..$h

That's an even 90. Oh, I'm using Perl 5.6, so I can write qw(...)[...] and get away with it.

_____________________________________________________
Jeff[japhy]Pinyan: Perl, regex, and perl hacker.
s++=END;++y(;-P)}y js++=;shajsj<++y(p-q)}?print:??;

[japhy]

I can tie Rhose's 86 by a tiny adjustment to yours:

$j=1;print$"x--$h,$_-1?map(rand>$f?"=":qw(
0 @ * +)[rand 4],1..($j+=2)):"*",$/for 1..$h

I moved a set of parens. And I can trim it even more:

print$"x--$h,$_-1?map(rand>
$f?"=":qw(0 @ * +)[rand 4],
1..($j+=2)):"*",$/for++$j..$h

I moved $j's assignment to the "fore" loop. 83 characters. And then another adjustment that gets rid of $j entirely, and puts me at (an updated) 77 -- the parens around map's arguments were unneeded.

print$"x--$h,$_-1?map rand>
$f?"=":qw(0 @ * +)[rand 4],
2..$_*2:"*",$/for 1..$h

_____________________________________________________
Jeff[japhy]Pinyan: Perl, regex, and perl hacker.
s++=END;++y(;-P)}y js++=;shajsj<++y(p-q)}?print:??;

[dragonchild]

Independently arriving at this (after playing some more), I get:

print$"x$h--,$_-1?map{rand>$f?'=':qw(* 0 @ +)[rand 4]}2..2*$_:'*',$/fo
+r 1..$h

For some reason, I count that at 77?? Why am I one shorter?

------
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[runrig]

You are not putting parens around the map arguments, saving one character. You have block delimiters around the first map argument instead of parens around both arguments, so you don't need the comma to separate the two arguments. Congratulations :)

Update: Though it seems the parens were completely unnecessary (though a space between map and the first arg is necessary in japhy's answer, so now your answer's are tied, i.e. length('map func,@arr')==length('map{func}@array')).