amazon interview v1.c

/*

    amazon interview v1.c

Enter n = 6
*
*
* i=1       spaces=0
*
* i=2
******      spaces=0
-----*
-----*
-----* i=3      spaces=5        spaces=1*(n-1)=k*(n-1)  k=1
-----*
-----* i=4
-----******     spaces=5        spaces=1*(n-1)=k*(n-1)  k=1
----------*
----------*
----------* i=5     spaces=10   spaces=2*(n-1)=k*(n-1)  k=2
----------*
----------* i=6
----------******    spaces=10   spaces=2*(n-1)=k*(n-1)  k=2

This is stairs.
Algorithm, if input is n=6:

i
1: (odd), go down n-1=5 times with  0 spaces before (*)
2: (even), go right n=6 times (*)
3: (odd), go down n-1=5 times with  5 spaces before (*)
4: (even), go right n=6 times (*)
5: (odd), go down n-1=5 times with 10 spaces before (*)
6: (even), go right n=6 times (*)

*/


#include<stdio.h>

int main()
{
/*
    i   iterator for horizontal and vertical lines
    j   iterator for '*'
    s   iterator for spaces '-'
    n   number of horizontal and vertical lines
    k   multiplication factor to calculate spaces
    spaces  number of spaces to be printed
*/
    int i, j, s, n, k=0, spaces=0;

    printf("Enter n = ");
    scanf("%d",&n);

    if(n==1)    // n==1 is special case, exceptional case
    {
        printf("*");    // do that and
        return 0;       // exit

    }

                // now is n > 1
    for(i=1; i<=n; i++)
    {
        if ( i%2 == 0 ) // if i is even, print horizontal line
        {
            if(i>2)
            {
                for(s=0; s<spaces; s++) // put spaces before (*)
                {
                    printf("-");
                }
            }

            for(j=0; j<n; j++)  // go right n times(*)
            {
                printf("*");
            }
            printf("\n");           // new line
        }
        else            // if i is odd, print vertical line
        {
            if(i>2)
            {
                k++;
                spaces=k*(n-1); // calculate how meny spaces before (*)
            }

            for(j=0; j<n-1; j++)    // go down n-1 times with spaces before (*)
            {
                for(s=0; s<spaces; s++) // put spaces before (*)
                {
                    printf("-");
                }

                printf("*\n");
            }
        }
    }

    return 0;
}