JoinedString | Topcoder Archive

Problem Statement

You are given a String[] words. Return the shortest String that contains all the words as substrings. If there are several possible answers, return the one that comes first lexicographically.

Definition

Class:: JoinedString
Method:: joinWords
Parameters:: String[]
Returns:: String
Method signature:: String joinWords(String[] words)
(be sure your method is public)

Constraints

words will contain between 1 and 12 elements, inclusive.
Each element of words will contain between 1 and 50 characters, inclusive.
Each element of words will consist of only uppercase letters ('A'-'Z').

Examples

```
{"BAB", "ABA"}
```
```
Returns: "ABAB"
```
There are two strings of length 4 that contain both given words: "ABAB" and "BABA". "ABAB" comes earlier lexicographically.

{"ABABA", "AKAKA", "AKABAS", "ABAKA"}

Returns: "ABABAKAKABAS"

{"AAA","BBB", "CCC", "ABC", "BCA", "CAB"}

Returns: "AAABBBCABCCC"

{"OFG", "SDOFGJTILM", "KBWNF", "YAAPO", "AWX", "VSEAWX", "DOFGJTIL", "YAA"}

Returns: "KBWNFSDOFGJTILMVSEAWXYAAPO"

{"NVCSKFLNVS", "HUFSPMRI", "FLNV", "KMQD", "RPJK", "NVSQORP", "UFSPMR", "AIHUFSPMRI"}

Returns: "AIHUFSPMRINVCSKFLNVSQORPJKMQD"

```
{"STRING", "RING"}
```
```
Returns: "STRING"
```

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