Repeating pattern of empty lines

Question

Write the shortest program or function that takes some text as input, and outputs either it or an empty line in a repeating pattern:

some text
some text

some text
some text

some text
some text

...

This must continue indefinitely, or until some unpreventable limitation occurs (stack size, memory, etc.). It must be newline separated, and you can assume the inputted text is made up of non-newline printable ASCII characters. Note that it doesn't have to follow the pattern text-text-empty, and text-empty-text would be equally valid.

The ratio of text lines and empty lines will also be specified by input. There are various ways you can do this (though you only need to support one):

• A fraction represented as a floating point number (this can represent the fraction which do OR do not have text in them, but it must be consistent)
• A ratio of lines with text to lines without (represented as two integer inputs)
• A fraction of lines which do OR do not have text in them (represented as an integer numerator and denominator)

Example:

Text: Hello, world!
Ratio: 2:3

Hello, world!
Hello, world!



Hello, world!
Hello, world!



...

Text: fraction
Fraction: 1/3

fraction


fraction


fraction


...

Text: decimal decimal decimal
Input: 0.6

decimal decimal decimal
decimal decimal decimal
decimal decimal decimal


decimal decimal decimal
decimal decimal decimal
decimal decimal decimal


...

Text: example with a different pattern Fraction: 2/5

example with a different pattern

example with a different pattern


example with a different pattern

example with a different pattern


...

This is code golf, so the shortest answer in bytes, per language, wins.

Answer 1

Pip, 26 12 bytes

T0{LbPaLcPx}

-14 bytes after taking ratio as two arguments.

Explanation:

T0           Till 0 (infinite loop)
  {Lb        Loop b(second argument) number of times
     Pa      Print a(first argument) with newline
       Lc    Loop c(third argument) number of times
         Px} Print x(empty string) with newline

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Answer 2

Python 2, 44 bytes

def f(t,a,b,n=0):print(n%b<a)*t;f(t,a,b,n+a)

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Prints until exceeding max recursion depth, which the challenge seems to allow. As a program:

45 bytes

t,a,b=input()
n=0
while 1:print(n%b<a)*t;n+=a

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The idea is to to use a counter n that cycles through values modulo b, and only print the text if this is from 0 to a-1, and otherwise print a blank line. We could also do n+=1 in place of n+=a to get a different pattern where the text and blank lines come in clumps rather than mixed throughout.

It almost works to use a float input for the density as below:

40 bytes (not working)

def f(t,p,n=0):print(n%1<p)*t;f(t,p,n+p)

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The issue is float imprecision -- a number like 12.6 might have its decimal part be very slightly bigger or smaller than 0.6. This method would work for irrational densities as well, limited precision aside.

Answer 3

C (gcc), 67 .. 38 bytes

i;f(s,a,t){for(;puts(i++%t<a?s:""););}

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• Thanks to @att for 11 byte saved and to @ErikF for 7 bytes saved!

Takes input as string, number of printed lines, total lines.

We flush buffer at every iteration.

puts() returns non negative if no error occours, hope it doesn't return 0 either!

Answer 4

APL (Dyalog Unicode), 10 bytes (SBCS)

Full program. Prompts for text, then for ratio of lines with text to lines without (as two integers). Runs forever.

⎕←⍣≢↑⎕/⍞''

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⍞'' prompt for text and juxtapose with an empty string

⎕/ prompt for replication factors and replicate

↑ stack them on top of each other

⍣≢ repeat until the value changes (i.e. never):

 ⎕← output

Answer 5

Japt, 13 bytes

Runs until the stack overflows. More golfing to follow ...

ÆOpWÃVÆOpPéß

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Answer 6

J, ¹⁷ 16 bytes

$:,[echo@#'',:~]

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Note: If the empty lines cannot have spaces, then $:,[echo@>@#a:;~] works for 17 bytes.

how

Uses a kind of "fork bomb" recursion:

• $: - calls entire verb again
• , - then append...
• [echo@# - the echo of the left argument applied as a line-wise multiplier to...
• '',:~] - the right argument catted line-wise with an empty string

Answer 7

x86-16 machine code, IBM PC DOS, 34 33 bytes

Binary:

00000000: be82 00ad 2d30 3092 52fe ca7c 0956 ac3c  ....-00.R..|.V.<
00000010: 0dcd 2975 f95e b00a cd29 fece 75eb 5aeb  ..)u.^...)..u.Z.
00000020: e7                                       .

