decoding a character array [closed] - c++

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Given a character array in a URL format like
char *s="www.google.com\tsp finite.aspx"
While decoding it space should be replaced by %20 and thus the string becomes:
char *s="www.google.com\tsp%20finite.aspx"
We are not allowed to use a new character array but allowed to use some character variables for temporary use. Should not use any containers also. The array contains enough space to contain the decoded data so no need to worry about the more space to be taken.
I followed the Brute-Force mechanism where all the characters from the point of finding a space to the end of the array are to be swapped. But this is not the most efficient way to solve the problem.
Can any body tell me which is the best way (algorithm) to decrease the no. of swappings in order to acquire the solution.

Answer 1

I am assuming the string has been allocated using malloc
First calculate the number of spaces and the length of the string
Then the new length = old length + number of spaces * 2. Use realloc to expand the string.
The work backwards from the end and copy to the new length. When encountering space copy in %20 instead.

Answer 2

The main problem could be that swapping space with %20 will require moving the whole string 2 characters more .
Here's an idea :
Parse the whole string once, and count the number of spaces in the string
The new length of the array would be strlen(original) + 2*(nOfSpaces) (let's call it from now on NewLen)
Parse the whole string once again but starting backwards.
You will copy the previous string contents inside itself but at an offset until you hit a space
you will have a pointer starting at strlen(original) and one starting at NewLen
parse from strlen(original) backwards until you find a space (the substrLen will be subLen)
memcpy from [strlen(original)-curParsingindex] to [NewLen - curParsingIndex-2*(enteredSpaces)] sublen amount
Instead of copying the space, put %20 instead
This way you will avoid moving the string forward each time you hit a space.
Regarding step 4 , you might think about using a temporary variable for the sublen, since you might end up writing in the same memory zone by mistake (take an example where all the spaces are at the beginning).

Answer 3

This is a classic interview coding question; a good solution for this starts with a good interface for your solution. Something that works is:
char* replaceChar(char* in, char c)
char *in - string you want to decode
c - the char you want to replace with it's hexa value ASCII code ( HEX val ascii for ' ' is 0x20)
Pseudocode:
allocate a buffer the same size as the input buffer
get the index of the first occurrence of the char you want to replace (strcspn can help with that)
copy the content of the of the input up to the found index to the new buffer.
reallocate the new buffer size to newSize=oldSize+2
add % to the new string
repeat until you reach the end of the string.
return a pointer to the new string
You can also do it in place on the original string but that solution is a bit more complicated because you have to shift everything.

Answer 4

You can do it in two passes. The key idea is to first count the number of spaces and then move each character directly to its final position. In your approach you shift the remainder of the string at each occurrence of a space.
#include <stdio.h>
int main ()
{
char str[1000] = "www.example.com/hello world !";
int length;
int spaces;
int i;
char *ptr;
printf ("\"%s\"\n", str);
// pass 1:
// calculate length and count spaces
length = 0;
spaces = 0;
for (ptr = str; *ptr; ptr++) {
if (*ptr == ' ') {
spaces++;
}
length++;
}
// pass 2:
// transform string
// preserve terminating null character
ptr = str + length + 2 * spaces;
for (i = length; i >= 0; i--) {
char c = str[i];
if (c == ' ') {
*ptr-- = '0';
*ptr-- = '2';
*ptr-- = '%';
}
else {
*ptr-- = c;
}
}
printf ("\"%s\"\n", str);
return 0;
}