Need To Simplify A Code..

[gauravtips]

I have following code block for a tic-tac-toe's game. Please help me simplifying it.

 

  	 $grid=array();
       $grid[0]=array(' ',' ',' ');
       $grid[1]=array(' ',' ',' ');
       $grid[2]=array(' ',' ',' ');
       $user='X';
       $com='O';
  	 $ran=0;
       //For user
       if(($grid[0][1]==$grid[0][2])&&$grid[0][1]!=' '&&$grid[0][0]==' '){$ran=1;}
       if(($grid[1][0]==$grid[2][0])&&$grid[1][0]!=' '&&$grid[0][0]==' '){$ran=1;}
       if(($grid[1][1]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[1][1]!=' '&&$grid[0][0]==' '){$ran=1;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[0][2])&&$grid[0][0]!=' '&&$grid[0][1]==' '){$ran=2;}
       if(($grid[1][1]==$grid[2][1])&&$grid[1][1]!=' '&&$grid[0][1]==' '){$ran=2;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[0][1])&&$grid[0][0]!=' '&&$grid[0][2]==' '){$ran=3;}
       if(($grid[1][1]==$grid[2][0])&&$grid[1][1]!=' '&&$grid[0][2]==' '){$ran=3;}
       if(($grid[1][2]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[1][2]!=' '&&$grid[0][2]==' '){$ran=3;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[2][0])&&$grid[0][0]!=' '&&$grid[1][0]==' '){$ran=4;}
       if(($grid[1][1]==$grid[1][2])&&$grid[1][1]!=' '&&$grid[1][0]==' '){$ran=4;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[0][0]!=' '&&$grid[1][1]==' '){$ran=5;}
       if(($grid[0][1]==$grid[2][1])&&$grid[0][1]!=' '&&$grid[1][1]==' '){$ran=5;}
       if(($grid[0][2]==$grid[2][0])&&$grid[0][2]!=' '&&$grid[1][1]==' '){$ran=5;}
       if(($grid[1][0]==$grid[1][2])&&$grid[1][0]!=' '&&$grid[1][1]==' '){$ran=5;}
       if(($grid[0][2]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[0][2]!=' '&&$grid[1][2]==' '){$ran=6;}
       if(($grid[1][0]==$grid[1][1])&&$grid[1][0]!=' '&&$grid[1][2]==' '){$ran=6;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[1][0])&&$grid[0][0]!=' '&&$grid[2][0]==' '){$ran=7;}
       if(($grid[0][2]==$grid[1][1])&&$grid[0][2]!=' '&&$grid[2][0]==' '){$ran=7;}
       if(($grid[2][1]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[2][1]!=' '&&$grid[2][0]==' '){$ran=7;}
       if(($grid[0][1]==$grid[1][1])&&$grid[0][1]!=' '&&$grid[2][1]==' '){$ran=8;}
       if(($grid[2][0]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[2][0]!=' '&&$grid[2][1]==' '){$ran=8;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[1][1])&&$grid[0][0]!=' '&&$grid[2][2]==' '){$ran=9;}
       if(($grid[0][2]==$grid[1][2])&&$grid[0][2]!=' '&&$grid[2][2]==' '){$ran=9;}
       if(($grid[2][0]==$grid[2][1])&&$grid[2][0]!=' '&&$grid[2][2]==' '){$ran=9;}
       //For computer
       if(($grid[0][1]==$grid[0][2])&&$grid[0][1]==$com&&$grid[0][0]==' '){$ran=1;}
       if(($grid[1][0]==$grid[2][0])&&$grid[1][0]==$com&&$grid[0][0]==' '){$ran=1;}
       if(($grid[1][1]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[1][1]==$com&&$grid[0][0]==' '){$ran=1;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[0][2])&&$grid[0][0]==$com&&$grid[0][1]==' '){$ran=2;}
       if(($grid[1][1]==$grid[2][1])&&$grid[1][1]==$com&&$grid[0][1]==' '){$ran=2;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[0][1])&&$grid[0][0]==$com&&$grid[0][2]==' '){$ran=3;}
       if(($grid[1][2]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[1][2]==$com&&$grid[0][2]==' '){$ran=3;}
       if(($grid[1][1]==$grid[2][0])&&$grid[1][1]==$com&&$grid[0][2]==' '){$ran=3;}
       if(($grid[1][1]==$grid[1][2])&&$grid[1][1]==$com&&$grid[1][0]==' '){$ran=4;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[2][0])&&$grid[0][0]==$com&&$grid[1][0]==' '){$ran=4;}
       if(($grid[1][0]==$grid[1][2])&&$grid[1][0]==$com&&$grid[1][1]==' '){$ran=5;}
       if(($grid[0][1]==$grid[2][1])&&$grid[0][1]==$com&&$grid[1][1]==' '){$ran=5;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[0][0]==$com&&$grid[1][1]==' '){$ran=5;}
       if(($grid[0][2]==$grid[2][0])&&$grid[0][2]==$com&&$grid[1][1]==' '){$ran=5;}
       if(($grid[1][0]==$grid[1][1])&&$grid[1][0]==$com&&$grid[1][2]==' '){$ran=6;}
       if(($grid[0][2]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[0][2]==$com&&$grid[1][2]==' '){$ran=6;}
       if(($grid[2][1]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[2][1]==$com&&$grid[2][0]==' '){$ran=7;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[1][0])&&$grid[0][0]==$com&&$grid[2][0]==' '){$ran=7;}
       if(($grid[0][2]==$grid[1][1])&&$grid[0][2]==$com&&$grid[2][0]==' '){$ran=7;}
       if(($grid[2][0]==$grid[2][2])&&$grid[2][0]==$com&&$grid[2][1]==' '){$ran=8;}
       if(($grid[0][1]==$grid[1][1])&&$grid[0][1]==$com&&$grid[2][1]==' '){$ran=8;}
       if(($grid[0][1]==$grid[1][1])&&$grid[0][1]==$com&&$grid[2][1]==' '){$ran=8;}
       if(($grid[2][0]==$grid[2][1])&&$grid[2][0]==$com&&$grid[2][2]==' '){$ran=9;}
       if(($grid[0][2]==$grid[1][2])&&$grid[0][2]==$com&&$grid[2][2]==' '){$ran=9;}
       if(($grid[0][0]==$grid[1][1])&&$grid[0][0]==$com&&$grid[2][2]==' '){$ran=9;}
       return $ran;