Listing:

BE 0082     MOV  SI, 82H        ; SI to command line tail 
AD          LODSW               ; load first two chars 
2D 3030     SUB  AX, '00'       ; ASCII convert          
92          XCHG AX, DX         ; DL = numerator, DH = denominator 
        PATT_LOOP: 
52          PUSH DX             ; save original numerator/denominator 
        FRAC_LOOP: 
FE CA       DEC  DL             ; decrement numerator 
7C 09       JL   LF             ; if less than 0, just display LF 
56          PUSH SI             ; save start of input string 
        CHAR_LOOP: 
AC          LODSB               ; load next char of string 
3C 0D       CMP  AL, 0DH        ; is it a CR? 
CD 29       INT  29H            ; write to console
75 F9       JNZ  CHAR_LOOP      ; if not a CR, keep looping 
5E          POP  SI             ; restore start of input string 
        LF: 
B0 0A       MOV  AL, 0AH        ; LF char 
CD 29       INT  29H            ; write to console
FE CE       DEC  DH             ; decrement denominator 
75 EB       JNZ  FRAC_LOOP      ; if not 0, keep looping 
5A          POP  DX             ; restore numerator/denominator
EB E7       JMP  PATT_LOOP      ; start over and loop indefinitely

Standalone DOS executable, input via command line. First two chars are numerator / denominator, followed by input string.

(note: program slightly altered to only repeat 3 times for screenshots)

Answer 8

Python 3.8 (pre-release), 48 47 bytes

Saved a byte thanks to Dion

def f(t,a,b):
 while 1:print((t+'\n')*a+'\n'*b)

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t is the text to print, a:b is the ratio of lines of text to empty lines.

Answer 9

Jelly, 9 bytes

Ø.x⁹ẋṄ€1¿

A full program accepting the ratio as a list [empty, full] and the string which prints forever.

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How?

Ø.x⁹ẋṄ€1¿ - Main Link: list of integers, ratio ([empty, full]); list of characters, text
                                e.g.: [3, 2]; "Hello, world!"
Ø.        - bits                      [0, 1]
  x       - times (ratio)             [0, 0, 0, 1, 1]
   ⁹      - chain's right argument    "Hello, world!"
    ẋ     - repeat (vecorises)        ["", "", "", "Hello, world!", "Hello, world!"]
        ¿ - while...
       1  - ...condition: 1 (always)
      €   - ...do: for each:
     Ṅ    -          print with trailing newline

Answer 10

Java (JDK), 58 bytes

(s,n,d)->{for(int i=0;;)System.out.println(i++%d<n?s:"");}

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Credits

• 4 bytes saved thanks to Kevin Cruijssen.

Answer 11

SNOBOL4 (CSNOBOL4), 100 88 87 bytes

	T =INPUT
	CODE('N' DUPL(';	OUTPUT =T',INPUT) DUPL(';	OUTPUT =',INPUT) ':(N)')	:(N)
END

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Takes input as TEXT, M, N on separate lines.

Using the CODE function, this generates an infinite loop of

N; OUTPUT =T; OUTPUT =T ...; OUTPUT =; OUTPUT =; ... :(N)

Or equivalently (with ; being replaced by newlines):

N
 OUTPUT =T
 OUTPUT =T
 ...
 OUTPUT =
 OUTPUT =
 ...
 OUTPUT =:(N)

Which it then enters with the final :(N) and never leaves.

Answer 12

Batch, 87 bytes

@set f=@for /l %%i in (1,1,
@set/ps=
:g
%f%%1)do @echo(%s%
%f%%2)do @echo(
@goto g

Takes the text and blank line counts as command line arguments and the text to repeat on standard input. Explanation:

@set f=@for /l %%i in (1,1,

Define what is effectively a macro for two very similar loops.

@set/ps=

Input the text.

:g

Begin an infinite loop.

%f%%1)do @echo(%s%

Print the text the desired number of times.

%f%%2)do @echo(

Print the desired number of blank lines.

@goto g

Rinse and repeat.

Answer 13

05AB1E, 8 bytes

[s`¶×?F=

First input is the text, second input is a pair [amount_of_nonempty_lines, amount_of_empty_lines]; outputs the empty lines before the non-empty lines.

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Explanation:

[         # Start an infinite loop:
 s        #  Swap the two (implicit) inputs, so the pair it at the top of the stack
  `       #  Pop and push its contents to the stack
   ¶×     #  Repeat a newline character "\n" the top value amount of times as string
     ?    #  Pop and output it without trailing newline
      F   #  Pop and loop the top value amount of times:
       =  #   And output the top string with trailing newline (without popping)

Answer 14

R, 48 47 bytes

Edit: -1 byte thanks to Giuseppe

function(t,c)repeat cat(rep(c(t,''),c),sep='
')

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Function with arguments specifying text t and vector c of counts of text & blank lines.

