Solution: Simplify Path
Explore how to transform an absolute Unix-style file path into its simplified canonical form by leveraging stack data structures. Learn to handle current and parent directory references effectively, manage consecutive slashes, and reconstruct the path accurately. This lesson helps you understand the stack-based approach to solve path simplification problems commonly encountered in coding interviews.
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Statement
Given an absolute path for a Unix-style file system (always beginning with '/'), transform it into its simplified canonical form.
The Unix-style file system follows these rules:
A single period
'.'represents the current directory.A double period
'..'represents the parent directory.Multiple consecutive slashes (e.g.,
'//'or'///') are treated as a single slash'/'.Any sequence of periods that does not match the above rules is treated as a valid directory or file name (e.g.,
'...'and'....'are valid names).
The resulting canonical path must satisfy the following:
It must begin with a single slash
'/'.Directories must be separated by exactly one slash
'/'.It must not end with a trailing slash
'/', unless it is the root directory. ...