 

Here grid is an 2d array of game's grid and ran is the next position of computer's move. 1 for [0][0], 2 for [0][1],....,8 for [2][1] and 9 for [2][2]

 

The code is working fine but need to reduce it.

[shlumph]

The only difference I see between the //For User block and the //For computer block is $com. So, to start, you can wrap this block into it's own function and call it twice.

 

After that, I'd look at simplifying this new function.

[txmedic03]

I think you just broke my brain with all those if statements. I was totally unprepared for that. If I am understanding the code correctly, your arrays are referring to the blocks on a tic-tac-toe board in the fashion that you described and your code is basically running through all the possible winning combinations of 3 items and in the user case you are trying to block any of their potential wins and in the second half you take any victory by completing 3 in-a-row for the computer. After all possible scenarios are considered then $ran is the block that would be the most logical next move for the computer, right?

 

Okay, assuming that I am correct about all that, I would say there has to be a way to use a loop perhaps and start grouping the boxes up. There is a definite pattern to your movement through the different combinations and perhaps you could capitalize on that with a for loop that incremented integers to select the different blocks and compare the various solutions. I can understand the desire to shrink the code and make it look clean and efficient, but I question whether it is really worth it if the code is currently working and you are not suffering from massive inefficiency. What would potentially shaving a few lines of code off really do for you?