Omid - Challenge 189

data-challenges
advanced-exercises
🔰 Question First Name Middle Name Last Name Pattern John Paul Smith
Published

March 24, 2026

Illustration for Omid - Challenge 189

Challenge Description

🔰 Question First Name Middle Name Last Name Pattern John Paul Smith

Solutions

library(tidyverse)
library(readxl)

path = "CH-189 Combining the columns.xlsx"
input = read_excel(path, range = "B2:E7")
test  = read_excel(path, range = "H2:H7")

result = input %>%
  mutate(Pattern = trimws(Pattern)) %>%
  separate_rows(Pattern, sep = "") %>%
  mutate(repl = case_when(
    Pattern == "F" ~ `First Name`,
    Pattern == "L" ~ `Last Name`,
    Pattern == "M" ~ `Middle Name`,
    TRUE ~ Pattern
  )) %>%
  summarise(`Custom Format` = paste(repl, collapse = ""), .by = `First Name`)

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook ranges needed for the challenge

    • Aggregates or ranks values at the relevant grouping level

    • Builds the intermediate columns that drive the final result

  • 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

path = "CH-189 Combining the columns.xlsx"
input = pd.read_excel(path, usecols="B:E", skiprows=1, nrows=6)

def replace_pattern(row):
    return ''.join(row['First Name'] if c == 'F' else row['Last Name'] if c == 'L' else row['Middle Name'] if c == 'M' else c for c in row['Pattern'].strip())

input['Custom Format'] = input.apply(replace_pattern, axis=1)
result = input.groupby('First Name')['Custom Format'].apply(''.join).reset_index()

print(result)

  • Logic:

    • Reads the workbook ranges needed for the challenge

    • Aggregates or ranks values at the relevant grouping level

    • 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 business rule is readable, but the workbook still requires careful implementation to reach the expected layout.