"Convenient palindrome" checker

GolfScript, 107 91

.4:ab-1:ba=;1
%ba%{...fi@@=
c43.=;)('"([{
}])"'~?~'"([{
}])"')(;=.34c
=@@if...}%ab%
1;=ab:1-ba:4.

Newlines are artistic. fi, c43 and c are noops, but the entire code is executed.

Prints -3-1-1 for convenient palindromes, -4-1-1 otherwise. Try it online!

Alternate version, 155 bytes

At the cost of 64 bytes, this can be improved upon:

0!*1{!}\;:);0:f;0:i;-1:ab;9:ba;
...=;1%ab%{....i@f@@fi@@=@.=@\)
+""'"([{}])"'~+?+~'"([{}])"'""+
(\@=.@=@@if@@f@i....}%ba%1;=...
;ab:9;ba:1-;i:0;f:0;(:;\{!}1*!0

As before, the entire code is executed and every single byte affects the output.

Prints 010 for convenient palindromes, -100 otherwise. Try it online!

Tests and examples

$ base64 > palindrome.gs -d <<< LjQ6YWItMTpiYT07MSViYSV7Li4uZmlAQD1jNDMuPTspKCciKFt7fV0pIid+P34nIihbe31dKSInKSg7PS4zNGM9QEBpZi4uLn0lYWIlMTs9YWI6MS1iYTo0Lg==
$ wc -c palindrome.gs
91 palindrome.gs
$ rev palindrome.gs | tr '([{}])' ')]}{[(' | diff - palindrome.gs
$ echo -n 'r(a[c{"e"}c]a)r' | golfscript palindrome.gs
-3-1-1
$ echo -n 'totallynotapalindrome' | golfscript palindrome.gs
-4-1-1
$
$ base64 > pal.gs -d <<< MCEqMXshfVw7Oik7MDpmOzA6aTstMTphYjs5OmJhOy4uLj07MSVhYiV7Li4uLmlAZkBAZmlAQD1ALj1AXCkrIiInIihbe31dKSInfis/K34nIihbe31dKSInIiIrKFxAPS5APUBAaWZAQGZAaS4uLi59JWJhJTE7PS4uLjthYjo5O2JhOjEtO2k6MDtmOjA7KDo7XHshfTEqITA=
$ wc -c pal.gs
155 pal.gs
$ rev pal.gs | tr '([{}])' ')]}{[(' | diff - pal.gs
$ echo -n 'r(a[c{"e"}c]a)r' | golfscript pal.gs
010
$ echo -n 'totallynotapalindrome' | golfscript pal.gs
-100
$ for i in {1..154}; do head -c $i pal.gs > tmp.gs; tail -c +$[i+2] pal.gs >> tmp.gs
> [ "$(echo -n 'r(a[c{"e"}c]a)r' | golfscript tmp.gs 2> /dev/null)" = "010" ] && echo $i
> done; rm tmp.gs
1
for i in {1..154}; do head -c $i pal.gs > tmp.gs; tail -c +$[i+2] pal.gs >> tmp.gs
>  [ "$(echo -n '42' | golfscript tmp.gs 2> /dev/null)" = "-100" ] && echo $i
> done | grep '^1$'; rm tmp.gs

How it works

.             # Duplicate the input string.
4:ab-1:ba     # Save 4 in “ab” and -1 in “ba”.
=;            # Compare 4 to -1 and discard the result.
1%            # Save every element from the input string in a new string.
ab%           # Reverse the input string.
{             # For each character in the input string:
  ...         # Duplicate the character thrice.
  fi          # Variable “fi” is undefined; this does nothing.
  @@=         # Verify that the character is equal to itself; push 1.
  c43         # Variable “c43” is undefined; this does nothing.
  .=;         # Verify that 1 is equal to itself and discard the result.
  )(          # Increment and decrement the character.
  '"([{}])"'~ # Push that string and evaluate it. Result: '([{}])'
  ?           # Retrieve the character's position in '([{}])'. -1 means not found.
  ~           # Negate the position.. Examples: -1 -> 0    0 -> -1    2 -> -3
  '"([{}])"') # Push that string and pop its last element. Result: '"([{}])' 34
  (;          # Decrement 34 (the ASCII code of a double quote) and discard.
  =           # Retrieve the corresponding character.
  .34         # Duplicate the character and push 34.
  c           # Variable “c” is undefined; this does nothing.
  =           # If the character is a double quote, the index was -1.
  @@if        # In that case, replace the double quote with the original character.
  ...         # Duplicate the new character thrice.
}%            #
ab%           # Save every fourth element in a new string to discard dummy values.
1;            # Push 1 and discard.
=             # Push 1 if the modified string matches the original, 0 otherwise.
ab:1-         # Save 4 in “1” and subtract.
ba:4.         # Save -1 in “4” and duplicate.

