Unique Paths Ii

To solve this coding challenge
We can use dynamic programming to effectively navigate through the grid, considering both the obstacles and the available paths. The key idea is to dynamically update each cell in the grid to reflect the number of ways to reach it from the top-left corner (0, 0).
# Explanation
  1. Initialization :
    • First, determine the dimensions of the grid \(m \times n\). If the starting cell \((0, 0)\) contains an obstacle (i.e.,
      grid[0][0] == 1
      ), the robot cannot move, and thus, the number of unique paths is 0.
  2. Setting Up the Starting Cell :
    • Initialize the starting cell. If there's no obstacle at the start, set
      grid[0][0] = 1
      because there is exactly one way to be at the starting point, which is to start there.
  3. Handling the First Column :
    • For the first column, iterate through all rows. Any cell in the first column can only be reached from the cell directly above it. If a cell is not an obstacle and the cell above it also has a path, mark it as reachable by setting it to 1.
  4. Handling the First Row :
    • Similarly, iterate through all columns in the first row. Any cell in the first row can only be reached from the cell directly to its left. If a cell is not an obstacle and the cell to its left also has a path, mark it as reachable by setting it to 1.
  5. Filling the Rest of the Grid :
    • For each cell in the rest of the grid, calculate the number of unique paths to that cell by adding the number of paths from the cell directly above and the cell directly to the left, but only if the current cell is not an obstacle. If it is an obstacle, set the number of paths to 0.
  6. Result :
    • The answer will be the value in the bottom-right corner \((m-1, n-1)\) of the grid, which indicates the number of unique paths to reach this cell from the top-left corner while avoiding obstacles.
    Detailed Steps in Pseudocode
  7. Initialize dimensions of the grid.
  8. If the starting cell is an obstacle, return 0.
  9. Set the starting cell's paths count to 1.
  10. Update the path count for all cells in the first row.
  11. Update the path count for all cells in the first column.
  12. Iterate through all other cells in the grid and update their path counts based on paths from the left and top cells if they are not obstacles.
  13. Return the path count at the bottom-right cell.
Detailed Pseudocode
                                            
# Step 1: Initialization
num_rows = number of rows in grid
num_columns = number of columns in grid

# Step 2: Check if the start cell (top-left) is an obstacle
if grid[0][0] == 1:
    return 0  # No possible paths if start is blocked

# Step 3: Initialize the start cell
grid[0][0] = 1  # There's one way to be at the start

# Step 4: Process first column
for row in range(1, num_rows):
    if grid[row][0] == 0 and grid[row - 1][0] == 1:
        grid[row][0] = 1
    else:
        grid[row][0] = 0  # There's an obstacle or no path from above

# Step 5: Process first row
for column in range(1, num_columns):
    if grid[0][column] == 0 and grid[0][column - 1] == 1:
        grid[0][column] = 1
    else:
        grid[0][column] = 0  # There's an obstacle or no path from the left
        
# Step 6: Process remaining grid cells
for row in range(1, num_rows):
    for column in range(1, num_columns):
        if grid[row][column] == 0:  # No obstacle at this cell
            grid[row][column] = grid[row - 1][column] + grid[row][column - 1]
        else:
            grid[row][column] = 0  # This cell is an obstacle

# Step 7: Return the result from bottom-right corner
return grid[num_rows - 1][num_columns - 1]

                                        
This pseudocode effectively sets up a dynamic programming approach to count the unique paths while considering the obstacles in the grid. By updating each cell based on possible paths from its neighboring cells (either from the left or above), we ensure that all valid paths are considered. The final result, found in the bottom-right cell, accurately represents the number of unique paths to the destination.