Omid - Challenge 185

data-challenges
advanced-exercises
🔰 Result Question Date ID XM-XX12 IXXXM3X 87X X8X9X1
Published

March 24, 2026

Illustration for Omid - Challenge 185

Challenge Description

🔰 Result Question Date ID XM-XX12 IXXXM3X 87X X8X9X1

Solutions

library(tidyverse)
library(readxl)

path = "files/CH-185 Replace consecutive X.xlsx"
input = read_excel(path, range = "C2:D10")
test  = read_excel(path, range = "F2:G10")

result = input %>%
  mutate(ID = str_replace_all(ID, "[Xx]+", "X"))

all.equal(result, test)
#> [1] TRUE

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook ranges needed for the challenge

    • Builds the intermediate columns that drive the final result

    • Parses the text patterns directly instead of relying on manual cleanup

  • Strengths:

    • The R solution stays close to the workbook rule and keeps the transformation compact.

  • Areas for Improvement:

    • The code assumes the sheet structure and source ranges remain stable.

  • Gem:

    • The strongest part of the solution is choosing the right intermediate representation before shaping the final output.
import pandas as pd
import re

path = "CH-185 Replace consecutive X.xlsx"
input = pd.read_excel(path,usecols="C:D", skiprows=1, nrows=9)
test = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="F:G", skiprows=1, nrows=9).rename(columns=lambda x: x.split('.')[0])

input['ID'] = [re.sub(r'[Xx]+', 'X', str(x)) for x in input['ID']]

print(input.equals(test))

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook ranges needed for the challenge

    • Parses the text patterns directly instead of relying on manual cleanup

    • Applies the rule iteratively until the output stabilizes

  • Strengths:

    • The Python version follows the same rule in a direct dataframe-oriented implementation.

  • Areas for Improvement:

    • The code assumes the workbook layout remains stable, so any sheet redesign would require small adjustments.

  • Gem:

    • The implementation stays close to the original workbook rule instead of adding unnecessary abstraction.

Difficulty Level

This task is moderate:

  • The core logic is clear, but the correct transformation pattern is not obvious from the raw input.

  • The challenge combines multiple reshaping, grouping, or parsing steps.