Check if word is valid after substitutions

Time: O(N); Space: O(N); medium

We are given that the string “abc” is valid.

From any valid string V, we may split V into two pieces X and Y such that X + Y (X concatenated with Y) is equal to V. (X or Y may be empty.) Then, X + “abc” + Y is also valid.

If for example S = “abc”, then examples of valid strings are: “abc”, “aabcbc”, “abcabc”, “abcabcababcc”.

Examples of invalid strings are: “abccba”, “ab”, “cababc”, “bac”.

Return true if and only if the given string S is valid.

Example 1:

Input: s = “aabcbc”

Output: True

Explanation:

  • We start with the valid string “abc”.

Then we can insert another “abc” between “a” and “bc”, resulting in “a” + “abc” + “bc” which is “aabcbc”.

Example 2:

Input: s = “abcabcababcc”

Output: True

Explanation:

“abcabcabc” is valid after consecutive insertings of “abc”.

Then we can insert “abc” before the last letter, resulting in “abcabcab” + “abc” + “c” which is “abcabcababcc”.

Example 3:

Input: s = “abccba”

Output: False

Example 4:

Input: s = “cababc”

Output: False

Constraints:

  1. 1 <= len(S) <= 20000

  2. S[i] is ‘a’, ‘b’, or ‘c’

[1]:
class Solution1(object):
    def isValid(self, S):
        """
        :type S: str
        :rtype: bool
        """
        stack = []
        for i in S:
            if i == 'c':
                if stack[-2:] == ['a', 'b']:
                    stack.pop()
                    stack.pop()
                else:
                    return False
            else:
                stack.append(i)
        return not stack
[3]:
sol = Solution1()
s = "aabcbc"
assert sol.isValid(s) == True
s = "abcabcababcc"
assert sol.isValid(s) == True
s = "abccba"
assert sol.isValid(s) == False
s = "cababc"
assert sol.isValid(s) == False