Maze Solver

A Rust-based maze solver that demonstrates depth-first search (DFS) and breadth-first search (BFS) using custom stack and queue implementations.
The program loads mazes from .txt files, visualizes the solving process in the terminal with colored output, and shows whether each maze can be solved.

Features

• Parse and validate maze definitions from text files.
• Solve mazes using:
  • Stack (DFS) via MyStack
  • Queue (BFS) via MyQueue
• Step-by-step animated visualization in the terminal:
  • @ → current position
  • + → visited squares
  • # → walls
  • . → open space
  • o → start
  • * → finish
• Modular design with traits (Agenda), generics, and custom data structures.

Project Structure

src/
├── main.rs # Entry point: loads mazes and runs solvers
├── location.rs # Maze coordinates and neighbor calculation
├── maze.rs # Maze parsing, solving, and visualization
├── maze_data_structures.rs # Agenda trait, stack, and queue implementations
└── square.rs # Maze cell definitions (wall, open, start, finish)
mazes/ # Place your maze .txt files here

Requirements

• Rust (latest stable)
• A terminal that supports ANSI escape codes for colored output (e.g., most Linux/macOS terminals, or Windows Terminal)

Setup & Usage

1. Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/EyeBrawler/maze-solver.git
cd maze-solver

2. Add your maze files in the mazes/ folder.

Each maze file must:

• Start with two integers: width height
• Followed by exactly height rows of width characters
• Valid characters:
  • # → wall
  • . → open
  • o→ start
  • *→ finish

Example (mazes/example.txt):

7 5
#######
#o...*#
#.#.#.#
#.....#
#######

3. Run the solver:

cargo run

4. The program will:

• Load each .txt maze in mazes/
• Solve it once with a stack (DFS)
• Solve it again with a queue (BFS)

Example Output

Loading maze from file: "mazes/example.txt"
Maze loaded successfully!
Solved with a stack: true
Solved with a queue: true

Technologies Used

• Rust → safe systems programming
• Traits & Generics → reusable solver interface (Agenda)
• Custom Data Structures → MyStack (DFS) and MyQueue (BFS)
• HashSet → track visited locations
• ANSI terminal colors via colored

License

This project is for educational purposes. Feel free to fork and modify.