Encode and Decode Strings
Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Encode and Decode Strings' problem.
Problem Statement
Design an algorithm to encode a list of strings to a single string. The encoded string is then decoded back to the original list of strings.
Implement two functions:
- encode(strs: List[str]) -> str — Encodes a list of strings to a single string.
- decode(s: str) -> List[str] — Decodes a single string back to the original list of strings.
The encoded string should be able to handle any possible characters in the input strings, including special characters and empty strings.
- •0 <= len(strs) <= 200
- •0 <= len(strs[i]) <= 200
- •strs[i] can contain any possible characters (0-255)
Examples
strs = ["hello", "world"]
["hello", "world"]
The list is encoded into a single string and then decoded back to the original list ["hello", "world"].
strs = [""]
[""]
A list containing a single empty string is encoded and decoded correctly.
strs = ["we", "say", ":", "yes"]
["we", "say", ":", "yes"]
Special characters like ":" are handled correctly during encoding and decoding.
Need a Hint?
Edge Cases to Watch
- Empty input structures
- Single element inputs
- Large numerical bounds
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