Leetcode #635: Design Log Storage System
In this guide, we solve Leetcode #635 Design Log Storage System in Python and focus on the core idea that makes the solution efficient.
You will see the intuition, the step-by-step method, and a clean Python implementation you can use in interviews.
Problem Statement
You are given several logs, where each log contains a unique ID and timestamp. Timestamp is a string that has the following format: Year:Month:Day:Hour:Minute:Second, for example, 2017:01:01:23:59:59.
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Medium
- Premium: Yes
- Tags: Design, Hash Table, String, Ordered Set
Intuition
Fast membership checks and value lookups are the heart of this problem, which makes a hash map the natural choice.
By storing what we have already seen (or counts/indexes), we can answer the question in one pass without backtracking.
Approach
Scan the input once, using the map to detect when the condition is satisfied and to update state as you go.
This keeps the solution linear while remaining easy to explain in an interview setting.
Steps:
- Initialize a hash map for seen items or counts.
- Iterate through the input, querying/updating the map.
- Return the first valid result or the final computed value.
Example
Input
["LogSystem", "put", "put", "put", "retrieve", "retrieve"]
[[], [1, "2017:01:01:23:59:59"], [2, "2017:01:01:22:59:59"], [3, "2016:01:01:00:00:00"], ["2016:01:01:01:01:01", "2017:01:01:23:00:00", "Year"], ["2016:01:01:01:01:01", "2017:01:01:23:00:00", "Hour"]]
Output
[null, null, null, null, [3, 2, 1], [2, 1]]
Explanation
LogSystem logSystem = new LogSystem();
logSystem.put(1, "2017:01:01:23:59:59");
logSystem.put(2, "2017:01:01:22:59:59");
logSystem.put(3, "2016:01:01:00:00:00");
// return [3,2,1], because you need to return all logs between 2016 and 2017.
logSystem.retrieve("2016:01:01:01:01:01", "2017:01:01:23:00:00", "Year");
// return [2,1], because you need to return all logs between Jan. 1, 2016 01:XX:XX and Jan. 1, 2017 23:XX:XX.
// Log 3 is not returned because Jan. 1, 2016 00:00:00 comes before the start of the range.
logSystem.retrieve("2016:01:01:01:01:01", "2017:01:01:23:00:00", "Hour");
Python Solution
class LogSystem:
def __init__(self):
self.logs = []
self.d = {
"Year": 4,
"Month": 7,
"Day": 10,
"Hour": 13,
"Minute": 16,
"Second": 19,
}
def put(self, id: int, timestamp: str) -> None:
self.logs.append((id, timestamp))
def retrieve(self, start: str, end: str, granularity: str) -> List[int]:
i = self.d[granularity]
return [id for id, ts in self.logs if start[:i] <= ts[:i] <= end[:i]]
# Your LogSystem object will be instantiated and called as such:
# obj = LogSystem()
# obj.put(id,timestamp)
# param_2 = obj.retrieve(start,end,granularity)
Complexity
The time complexity is O(n). The space complexity is O(n).
Edge Cases and Pitfalls
Watch for boundary values, empty inputs, and duplicate values where applicable. If the problem involves ordering or constraints, confirm the invariant is preserved at every step.
Summary
This Python solution focuses on the essential structure of the problem and keeps the implementation interview-friendly while meeting the constraints.