Interview Puzzles with answers.

Find a Number that Appears Only once in array of duplicates

2015-11-01T01:30:00.003-08:00

Given an array where every element occurs three times, except one element which occurs only once. Find the element that occurs once. Expected time complexity is O(n) and O(1) extra space.
Examples:

Input: arr[] = {12, 1, 12, 3, 12, 1, 1, 2, 3, 3}
Output: 2

We can use sorting to do it in O(nLogn) time. We can also use hashing, but the worst case time complexity of hashing may be more than O(n) and hashing requires extra space.

The idea is to use bitwise operators for a solution that is O(n) time and uses O(1) extra space. The solution is not easy like other XOR based solutions, because all elements appear odd number of times here. The idea is taken from here.

Run a loop for all elements in array. At the end of every iteration, maintain following two values.

ones: The bits that have appeared 1st time or 4th time or 7th time .. etc.

twos: The bits that have appeared 2nd time or 5th time or 8th time .. etc.

Finally, we return the value of 'ones'

How to maintain the values of 'ones' and 'twos'?
'ones' and 'twos' are initialized as 0. For every new element in array, find out the common set bits in the new element and previous value of 'ones'. These common set bits are actually the bits that should be added to 'twos'. So do bitwise OR of the common set bits with 'twos'. 'twos' also gets some extra bits that appear third time. These extra bits are removed later.
Update 'ones' by doing XOR of new element with previous value of 'ones'. There may be some bits which appear 3rd time. These extra bits are also removed later.

Both 'ones' and 'twos' contain those extra bits which appear 3rd time. Remove these extra bits by finding out common set bits in 'ones' and 'twos'.

#include 
 
int getSingle(int arr[], int n)
{
    int ones = 0, twos = 0 ;
 
    int common_bit_mask;
 
    // Let us take the example of {3, 3, 2, 3} to understand this
    for( int i=0; i< n; i++ )
    {
        /* The expression "one & arr[i]" gives the bits that are
           there in both 'ones' and new element from arr[].  We
           add these bits to 'twos' using bitwise OR
 
           Value of 'twos' will be set as 0, 3, 3 and 1 after 1st,
           2nd, 3rd and 4th iterations respectively */
        twos  = twos | (ones & arr[i]);
 
 
        /* XOR the new bits with previous 'ones' to get all bits
           appearing odd number of times
 
           Value of 'ones' will be set as 3, 0, 2 and 3 after 1st,
           2nd, 3rd and 4th iterations respectively */
        ones  = ones ^ arr[i];
 
 
        /* The common bits are those bits which appear third time
           So these bits should not be there in both 'ones' and 'twos'.
           common_bit_mask contains all these bits as 0, so that the bits can 
           be removed from 'ones' and 'twos'   
 
           Value of 'common_bit_mask' will be set as 00, 00, 01 and 10
           after 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th iterations respectively */
        common_bit_mask = ~(ones & twos);
 
 
        /* Remove common bits (the bits that appear third time) from 'ones'
             
           Value of 'ones' will be set as 3, 0, 0 and 2 after 1st,
           2nd, 3rd and 4th iterations respectively */
        ones &= common_bit_mask;
 
 
        /* Remove common bits (the bits that appear third time) from 'twos'
 
           Value of 'twos' will be set as 0, 3, 1 and 0 after 1st,
           2nd, 3rd and 4th itearations respectively */
        twos &= common_bit_mask;
 
        // uncomment this code to see intermediate values
        //printf (" %d %d \n", ones, twos);
    }
 
    return ones;
}
 
int main()
{
    int arr[] = {3, 3, 2, 3};
    int n = sizeof(arr) / sizeof(arr[0]);
    printf("The element with single occurrence is %d ",
            getSingle(arr, n));
    return 0;
}

Find largest continuous sum in an array

2015-11-01T01:45:00.001-07:00

Write an efficient C program to find the sum of contiguous subarray within a one-dimensional array of numbers which has the largest sum.

