Find n-th lexicographically permutation of a string | Set 2

Last Updated : 24 Mar, 2023

Given a string of length m containing lowercase alphabets only. We need to find the n-th permutation of string lexicographic ally.

Examples:

Input: str[] = "abc", n = 3
Output: Result = "bac"
All possible permutation in 
sorted order: abc, acb, bac,
bca, cab, cba

Input: str[] = "aba", n = 2
Output: Result = "aba"
All possible permutation 
in sorted order: aab, aba, baa

Naive Approach: Find lexicographically n-th permutation using STL.
Efficient Approach: Mathematical concept for solving this problem.

The total number of permutation of a string formed by N characters(all distinct) is N!
The Total number of permutation of a string formed by N characters (where the frequency of character C1 is M1, C2 is M2... and so the frequency of character Ck is Mk) is N!/(M1! * M2! *....Mk!).
The total number of permutation of a string formed by N characters(all distinct) after fixing the first character is (N-1)!

The following steps can be followed to reach the solution.

Count the frequencies of all characters in an array.
Now from the first smallest character present in the string(smallest index i such that freq[i] > 0), compute the number of maximum permutation possible after setting that particular i-th character as the first character.
If this sum value is more than given n, then set that character as the first result output character, and decrement freq[i]. Continue the same for the remaining n-1 characters.
On the other hand, if the count is less than the required n, then iterate for the next character in the frequency table and update the count over and over again until we find a character that produces a count greater than the required n.

Implementation:

C++

// C++ program to print
// n-th permutation
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;

#define ll long long int

const int MAX_CHAR = 26;
const int MAX_FACT = 20;
ll fact[MAX_FACT];

// Utility for calculating factorials
void precomputeFactorials()
{
    fact[0] = 1;
    for (int i = 1; i < MAX_FACT; i++)
        fact[i] = fact[i - 1] * i;
}

// Function for nth permutation
void nPermute(char str[], int n)
{
    precomputeFactorials();

    // Length of given string
    int len = strlen(str);

    // Count frequencies of all
    // characters
    int freq[MAX_CHAR] = { 0 };
    for (int i = 0; i < len; i++)
        freq[str[i] - 'a']++;

    // Out string for output string
    char out[MAX_CHAR];

    // Iterate till sum equals n
    int sum = 0;
    int k = 0;

    // We update both n and sum in this
    // loop.
    while (sum != n) {

        sum = 0;
        // Check for characters present in freq[]
        for (int i = 0; i < MAX_CHAR; i++) {
            if (freq[i] == 0)
                continue;

            // Remove character
            freq[i]--;

            // Calculate sum after fixing
            // a particular char
            int xsum = fact[len - 1 - k];
            for (int j = 0; j < MAX_CHAR; j++)
                xsum /= fact[freq[j]];
            sum += xsum;

            // if sum > n fix that char as
            // present char and update sum
            // and required nth after fixing
            // char at that position
            if (sum >= n) {
                out[k++] = i + 'a';
                n -= (sum - xsum);
                break;
            }

            // if sum < n, add character back
            if (sum < n)
                freq[i]++;
        }
    }

    // if sum == n means this
    // char will provide its
    // greatest permutation
    // as nth permutation
    for (int i = MAX_CHAR - 1;
         k < len && i >= 0; i--)
        if (freq[i]) {
            out[k++] = i + 'a';
            freq[i++]--;
        }

    // append string termination
    // character and print result
    out[k] = '\0';
    cout << out;
}

// Driver program
int main()
{
    int n = 2;
    char str[] = "geeksquiz";

    nPermute(str, n);
    return 0;
}

Java

// Java program to print
// n-th permutation
public class PermuteString {
    final static int MAX_CHAR = 26;
    final static int MAX_FACT = 20;
    static long fact[] = new long[MAX_FACT];

    // Utility for calculating factorial
    static void precomputeFactorirals()
    {
        fact[0] = 1;
        for (int i = 1; i < MAX_FACT; i++)
            fact[i] = fact[i - 1] * i;
    }

    // Function for nth permutation
    static void nPermute(String str, int n)
    {
        precomputeFactorirals();

        // length of given string
        int len = str.length();

        // Count frequencies of all
        // characters
        int freq[] = new int[MAX_CHAR];
        for (int i = 0; i < len; i++)
            freq[str.charAt(i) - 'a']++;

