CodingHardcod-g379

Subject String parsingLevel Mid–Senior~30 minCommon in Algorithms & data structures interviewsIndustries Software development

Question

Implement a basic calculator that evaluates a string expression. The expression contains non-negative integers, '+', '-', '(' , ')', and spaces. Unary minus does not occur (every '-' is binary). Return the integer result. 1 <= len(s) <= 3*10^5 and the expression is always valid; the result fits in a signed 32-bit-safe range for these tests.

Implement

basic_calculator(s: str) → int

Examples

in["(1+(4+5+2)-3)+(6+8)"]out23

What a strong answer looks like

State your approach and its time/space complexity out loud before you optimize. Handle the edge cases (empty input, duplicates, overflow), and say why you chose this over the brute force. Green tests are the floor, not the grade.

Learn the concepts

Vibe coding: describe the solution in plain language (or narrate it) and the coach grades your approach. Generating runnable code from your description is coming next.

Run or narrate your approach, then ask the coach.