Kadane’s Algorithm:

Initialize:
    max_so_far = 0
    max_ending_here = 0

Loop for each element of the array
  (a) max_ending_here = max_ending_here + a[i]
  (b) if(max_ending_here < 0)
            max_ending_here = 0
  (c) if(max_so_far < max_ending_here)
            max_so_far = max_ending_here
return max_so_far

Explanation:
Simple idea of the Kadane's algorithm is to look for all positive contiguous segments of the array (max_ending_here is used for this). And keep track of maximum sum contiguous segment among all positive segments (max_so_far is used for this). Each time we get a positive sum compare it with max_so_far and update max_so_far if it is greater than max_so_far

Lets take the example: {-2, -3, 4, -1, -2, 1, 5, -3}

    

    max_so_far = max_ending_here = 0

    for i=0,  a[0] =  -2

    max_ending_here = max_ending_here + (-2)

    Set max_ending_here = 0 because max_ending_here < 0


    for i=1,  a[1] =  -3

    max_ending_here = max_ending_here + (-3)

    Set max_ending_here = 0 because max_ending_here < 0


    for i=2,  a[2] =  4

    max_ending_here = max_ending_here + (4)

    max_ending_here = 4

    max_so_far is updated to 4 because max_ending_here greater

    than max_so_far which was 0 till now


    for i=3,  a[3] =  -1

    max_ending_here = max_ending_here + (-1)

    max_ending_here = 3


    for i=4,  a[4] =  -2

    max_ending_here = max_ending_here + (-2)

    max_ending_here = 1


    for i=5,  a[5] =  1

    max_ending_here = max_ending_here + (1)

    max_ending_here = 2


    for i=6,  a[6] =  5

    max_ending_here = max_ending_here + (5)

    max_ending_here = 7

    max_so_far is updated to 7 because max_ending_here is

    greater than max_so_far


    for i=7,  a[7] =  -3

    max_ending_here = max_ending_here + (-3)

    max_ending_here = 4

// C++ program to print largest contiguous array sum

    
#include
using namespace std;
 
int maxSubArraySum(int a[], int size)
{
    int max_so_far = 0, max_ending_here = 0;
 
    for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
    {
        max_ending_here = max_ending_here + a[i];
        if (max_ending_here < 0)
            max_ending_here = 0;
        if (max_so_far < max_ending_here)
            max_so_far = max_ending_here;
    }
    return max_so_far;
}
 
/*Driver program to test maxSubArraySum*/
int main()
{
    int a[] = {-2, -3, 4, -1, -2, 1, 5, -3};
    int n = sizeof(a)/sizeof(a[0]);
    int max_sum = maxSubArraySum(a, n);
    cout << "Maximum contiguous sum is \n" << max_sum;
    return 0;
}

Output:

Maximum contiguous sum is 7

Notes:Algorithm doesn't work for all negative numbers. It simply returns 0 if all numbers are negative. For handling this we can add an extra phase before actual implementation. The phase will look if all numbers are negative, if they are it will return maximum of them (or smallest in terms of absolute value). There may be other ways to handle it though.

Above program can be optimized further, if we compare max_so_far with max_ending_here only if max_ending_here is greater than 0.

int maxSubArraySum(int a[], int size)
{
   int max_so_far = 0, max_ending_here = 0;
   for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
   {
       max_ending_here = max_ending_here + a[i];
       if (max_ending_here < 0)
           max_ending_here = 0;
 
       /* Do not compare for all elements. Compare only   
          when  max_ending_here > 0 */
       else if (max_so_far < max_ending_here)
           max_so_far = max_ending_here;
   }
   return max_so_far;
}

Time Complexity: O(n)
Algorithmic Paradigm: Dynamic Programming

Following is another simple implementation. The implementation handles the case when all numbers in array are negative.

#include
using namespace std;
 
int maxSubArraySum(int a[], int size)
{
   int max_so_far = a[0];
   int curr_max = a[0];
 
   for (int i = 1; i < size; i++)
   {
        curr_max = max(a[i], curr_max+a[i]);
        max_so_far = max(max_so_far, curr_max);
   }
   return max_so_far;
}
 
/* Driver program to test maxSubArraySum */
int main()
{
   int a[] =  {-2, -3, 4, -1, -2, 1, 5, -3};
   int n = sizeof(a)/sizeof(a[0]);
   int max_sum = maxSubArraySum(a, n);
   cout << "Maximum contiguous sum is " << max_sum;
   return 0;
}

How to find the Largest Difference in an Array

2015-11-01T01:22:00.000-07:00

Question:

You have an array of integers: int[] A = { 10, 3, 6, 8, 9, 4, 3 };

My goal is to find the largest difference between A[Q] and A[P] such that Q > P.

