Solved LeetCode Problem #435 with Greedy Algorithm

4 attributes of scary code: 1. Feels needlessly complex. 2. Unclear intent. 3. No tests. 4. Buggy. 😬 This is a scary combo. It often means we're hesitant to touch it. Whoever does takes a big risk. Solution: 1. Create tests to cover the current working behavior. 2. Write a test that fails due to the buggy behavior. 3. Refactor to improve clarity, decomposing the code if necessary to improve the feedback loop and isolate the buggy section. 4. Make the test pass. How do you confront scary code in your projects? Drop your thoughts below! 👇 --- 👋 Join 28,000+ software engineers learning JavaScript, Software Design, and Architecture: https://thetshaped.dev/ ----- ♻ Repost to help others find it. #softwareengineering #programming #thetshapeddev

📌 Day 155 of Coding - Next Greater Numerically Balanced Number (LeetCode - Medium) 🎯 Goal: Find the smallest integer greater than n such that the count of each digit d in the number is exactly d (for digits 1-7). 💡Approach & Debugging: Used backtracking to generate all “beautiful” numbers following the digit count rule. A helper function generate() recursively built numbers by trying digits 1-7, ensuring that no digit appeared more times than its own value. Checked each generated number using isBeautiful(). After generation, sorted the list and returned the first number greater than n. ✔️ Time Complexity: Exponential (backtracking-based generation, but limited by small constraints). ✔️ Space Complexity: O(1) auxiliary + O(M) list for generated numbers. 🧠 Key Takeaways: Precomputation and pruning (like limiting to 1224444) help keep recursion efficient. Problems mixing digit frequency logic and recursion sharpen number theory intuition. #Day155 #LeetCode #Backtracking #Recursion #Java #ProblemSolving #DSA #CodingChallenge #Algorithms #100DaysOfCode #InterviewPrep #SoftwareEngineering #DataStructures #CodeNewbie #ProgrammersLife

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐈 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 Last week I deleted 2,000 lines of Java code. Code I spent 3 weeks writing. Code that worked perfectly. And the system got faster, more reliable, and easier to maintain. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝: I inherited a project with a “flexible” architecture. The previous dev built it to handle “every possible future requirement.” The result? • 7 abstraction layers • 15 design patterns • Configuration files for configuration files • Zero actual users I spent days just understanding what it did. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: “What does this system actually need to do TODAY?” Turns out: Process orders and send emails. That’s it. 𝐒𝐨 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝: → The abstract factory factories→ The strategy pattern strategies→ The observer pattern observers→ 90% of the “flexibility” 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝: → Simple classes that do one thing→ Clear names anyone can understand→ Code a junior dev could debug 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝟒𝟎%. 𝐁𝐮𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝟖𝟎%. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧? The best code is the code you don’t write. Every line of code is a liability: • It needs to be maintained • It can break • Someone has to understand it • It slows down the system 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰’𝐬 “𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭-𝐢𝐟𝐬.” You can always add complexity later. You can’t easily remove it. What’s the most satisfying code you’ve ever deleted? #SoftwareEngineering #Java #CleanCode #TechLeadership #LessTechDebt

Clean coding principles, such as meaningful variable names and well-structured functions, make it easier for developers to understand the logic of a program. This reduces cognitive load, allowing programmers to focus on problem-solving rather than deciphering cryptic code. In the long run, a well-structured codebase minimizes mental fatigue and enhances efficiency in software development teams. 🔗 ꜰᴜʟʟ ᴀʀᴛɪᴄʟᴇ ᴏɴ ᴏᴜʀ ʙʟᴏɢ! — https://lnkd.in/efR6MGvj

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 — 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐂. 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧 Clean code starts with meaningful names. A well-chosen variable name isn’t just syntax — it’s a reflection of thought, clarity, and long-term respect for your codebase (and the people who will maintain it). When you name with intention, you write code that speaks for itself — no extra comments required. 💡 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯. 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵. #CleanCode #RobertCMartin #SoftwareDevelopment #ProgrammingBestPractices #CodeQuality #SoftwareEngineering #Developers #CleanArchitecture

