Text justification algorithm leetcode

okay, let's delve into the text justification algorithm, a classic problem often encountered on leetcode and in coding interviews. i'll provide a comprehensive guide with explanations, code examples (python), and a breakdown of the logic involved.

**problem statement (leetcode 68: text justification)**

given an array of strings `words` and a width `maxwidth`, format the text such that each line has exactly `maxwidth` characters and is fully (left and right) justified.

you should pack your words in a greedy approach; that is, pack as many words as you can in each line. pad extra spaces `' '` when necessary so that each line has exactly `maxwidth` characters.

extra spaces between words should be distributed as evenly as possible. if the number of spaces on a line does not divide evenly between words, the empty slots on the left will be assigned more spaces than the slots on the right.

for the last line of text, it should be left justified, and no extra space is inserted between words.

**example:**

**understanding the problem**

the key to solving this problem lies in understanding the justification rules:

1. **greedy packing:** fit as many words as possible onto a single line before moving to the next.
2. **full justification (except last line):** distribute spaces evenly between words to reach `maxwidth`. if the spaces cannot be divided evenly, the left slots get more spaces than the right.
3. **left justification (last line):** left-align the words, placing single spaces between them, and padding the remaining space at the end.

**algorithm**

here's a step-by-step breakdown of the algorithm:

1. **line construction:**
- iterate through the `words` array.
- for each word, check if adding it to the current line would exceed `maxwidth`.
- if it doesn't exceed, add the word to the line.
- if it does exceed, process the current line and start a new line with the current word.

2. **justification:**
- **non-last line justification:**
- ca ...

#TextJustification #LeetCode #AlgorithmChallenges

text justification
algorithm
LeetCode
string manipulation
right alignment
left alignment
formatting
word wrapping
whitespace management
greedy algorithm
dynamic programming
output formatting
text processing
coding challenge
programming interview