If P = 1 and Q = 4
diff = A[Q] – A[P]
diff = 9 – 3
diff = 6

Since 6 is the largest number between all the difference, that is the answer.

The following code runs in O(n) and should conform to the specification (preliminary tests on codility were successful):

Solution:

public int solution(int[] A)
{
    int N = A.Length;
    if (N < 1) return 0;

    int max = 0;
    int result = 0;

    for(int i = N-1; i >= 0; --i)
    {
        if(A[i] > max)
            max = A[i];

        var tmpResult = max - A[i];        
        if(tmpResult > result)
            result = tmpResult;
    }

    return result;
}

Einstein Soccer Puzzle

2015-02-07T04:01:00.000-08:00

Puzzle :

This puzzle is based on soccer team. There are 7 boys on a soccer team. Each boy has a different position, jersey number, and height.
Now we need to find out each person's height, position, and number based on the below information. Try to find out the solution using the given information/hints.

* Justin is the goalie
* The right forward is #10
* The goalie is 6' 4''
* Joe is 6' 1''
* Ryan is right forward
* The person next to Ryan is #14
* The person who is 6' 4'' is #16
* #10 is 5' 8''
* The left forward is #15
* Brad is right defense
* Brendan is #20
* Michael is 7' 1''
* Miguel is #6
* Michael is left forward
* #42 is right defense
* Brad is 6' 2''
* #6 is center defense
* #15 is 7' 1''
* #20 is 6' 7''
* Miguel is 5' 10''
* #14 is 6' 1''
* The person who is 6' 7'' is left defense
* Joe is center forward

Solution:

Joe: center forward, 6' 1", #14

Justin: goalie, 6' 4", #16

Michael: left forward, 7' 1", #15

Brendan: left defense, 6' 7", #20

Ryan: right forward, 5' 8" , #10

Brad: right defense, 6' 2", #42

Miguel: center defense, 5' 10", #6

If you have another solution, please write as comment .

3 switches 1 light puzzle

2013-08-05T09:53:00.002-07:00

You have a set of 3 light switches outside a closed door. One of them controls the light inside the room. With the door closed from outside the room, you can turn the light switches on or off as many times as you would like.

You can go into the room - one time only - to see the light. You cannot see the whether the light is on or off from outside the room, nor can you change the light switches while inside the room.

No one else is in the room to help you. The room has no windows.

Based on the information above, how would you determine which of the three light switches controls the light inside the room?

Five Pirates splitting 100 coins puzzle

2013-07-20T07:04:00.001-07:00

Puzzle :

5 pirates of different ages have a treasure of 100 gold coins.

On their ship, they decide to split the coins using this scheme:

The oldest pirate proposes how to share the coins, and ALL pirates (including the oldest) vote for or against it.

If 50% or more of the pirates vote for it, then the coins will be shared that way. Otherwise, the pirate proposing the scheme will be thrown overboard, and the process is repeated with the pirates that remain.

As pirates tend to be a bloodthirsty bunch, if a pirate would get the same number of coins if he voted for or against a proposal, he will vote against so that the pirate who proposed the plan will be thrown overboard.

Assuming that all 5 pirates are intelligent, rational, greedy, and do not wish to die, (and are rather good at math for pirates) what will happen?

Answer :

To understand the answer,

we need to reduce this problem to only 2 pirates. So what happens if there are only 2 pirates. Pirate 2 can easily propose that he gets all the 100 gold coins. Since he constitutes 50% of the pirates, the proposal has to be accepted leaving Pirate 1 with nothing.

Now let’s look at 3 pirates situation, Pirate 3 knows that if his proposal does not get accepted, then pirate 2 will get all the gold and pirate 1 will get nothing. So he decides to bribe pirate 1 with one gold coin. Pirate 1 knows that one gold coin is better than nothing so he has to back pirate 3. Pirate 3 proposes {pirate 1, pirate 2, pirate 3} {1, 0, 99}. Since pirate 1 and 3 will vote for it, it will be accepted.

If there are 4 pirates, pirate 4 needs to get one more pirate to vote for his proposal. Pirate 4 realizes that if he dies, pirate 2 will get nothing (according to the proposal with 3 pirates) so he can easily bribe pirate 2 with one gold coin to get his vote. So the distribution will be {0, 1, 0, 99}.

