Lexicographically Smallest String Microsoft OA 2023

Microsoft OA 2023 Question Lexicographically Smallest String. We provide solution to Microsoft Online Assessment Questions and do check out our Microsoft OA 2023 Questions List below.

Lexicographically Smallest String Microsoft OA Solution

Lexicographically smallest string formed by removing at most one character.

Example 1:

Input: abczd

Output: abcd

Also See: Amazon OA Online Assessment 2023 Questions and Answers

SOLUTION

Program: Lexicographically Smallest String Solution in C++

By definition of lexicographical order each next string is larger
than the previous one А < АА < ААА < АAB < ААC < АB < B < … < ZZZ

Since we could only remove one character, we should remove the first char
we meet that is greater than the next from left to right.
In this case our string will be lexicographically smallest.

May be it looks more clear on numbers. Let us have a number 1324,
we should remove 3 in order to make it smallest.
Or let us have a number 389575, it is obvious we should remove 9 to make it smallest.

#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
using namespace std;
string solution(const string &s) {
    int i = 0, s_size = s.size();
    string result(s);
    for (; i < s_size - 1; ++i) {
        if (s[i] > s[i + 1]) {
            break;
        }
    }
    result.erase(i, 1);
    return result;
}
int main() {
    cout << "Result: " << solution("bba") << " Expected: ba" << endl;
    cout << "Result: " << solution("abczd") << " Expected: abcd" << endl;
    cout << "Result: " << solution("abcdz") << " Expected: abcd" << endl;
    return 0;
}

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