some days ago i was cleaning my files and found this assessment i did for a job interview process, i remember that i was quite satisfied with the results, even though i did it in only 1 hour after procastinating all the weekend!

however after reviewing this code it doesn’t fullfil my expectatives, time make us wisers! so, maybe i’ll tune up this code a bit since i’m on a hipe for javascript lately.

these are the assessment

Instructions:

• You can use any open source libraries; build tools, test tools etc.
• Think about the edge cases and ensure the code you write is robust and well tested.
• Include a readme file which has instructions for building and running the code.
• The solution presented should be in JavaScript and may include other web elements images, css and html.

Part 1:

Implement the logic for a vending machine that will return the optimal change for a given number of Euro. The method should have the signature and return a list/array of coins: getOptimalChangeFor(euro)

• Assume an unlimited supply of coins.
• There are no restrictions on Coin object except that it must contain the property denomination
• This method should return the least number of coins possible
• The following denominations of coin are to be used
  • OneEuro=100
  • Fiftycents=50
  • Twentycents=20
  • Tencents=10
  • Fivecents=5
  • Twocents=2
  • Onecent=1

Part 2:

Implement a method to get the change for a given number of Euro based on a limited supply of coins. The method should have the signature and return a list/array of coins: getChangeFor(euro)

• This method should return the least number of coins possible as long as they are available in the inventory.
• When the method is invoked, the number of coins left in the inventory should be reduced.
• Throw an exception if there is insufficient coinage.
• Refactor and reuse code from Part 1 where possible.
• The initial configuration of coins available are shown below:

Solution (WIP)

first of all i set an array that holds the possible denominations of coins:

var coins = [100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1];

then i wrote a function that validates the input if not it gets discarded spoiler ahead!! it doesn’t! you can add an input like 6.40+10 and it will be accepted.

function validateDecimal(value)    {
    var RE = new RegExp(/^\d+(?:\.\d{1,2})?$/);
    if(RE.test(value)){
       return true;
    }else{
       return false;
    }
}

and this is the functions that performs the magic, it will get the decimal portion to

var programmingAssesment = {
    getOptimalChangeFor : function(amount){
        var coinsArray=[];
        if(validateDecimal(amount)){
            amount = amount * 100;
            for(var i = 0; i < coins.length;i++){        
                var coins_m = Math.floor(amount/coins[i]);
                amount = amount % coins[i];
                coinsArray.unshift(coins_m);
             }
        return coinsArray           
    } else  {
            return "Format not valid."
        }
    }
}