Smart right? Now can you figure out the distribution with 5 pirates? Let’s see. Pirate 5 needs 2 votes and he knows that if he dies, pirate 1 and 3 will get nothing. He can easily bribe pirates 1 and 3 with one gold coin each to get their vote. In the end, he proposes {1, 0, 1, 0, 98}. This proposal will get accepted and provide the maximum amount of gold to pirate 5.

Bonus: Think about what would happen if there are 15 pirates or 25 pirates. Post the answer in the comments section.

Set value in SOAPUI using Groovy Script

2013-07-15T04:00:00.003-07:00

SoapUI is used to test Web Services. For large number test cases, automation we can use Groovy script to reduce manual effort. Using Java, Groovy we can all manual task as automated in SoapUI. To create data driven framework or automating test cases we can use Groovy script.

The "How to use properties" article has how read/write/remove properties values using Groovy script. The article "" has how change/update the request XML for both RESTful as well as SOAP services.

The article "SoapUI Set/Read Request Header values using Groovy Script" has how to read/write HTTP method header values in both RESTful and SOAP Services.

This article has how to set/read the following values.

Endpoint
Username
Password
Domain
Accept type [ Applicable for POST/PUT Request in RESTFul web service only ]
Media type [ Applicable for POST/PUT Request in RESTFul web service only ]
Step property
Request
Response [ We can able to read it ]

Assign/Set values using Groovy Script.

        
     testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].httpRequest.setEndpoint("value");
     testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].httpRequest.setUsername("value");
     testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].httpRequest.setPassword("value");
     testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].httpRequest.setDomain("value");
     testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].httpRequest.setAccept("value");
     testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].httpRequest.setMediaType("value");
     testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].setPropertyValue("name","value");
     testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].setPropertyValue("Request","value");

The article "" has details about how set request data with parametrization. Read values using Groovy Script.

        
 def strVar = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].getHttpRequest().getEndpoint();
 log.info strVar
 strVar = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].getHttpRequest().getEndpoint();
 log.info strVar
 strVar = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].getHttpRequest().getUsername();
 log.info strVar
 strVar = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].getHttpRequest().getPassword();
 log.info strVar
 strVar = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].getHttpRequest().getDomain();
 log.info strVar
 strVar = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].getPropertyValue("Request");
 log.info strVar
 strVar = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].getPropertyValue("Response");
 log.info strVar
 
 // Applicable for POST/PUT Request in RESTFul web service only
 strVar = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].getHttpRequest().getAccept();
 log.info strVar
 strVar = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["stepname"].getHttpRequest().getMediaType();
 log.info strVar

Single script to update the details of all testSteps in a test case.

  testRunner.testCase.testSteps.each
  {
   q->
   if(q.getValue().config.type.equals("restrequest") || q.getValue().config.type.equals("request"))
   {
    q.getValue().httpRequest.setEndpoint("value");
    q.getValue().httpRequest.setUsername("value");
    q.getValue().httpRequest.setPassword("value");
    q.getValue().httpRequest.setDomain("value");
   }
   if(q.getValue().config.type.equals("restrequest"))
   {
    q.getValue().httpRequest.setAccept("value");
    q.getValue().httpRequest.setMediaType("value");
   }
  }

SoapUI Set/Read Request Header values using Groovy Script

2013-07-15T03:49:00.002-07:00

The article "Read Response Headers in SoapUI using Groovy Script" has how read response header values using Groovy Script. Similarly we can read/write request header values using the below Groovy script. This can be more useful for automating the SoapUI test cases. The below script assertion can be used to read the request header values.

 def header = messageExchange.getRequestHeaders()
 header.each
 {
  key,val ->
  log.info "Key = "+key+" ; value="+val
 }

Read header values from Groovy Script test step.

 def header = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["add"].httpRequest.getRequestHeaders()
 header.each
 {
  key,val ->
  log.info "Key = "+key+" ; value="+val
 }

The below Groovy Script can be used to set the request header values.

 import com.eviware.soapui.support.types.StringToStringMap 
 def headers = new StringToStringMap()
 headers.put("name","value");
 headers.put("name1","value1")
 headers.put("name2","value2")
 testRunner.testCase.testSteps["add"].getHttpRequest().setRequestHeaders(headers)

The below Groovy Script can be used to update the request header values.

 import com.eviware.soapui.support.types.StringToStringMap 
 def headers = testRunner.testCase.testSteps["add"].getHttpRequest().getRequestHeaders()
 def list = []
 list.add("newvalue")
 headers["name1"] = list;
 testRunner.testCase.testSteps["add"].getHttpRequest().setRequestHeaders(headers)

Reference :

http://www.soapui.org/SOAP-and-WSDL/adding-headers-and-attachments.html#1-custom-http-headers

SoapUI add header to all requests using Groovy Script.