        // out string for output string
        String out = "";

        // Iterate till sum equals n
        int sum = 10;
        int k = 0;

        // We update both n and sum
        // in this loop.
        while (sum >= n) {

            // Check for characters
            // present in freq[]
            for (int i = 0; i < MAX_CHAR; i++) {
                if (freq[i] == 0)
                    continue;

                // Remove character
                freq[i]--;

                // calculate sum after fixing
                // a particular char
                sum = 0;
                int xsum = (int)fact[len - 1 - k];
                for (int j = 0; j < MAX_CHAR; j++)
                    xsum /= fact[freq[j]];
                sum += xsum;

                // if sum > n fix that char as
                // present char and update sum
                // and required nth after fixing
                // char at that position
                if (sum >= n) {
                    out += (char)(i + 'a');
                    k++;
                    n -= (sum - xsum);
                    break;
                }

                // if sum < n, add character back
                if (sum < n)
                    freq[i]++;
            }
        }

        // if sum == n means this
        // char will provide its
        // greatest permutation
        // as nth permutation
        for (int i = MAX_CHAR - 1;
             k < len && i >= 0; i--)
            if (freq[i] != 0) {
                out += (char)(i + 'a');
                freq[i++]--;
            }

        // append string termination
        // character and print result
        System.out.println(out);
    }

    // Driver program to test above method
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {

        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
        int n = 2;
        String str = "geeksquiz";

        nPermute(str, n);
    }
}
// This code is contributed by Sumit Ghosh

Python3

# Python3 program to print n-th permutation 

MAX_CHAR = 26
MAX_FACT = 20
fact = [None] * (MAX_FACT) 

# Utility for calculating factorials 
def precomputeFactorials(): 

    fact[0] = 1
    for i in range(1, MAX_FACT): 
        fact[i] = fact[i - 1] * i 

# Function for nth permutation 
def nPermute(string, n): 

    precomputeFactorials() 

    # length of given string 
    length = len(string) 

    # Count frequencies of all 
    # characters 
    freq = [0] * (MAX_CHAR) 
    for i in range(0, length): 
        freq[ord(string[i]) - ord('a')] += 1

    # out string for output string 
    out = [None] * (MAX_CHAR) 

    # iterate till sum equals n 
    Sum, k = 0, 0

    # We update both n and sum in 
    # this loop. 
    while Sum != n: 

        Sum = 0
        
        # check for characters present in freq[] 
        for i in range(0, MAX_CHAR): 
            if freq[i] == 0: 
                continue

            # Remove character 
            freq[i] -= 1

            # calculate sum after fixing 
            # a particular char 
            xsum = fact[length - 1 - k] 
            for j in range(0, MAX_CHAR): 
                xsum = xsum // fact[freq[j]] 
            Sum += xsum 

            # if sum > n fix that char as 
            # present char and update sum 
            # and required nth after fixing 
            # char at that position 
            if Sum >= n: 
                out[k] = chr(i + ord('a')) 
                n -= Sum - xsum 
                k += 1
                break
            
            # if sum < n, add character back 
            if Sum < n: 
                freq[i] += 1
        
    # if sum == n means this char will provide 
    # its greatest permutation as nth permutation
    i = MAX_CHAR-1
    while k < length and i >= 0: 
        if freq[i]: 
            out[k] = chr(i + ord('a')) 
            freq[i] -= 1
            i += 1
            k += 1
        
        i -= 1

    # print result 
    print(''.join(out[:k])) 

# Driver Code
if __name__ == "__main__": 

    n = 2
    string = "geeksquiz"

    nPermute(string, n) 
    
# This code is contributed by Rituraj Jain

// C# program to print n-th permutation
using System;

public class GFG {

    static int MAX_CHAR = 26;
    static int MAX_FACT = 20;
    static long[] fact = new long[MAX_FACT];

    // utility for calculating factorial
    static void precomputeFactorirals()
    {
        fact[0] = 1;
        for (int i = 1; i < MAX_FACT; i++)
            fact[i] = fact[i - 1] * i;
    }

    // function for nth permutation
    static void nPermute(String str, int n)
    {
        precomputeFactorirals();

        // length of given string
        int len = str.Length;

        // Count frequencies of all
        // characters
        int[] freq = new int[MAX_CHAR];

        for (int i = 0; i < len; i++)
            freq[str[i] - 'a']++;