0!*           # Pop and push the input string.
1{!}\;:);     # Make “)” an alias for “!”.
0:f;0:i;      # Variables.
-1:ab;9:ba;   # Moar variables.
...=;         # Duplicate the input string.
1%ab%         # Reverse the copy.
{             # For each character in the input string:
  ....        # Duplicate the character four times.
  i@          # Push 0 and rotate a string copy on top of it.
  f@@fi@@     # Push 0 and rotate 0 on top of it.
  =@          # Push 1 and rotate a string copy on top of it.
  .=@         # Push 1 and rotate 1 on top of it.
  \)+         # Negate a 1 and add. Result: 1
  ""          # Push that string.
  '"([{}])"'  # Push that string.
   ~+         # Evaluate the second string and concatenate. Result: '([{}])'
   ?          # Retrieve the characters position in '([{}])'. -1 means not found.
   +~         # Add 1 to the position and negate. Ex.: -1 -> -1 | 0 -> -2 | 1 -> -3
  '"([{}])"'  # Push that string.
  ""          # Push that string.
  +           # Concatenate. Result: '"([{}])"' 
  (\          # Pop the first double quote and swap it with the rest of the string.
  @=.         # Retrieve the corresponding character and duplicate it.
  @=          # If the character is a double quote, the index was -1.
  @@if        # In that case, replace the double quote with the original character.
  @@          # Rotate the modified character to the bottom.
  f@i....     # Push dummy values.
  }%          #
  ba%         # Save every ninth element in a new string to discard dummy values.
  1;          # Push 1 and discard.
  =           # Push 1 if the modified string matches the original, 0 otherwise.
  ...;        # Duplicate thrice and discard the last copy.
  ab:9;ba:1-; # Variables.
  i:0;f:0;    # Moar variables.
  (:;\        # Negate, override “;” and swap.
  {!}1*!0     # Negate twice and push 0.

J (60)

(|.-:'())([]][{}}{'&charsub) :: (busrahc&'}{{}][[])(()':-.|)

This is a function that takes an argument:

   (|.-:'())([]][{}}{'&charsub) :: (busrahc&'}{{}][[])(()':-.|) 'ingirumimusnocte)etconsumimurigni'
0
   (|.-:'())([]][{}}{'&charsub) :: (busrahc&'}{{}][[])(()':-.|) '(a)(bb)(a)'
1

Explanation:

• f :: g runs the function f over the input, and returns the result if it returns without error. If f fails, it runs g instead.

• The f here is (|.-:'())([]][{}}{'&charsub), which does the actual work:

  • |.: reverse
  • -:: is equal to
  • '())([]][{}}{'&charsub: replacing each bracket with its opposing bracket
• The g function is (busrahc&'}{{}][[])(()':-.|), which is nonsense but syntactically valid. busrahc is not defined, but that doesn't matter because it is only resolved when it is run (and it won't run).

Ruby, 110

(z=gets;r=z.tr *["([{}])",")]}{[("];p *z==r.reverse;1)||(1;esrever.r==z* p;[")]}{[(","([{}])"]* rt.z=r;steg=z)

Prints true if the input is a convenient palindrome and false if it isn't. Note that this solution assumes that the input isn't terminated by a newline, so test it with echo -n:

echo -n '(a)(bb)(a)' | ruby convpal.rb
true

echo -n '(a)(bb()a(' | ruby convpal.rb
false

# note that for this to work, the file must not contain a newline
# to remove a trailing newline, pipe it through tr -d $'\n'
cat convpal.rb | ruby convpal.rb
true

This is a somewhat straightforward port of my answer to Palindromic Palindrome Checker (and not really golfed so far). The main trick used is that the first parenthesised expression always returns 1, so the second half of the boolean expression is never evaluated (but it is parsed).

The only difficulty in adapting this was figuring out how to add the call to z.tr so that its "convenient reverse" would also be syntactically valid - but I could simply use the same trick I already used puts: *, which in the first half is parsed as splat operator (use array contents as function parameters) and as array multiplication (or repitition) operator in the second half.

Ruby, 157 297, all code executed

w=tsoh=gets p
o=rt=esrever=Gem
q=tsoh.tr *["([{}])",")]}{[("]
q==esrever.host=w=tsoh.reverse==q
[")]}{[(","([{}])"]* rt.host=q
meG=reverse=tr=o
p steg=host=w

This (slightly longer) version executes all code, and all but two lines affect the output, which is printed in the last line - but all lines are parsed and executed without any errors. This version interprets any trailing newline as part of the input, so use either echo -n to test it, or prepend your input with a newline. It prints true if the input is a convenient palindrome, and false otherwise.

Explanation

# Read the input by calling gets(nil), which is achieved by passing the return
# value of a call to Kernel#p (which returns nil if no argument is supplied) to
# gets.
w=tsoh=gets p
# Assign the global Gem module to three variables.
# The variable names are the reversed names of methods we have to call later.
# This doesn't necessarily have to be the Gem module, any global module/variable
# (or class that allows object creation through a call to the module itself,
# e.g. Hash or GC) with a writable property would do, but Gem#host was
# the shortest one I could find. This is necessary because Ruby doesn't
# allow setting previously undefined properties through the dot syntax.
o=rt=esrever=Gem
# Replace the parentheses with the corresponding flipped one.
# sserts is the reverse of the property name we're going to use later.
q=tsoh.tr *["([{}])",")]}{[("]
# Do the convinient palindrome check and assign its result to a few variables
# and Gem's host property.
q==esrever.host=w=tsoh.reverse==q
# Here, the * is parsed as array join operator.
[")]}{[(","([{}])"]* rt.host=q
# Nothing special here.
meG=reverse=tr=o
# Print the result of the palindrome check, which was stored in w.
p steg=host=w