Using list of characters instead of a string for Problem 24.8 #151

epi_judge_python_solutions/left_right_justify_text.py

@@ -5,20 +5,26 @@
 
 def justify_text(words: List[str], L: int) -> List[str]:
 
+    # Join a list of lists of characters to list of strings
+    def get_strings(curr_line):
+        return [''.join(word) for word in curr_line]
+
     curr_line_length, result = 0, []
-    curr_line: List[str] = []
+    curr_line: List[List[str]] = []
     for word in words:
         if curr_line_length + len(word) + len(curr_line) > L:
             # Distribute equally between words in curr_line.
             for i in range(L - curr_line_length):
-                curr_line[i % max(len(curr_line) - 1, 1)] += ' '
-            result.append(''.join(curr_line))
+                curr_line[i % max(len(curr_line) - 1, 1)].append(' ')
+            # Join the list of strings to a string
+            result.append(''.join(get_strings(curr_line)))
             curr_line, curr_line_length = [], 0
-        curr_line.append(word)
+        # Add word as list of characters to avoid extra time complexity
+        # of string concatenation while padding with spaces
+        curr_line.append(list(word))
         curr_line_length += len(word)
     # Use ljust(L) to pad the last line with the appropriate number of blanks.
-    return result + [' '.join(curr_line).ljust(L)]
-
+    return result + [' '.join(get_strings(curr_line)).ljust(L)]
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     exit(