        // out string for output string
        string ou = "";

        // iterate till sum equals n
        int sum = 10;
        int k = 0;

        // We update both n and sum in this
        // loop.
        while (sum >= n) {

            // check for characters present in freq[]
            for (int i = 0; i < MAX_CHAR; i++) {
                if (freq[i] == 0)
                    continue;

                // Remove character
                freq[i]--;

                // calculate sum after fixing
                // a particular char
                sum = 0;
                int xsum = (int)fact[len - 1 - k];

                for (int j = 0; j < MAX_CHAR; j++)
                    xsum /= (int)(fact[freq[j]]);

                sum += xsum;

                // if sum > n fix that char as
                // present char and update sum
                // and required nth after fixing
                // char at that position
                if (sum >= n) {
                    ou += (char)(i + 'a');
                    k++;
                    n -= (sum - xsum);
                    break;
                }

                // if sum < n, add character back
                if (sum < n)
                    freq[i]++;
            }
        }

        // if sum == n means this char will provide its
        // greatest permutation as nth permutation
        for (int i = MAX_CHAR - 1; k < len && i >= 0; i--)
            if (freq[i] != 0) {
                ou += (char)(i + 'a');
                freq[i++]--;
            }

        // append string termination
        // character and print result
        Console.Write(ou);
    }

    // Driver program to test above method
    public static void Main()
    {

        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
        int n = 2;
        String str = "geeksquiz";

        nPermute(str, n);
    }
}

// This code is contributed by nitin mittal.

JavaScript

<script>
// Javascript program to print
// n-th permutation

let MAX_CHAR = 26;
let MAX_FACT = 20;

let fact=new Array(MAX_FACT);

 // Utility for calculating factorial
function precomputeFactorirals()
{
    fact[0] = 1;
        for (let i = 1; i < MAX_FACT; i++)
            fact[i] = fact[i - 1] * i;
}

// Function for nth permutation
function nPermute(str,n)
{
    precomputeFactorirals();
  
        // length of given string
        let len = str.length;
  
        // Count frequencies of all
        // characters
        let freq = new Array(MAX_CHAR);
        for(let i=0;i<MAX_CHAR;i++)
        {
            freq[i]=0;
        }
        for (let i = 0; i < len; i++)
            freq[str[i].charCodeAt(0) - 'a'.charCodeAt(0)]++;
  
        // out string for output string
        let out = "";
  
        // Iterate till sum equals n
        let sum = 10;
        let k = 0;
  
        // We update both n and sum
        // in this loop.
        while (sum >= n) {
  
            // Check for characters
            // present in freq[]
            for (let i = 0; i < MAX_CHAR; i++) {
                if (freq[i] == 0)
                    continue;
  
                // Remove character
                freq[i]--;
  
                // calculate sum after fixing
                // a particular char
                sum = 0;
                let xsum = fact[len - 1 - k];
                for (let j = 0; j < MAX_CHAR; j++)
                    xsum = Math.floor(xsum/fact[freq[j]]);
                sum += xsum;
  
                // if sum > n fix that char as
                // present char and update sum
                // and required nth after fixing
                // char at that position
                if (sum >= n) {
                    out += String.fromCharCode(i + 'a'.charCodeAt(0));
                    k++;
                    n -= (sum - xsum);
                    break;
                }
  
                // if sum < n, add character back
                if (sum < n)
                    freq[i]++;
            }
        }
  
        // if sum == n means this
        // char will provide its
        // greatest permutation
        // as nth permutation
        for (let i = MAX_CHAR - 1;
             k < len && i >= 0; i--)
            if (freq[i] != 0) {
                out += String.fromCharCode(i + 'a'.charCodeAt(0));
                freq[i++]--;
            }
  
        // append string termination
        // character and print result
        document.write(out);
}

// Driver program to test above method
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
let n = 2;
let str = "geeksquiz";

nPermute(str, n);

// This code is contributed by avanitrachhadiya2155
</script>

Output

eegikqszu

Complexity Analysis:

Time Complexity: O(N^2), where N is the length of the input string.
Auxiliary Space: O(MAX_CHAR), which is the size of the freq and out arrays

Analysis of Algorithms

Shivam.Pradhan

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Find n-th lexicographically permutation of a string | Set 2

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