🤔 It worked perfectly on my machine but suddenly broke in production 🤦♂️ That used to drive me crazy until I realized the root cause wasn’t the code itself, but the hidden assumptions it carried. One day, I was reviewing an issue where a background job kept failing randomly. The code looked fine, tests were green, logs were clean... until we realized something shocking: the job depended on the system’s time zone. On one server, UTC, on another, local time. Boom 💥 That’s when I learned one of the most underrated lessons in software engineering: Code doesn’t live in isolation, it lives in an environment. Here are a few silent killers I started paying close attention to: 🐍 Environment variables – never assume they exist everywhere. ⏰ DateTime handling – always clarify whether you’re using UTC or local time. 💾 File paths – don’t hardcode them; different OS means different structure. 🔐 Secrets – avoid embedding them in configs; use secure vaults instead. 💡 Dependencies – lock versions; "latest" can ruin your weekend. Since then, I’ve learned to ask: "What’s the environment like?" before I ask "What’s wrong with the code?" It’s amazing how many bugs vanish when you stop debugging your code and start debugging your assumptions. Don't let it stop here, repost and share ♻️ with your network to spread the knowledge ✅ #softwareengineering #programming #developers #csharp #dotnet #coding

𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆, 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱: As I grow in my software journey, I’m realizing — writing code is the simplest part of the job. The real challenge? * Understanding the why behind every line. Every bug, every review, every architecture discussion teaches me that clean code isn’t just about syntax — it’s about clarity, collaboration, and scalability. My focus now is not just solving problems, but solving them the right way — with intent, patterns, and purpose. • Clean code is not written faster — it lasts longer. #SoftwareEngineering #Java #CleanCode #CareerGrowth #SystemDesign

How many times have you revisited your old code and thought, “Did I really write this?!” The problem usually isn’t your programming language; it’s the way you write your code. Writing clean code doesn’t require being a genius or having years of experience. It just takes a clear mind, a good plan, and an understanding of a few simple principles. Let’s explore them ↓ 1. KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid ⦁ Keep your code as simple as possible. ⦁ Avoid adding extra logic or unnecessary complexity. ⦁ Simple code is easier to read, fix, and maintain. 2. DRY - Don’t Repeat Yourself ⦁ Don’t write the same code in multiple places. ⦁ Put common logic into a single function or class and reuse it. ⦁ This makes your code easier to maintain and reduces mistakes. 3. YAGNI - You Ain’t Gonna Need It ⦁ Don’t build features you don’t need yet. ⦁ Only write code for what’s required right now. ⦁ This saves time, keeps your project simple, and avoids wasted effort.

🎯 The Debugging Journey: Where Every Developer's Soul Resonates That moment at 3 AM when your code finally works after hours of searching... that's not just a win. That's redemption. Debugging isn't about finding errors. It's about: ✨ The quiet desperation when console.log() becomes your best friend ✨ The confusion of seeing your own code and not recognizing it ✨ The embarrassment when the bug was a semicolon all along ✨ The pure joy when that impossible problem finally breaks ✨ The realization that every developer—no matter their level—has felt this exact emotion Whether you code in Python, JavaScript, Java, Go, or Rust... whether you're a junior or a senior architect... we've ALL been there: ❤️ Staring at the screen, questioning our life choices ❤️ Stack Overflow at 2 AM like it's our second home ❤️ That moment of clarity that makes everything suddenly clear ❤️ Deploying that fix with shaking hands ❤️ Finally earning our badge of honor: "I debugged it" This is what unites us. Not frameworks. Not languages. Not titles. It's the shared human experience of problem-solving. It's the tears we cry when it works. It's the community we build by knowing that somewhere, someone just fixed their first bug and felt like a superhero. If you've felt this—if you know this feeling in your bones—you're a developer. You belong here. We all do. To every developer reading this: Your debugging journey is valid. Your tears of joy when the code works are deserved. And you're not alone—we're all crying happy tears together. 💚 #Developer #Debugging #Programming #DeveloperLife #CodingCommunity #SoftwareEngineering #TeamDeveloper