FourStrings | Topcoder Archive

Problem Statement

We have four Strings: a, b, c, and d.

A superstring of our four strings is any string S such that each of the four strings occurs somewhere in S as a contiguous substring. Note that some superstrings of our four strings always exist.
For example, the string S = a+b+c+d is obviously a superstring of a, b, c, and d.

Find and return the length of the shortest superstring of a, b, c, and d.

Definition

Class:: FourStrings
Method:: shortestLength
Parameters:: String, String, String, String
Returns:: int
Method signature:: int shortestLength(String a, String b, String c, String d)
(be sure your method is public)

Constraints

a will contain between 1 and 10 characters, inclusive.
b will contain between 1 and 10 characters, inclusive.
c will contain between 1 and 10 characters, inclusive.
d will contain between 1 and 10 characters, inclusive.
Each character in a will be a lowercase English letter ('a'-'z').
Each character in b will be a lowercase English letter ('a'-'z').
Each character in c will be a lowercase English letter ('a'-'z').
Each character in d will be a lowercase English letter ('a'-'z').

Examples

```
"abc"
```
```
"ab"
```
```
"bc"
```
```
"b"
```
```
Returns: 3
```
The shortest superstring in this test case is the string "abc". Note that each of the other three strings occurs in "abc" as a contiguous substring.
```
"a"
```
```
"bc"
```
```
"def"
```
```
"ghij"
```
```
Returns: 10
```
In this case, one possible shortest superstring is "abcdefghij".
```
"top"
```
```
"coder"
```
```
"opco"
```
```
"pcode"
```
```
Returns: 8
```
S = "topcoder"

"thereare"

"arelots"

"lotsof"

"ofcases"

Returns: 19

```
"aba"
```
```
"b"
```
```
"b"
```
```
"b"
```
```
Returns: 3
```
```
"x"
```
```
"x"
```
```
"x"
```
```
"x"
```
```
Returns: 1
```

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