Valid Parentheses
Problem
Read one line made only of the characters ( ) [ ] { }. Print true if every opening bracket is closed by the same kind of bracket in the correct order, else false.
Constraints
- 1 <= length <= 10^5
Examples
Input
([]){}Output
true
Input
(]
Output
false
Solutions
The last opened bracket must be closed first (last in, first out). That is exactly what a stack does.
/*
* Problem : Process one line of text.
* Input : One line of text.
* Output : true or false.
* Approach: Use a stack.
* Time : O(n)
* Space : O(n)
* Java : 8 or newer.
*/
import java.util.Scanner;
public class Main {
// This method solves the task. It receives the input and returns the answer.
static boolean solve(String s) {
// Step 1: A stack keeps the opening brackets that are still waiting for a partner.
java.util.ArrayDeque<Character> stack = new java.util.ArrayDeque<>();
for (char c : s.toCharArray()) {
// Step 2: An opening bracket goes on the stack.
if (c == '(' || c == '[' || c == '{') {
stack.push(c);
} else {
// Step 3: A closing bracket needs an opening bracket on top of the stack.
if (stack.isEmpty()) {
return false;
}
char open = stack.pop();
// Step 4: The pair must have the same kind.
if ((c == ')' && open != '(') || (c == ']' && open != '[') || (c == '}' && open != '{')) {
return false;
}
}
}
// Step 5: At the end nothing may be left waiting.
return stack.isEmpty();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
String s = scanner.hasNextLine() ? scanner.nextLine() : "";
System.out.println(solve(s));
}
}
Hints (1)
- Which bracket must be closed first?