Simplified TimSort Implementation for Educational Purposes

[Kalkwst]

This PR introduces a simplified version of the TimSort algorithm, written in C#. The primary goal is to provide a basic and easy-to-understand implementation of TimSort, which can serve as an educational reference. This version is stripped of the more advanced optimizations (such as galloping mode and dynamic temp array management) and focuses purely on the core principles of TimSort: splitting the array into small runs, sorting these runs with insertion sort, and merging the sorted runs using a basic merge sort.

Key Features:

• Insertion Sort for Small Runs: Handles small sections of the array using insertion sort, which is efficient for small data sets.
• Basic Merge Function: Merges two adjacent sorted subarrays to maintain the order, using simple array copying.
• MIN_RUN Constant: Defines the minimum size of a run (set to 32) before applying merge sort.

Rationale:

The current implementation of TimSort in this repository is a direct port of the TimSort algorithm used in the Java Development Kit (JDK). You can refer to the original JDK implementation here. While this JDK-based implementation is highly optimized, it can be difficult to understand for learners or contributors new to sorting algorithms or TimSort in particular.

This basic implementation will be retained in the repository as a learning tool. It is intended to complement the more sophisticated implementation already in place by providing a stepping stone for beginners.

Future Work:

I plan to follow up with a significant refactoring of the existing JDK-based TimSort implementation. The goals of this refactor are to:

• Improve readability and maintainability.

• Make the codebase more accessible and friendly for learners.

• Retain the high-performance characteristics of the original implementation while simplifying complex logic for better comprehension.

• I have performed a self-review of my code

• My code follows the style guidelines of this project

• I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my feature works

• New and existing unit tests pass locally with my changes

• Comments in areas I changed are up to date

• I have added comments to hard-to-understand areas of my code

• I have made corresponding changes to the README.md

[codecov]

Codecov Report

Attention: Patch coverage is 98.27586% with 1 line in your changes missing coverage. Please review.

Project coverage is 95.01%. Comparing base (ab2b5cc) to head (5f9fe93).
Report is 1 commits behind head on master.

Files with missing lines	Patch %	Lines
Algorithms/Sorters/Comparison/BasicTimSorter.cs	98.27%	0 Missing and 1 partial ⚠️

Additional details and impacted files

@@            Coverage Diff             @@
##           master     #471      +/-   ##
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+ Coverage   94.99%   95.01%   +0.01%     
==========================================
  Files         242      243       +1     
  Lines       10228    10286      +58     
  Branches     1453     1464      +11     
==========================================
+ Hits         9716     9773      +57     
  Misses        395      395              
- Partials      117      118       +1     

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[Kalkwst]

Well something went really wrong here!

[siriak]

Looks good, thanks!