How should I practice Lexicographically Smallest K-Step Return Walk?

Start by reading the full statement, solve the visible examples, then compare the pattern against related Google onsite interview problems in FastPrep.

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FastPrep tags this as a Google onsite interview coding practice problem when the problem catalog has that company and stage context.

Problem · Matrix

Lexicographically Smallest K-Step Return Walk

● Hard

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Problem statement

You are given a nonempty rectangular grid grid and an integer k. Every cell is one of:

'.', a free cell;
'#', an obstacle that cannot be entered; or
'x', the unique free cell where the walk starts.

A move goes one cell down, left, right, or up without leaving the grid or entering an obstacle. Represent those moves with D, L, R, and U.

The problem statement continues

Pro

Examples

Example 1

grid = ["x.",".."]k = 2return = "DU"

DU moves down and then back up. It is smaller than the other two-step return RL.

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