Consider using two variables — an x and a y component — to store the direction. The left and right turns are based on cross product principles.
Then, each forward move can be done using unconditional additions with no modulo operations. An additional advantage is that the meaning of the direction is self-evident. (It's not immediately obvious what direction = 1 would mean in your code.)
import java.util.Scanner; public class CartesianAgent { public static void main(String[] args) { int x = 0, y = 0; int dx = 0, dy = 1; Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in); System.out.print("Introduce the command: "); String command = scanner.nextLine(); for (int i = 0; i < command.length(); i++) { switch (command.charAt(i)) { case 'l': int old_dx = dx; dx = -dy; dy = old_dx; break; case 'r': old_dx = dx; dx = dy; dy = -old_dx; break; case 'f': x += dx; y += dy; break; } } System.out.printf("Result: [%d,%d]%n", x, y); } }
Alternatively, store the direction as a single integer, and use lookup tables to decode it.
According to the convention you chose, direction = 0 points up (in the +y direction), and turns left as direction increases (assuming a standard Cartesian grid that follows the right-hand rule). I consider that to be weird. You should either use
direction = 0 points up, then turns clockwise as direction increases (like navigation headings), ordirection = 0 points to the right (in the +x direction), then turns counterclockwise as direction increases (like polar coordinates).
The modulo operation should be done when turning, rather than when advancing.
import java.util.Scanner; public class CartesianAgent { private static final int[] DX = { 0, +1, 0, -1 }, DY = { +1, 0, -1, 0 }; public static void main(String[] args) { int x = 0, y = 0, direction = 0; Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in); System.out.print("Introduce the command: "); String command = scanner.nextLine(); for (int i = 0; i < command.length(); i++) { switch (command.charAt(i)) { case 'l': direction = (direction + 3) % 4; break; case 'r': direction = (direction + 1) % 4; break; case 'f': x += DX[direction]; y += DY[direction]; break; } } System.out.printf("Result: [%s,%s]%n", x, y); } }
Printing the result using System.out.printf() is a bit more readable than concatenating the string using +.