Answer 15

Husk, 8 bytes

~o¢+RøR⁰

Try it online! This program takes the string, the number of lines with text, and the number of lines without text as three separate arguments.

Answer 16

JavaScript (V8), 40 bytes

Expects (p, q)(s), where \$p/q\$ is the fraction of lines that have the string \$s\$ in them.

This runs until the call stack overflows.

(p,q,t=0)=>g=s=>print(t++%q<p?s:'')&g(s)

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Answer 17

Assembly (MIPS, SPIM), 236 bytes, 6 * 23 = 138 assembled bytes

Full program that takes the input in the order (input string, numerator, denominator). Output is to STDOUT.

.data
m:
.text
main:li$v0,8
la$a0,m
li$a1,99
syscall
li$v0,5
syscall
move$t0,$v0
li$v0,5
syscall
move$t1,$v0
s:li$t2,0
li$v0,4
la$a0,m
l:syscall
add$t2,$t2,1
blt$t2,$t0,l
li$t2,0
li$a0,10
li$v0,11
p:syscall
add$t2,$t2,1
blt$t2,$t1,p
b s

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Explanation

.data
msg:                            # Here's the string input buffer (dynamically allocated)

.text
main:
    li $v0, 8                   # Set syscall code 8
    la $a0, msg                 # The first operand is the input buffer
    li $a1, 99                  # The second is the maximum length of input

    syscall                     # Read a line of characters from input

    li $v0, 5                   # Set syscall code 5
    syscall                     # v0 = integer from input
    move $t0, $v0               # t0 = v0

    li $v0, 5                   # Re-set syscall code 5
    syscall                     # v0 = integer from input
    move $t1, $v0               # t1 = v0

    start:                      # Main loop:
        li $t2, 0               #     t2 = 0 (our counter)

        li $v0, 4               #     Set syscall code 4
        la $a0, msg             #     First operand: the inputted message at msg
        loop:                   #     loop:
            syscall             #         Print the message at msg
            add $t2, $t2, 1     #         Increment counter
            blt $t2, $t0, loop  #         If t2 < t0, jump back

        li $t2, 0               #     Clear counter

        li $v0, 11              #     Set syscall code 11
        li $a0, 10              #     First operand: '\n'

        lop:                    #     second loop:
            syscall             #         Print character in a0
            add $t2, $t2, 1     #         Increment counter
            blt $t2, $t1, lop   #         if t2 < t1, jump back

        b start                 #     Jump back to the main loop

Answer 18

Wolfram Language (Mathematica), 35 bytes

Do[Print@If[i>#2,#,""],∞,{i,#3}]&

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Takes [text, num, denom], where num/denom is the ratio of lines without text.

Answer 19

SimpleTemplate 0.84, 99 bytes

Yes, it is quite long, but it works!

{@callexplode intoM":",argv.1}{@while1}{@forfrom 1toM.0}{@echolargv.0}{@/}{@forfrom 1toM.1}{@echol}

Takes input in the form of an array with the format ['text', '1:1'].

---

If taking input as 2 separate numbers (['text', 1, 1]) is acceptable, the code can be reduced to this (66 bytes):

{@forfrom 1toargv.1}{@echolargv.0}{@/}{@forfrom 1toargv.2}{@echol}

---

Ungolfed:

Below is a more readable version of the top code:

{@call explode into ratio ":", argv.0}
{@while true}
    {@for i from 1 to ratio.0}
        {@echo argv.0, EOL}
    {@/}
    {@for i from 1 to ratio.1}
        {@echo EOL}
    {@/}
{@/}

Notice that {@echol} and {@echo EOL} do the same thing: output whatever, ending with a newline.

---

You an try it on: http://sandbox.onlinephpfunctions.com/code/abf48bd44a808e91f130d4a390fcb8a18d6ded39

Answer 20

PHP, 52 51 bytes

for($a=$argv;;)echo($i++%$a[3]<$a[2]?$a[1]:"")."
";

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Nothing new under the sun: PHP arguments and vars prefix eating bytes.. Will go on "forever" (until it overflows the max integer value, and starts using floats for $i, then probably the legendary precision for big floats will cause inconsistent results)

EDIT: newline replaced by.. a newline to save 1 byte