2013-07-15T03:24:00.000-07:00

Using the below code snippet or Groovy Script we can add headers to all the request in a test case.

 import com.eviware.soapui.support.types.StringToStringMap 
 def headers = new StringToStringMap()
 headers.put("name","value");
 headers.put("name1","value1")
 headers.put("name2","value2")
 testRunner.testCase.testSteps.each
 {
  q->
  if(q.getValue().config.type.equals("restrequest") || q.getValue().config.type.equals("request"))
  {
   q.getValue().getHttpRequest().setRequestHeaders(headers)
  }
 }

For more details on how to add/update header using Groovy Script, please refer this article. Groovy script to update the header value in all steps in a test suite.

 import com.eviware.soapui.impl.wsdl.teststeps.*
 import com.eviware.soapui.support.types.StringToStringsMap

 for( testCase in testSuite.getTestCaseList() ) {
    for( testStep in testCase.getTestStepList() ) {
    if( testStep instanceof WsdlTestRequestStep ) {
    def headers = new StringToStringsMap()
    headers.put(testSuite.getPropertyValue("ExampleHeaderName"),testSuite.getPropertyValue("ExampleHeaderValue"))

    log.info("Setting HTTP headers ${headers} in test case ${testCase.getLabel()}")
    testStep.getTestRequest().setRequestHeaders(headers)
    }
    }

Just set the properties ExampleHeaderName and ExampleHeaderValue for your TestSuite and use the script as "Setup Script" of the TestSuite.

Reference :
http://www.soapui.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3746
https://thewonggei.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/configure-http-basic-auth-once-for-soapui-test-suties/

Three mislabeled jars problem

2013-07-12T05:44:00.001-07:00

Puzzle :

This problem is also called Jelly Beans problem. You have three jars that are all mislabeled. one contains apples, another has grapes, and the third has a mix of both.

Now you are allowed to open any one jar and you can able to see one fruit. [ The jar you are open may contain one fruit or two fruit. but you could able to see only one fruit and you can't find weather the opened jar has one or two fruit]. How could you fix the labels on the jars ?

Variation :

You have three jars that are all mislabeled. one contains peanut butter jelly beans, another grape jelly jelly beans, and the third has a mix of both (not necessarily a 50/50 mix, could be a 1/99 mix or a 399/22 mix). how many jelly beans would you have to pull out, and out of which jars, to find out how to fix the labels on the jars?

|     |        |     |          |     |
|jar 1|        |jar 2|          |jar 3|
|     |        |     |          |     |
=======        =======          =======
  p.b.          grape          p.b./grape

thanks to joel wollman

Answer :

1. Need to open Apple+Orange jar. If it has apple. then it should be labeled as Apple. The jar which has label Orange should be labeled as "Apple+Orange" and the last one should be "Orange".

2. You have three jars that are all mislabeled. one contains peanut butter jelly beans, another grape jelly jelly beans, and the third has a mix of both (not necessarily a 50/50 mix, could be a 1/99 mix or a 399/22 mix). how many jelly beans would you have to pull out, and out of which jars, to find out how to fix the labels on the jars?

   |     |                  |     |                 |     |
  |jar 1|                |jar 2|               |jar 3|
   |     |                  |     |                 |     |
=======        =======          =======
     p.b.                   grape             p.b./grape

solution: 1 jelly bean from the p.b./grape jar will do the trick.
the trick here is to realize that every jar is mislabeled. therefore you know that the peanut butter jelly bean jar is not the penut butter jelly bean jar, and the same goes for the rest.
you also need to realize that it is the jar labeled p.b./grape, labelled as the mix jar, that is your best hope. if you choose a jelly bean out of there, then you will know whether that jar is peanut butter or grape jelly jelly beans. it can’t be the mix jar because i already said that every jar is mislabeled.
once you know that jar 3 is either peanut butter, or grape jelly, then you know the other jars also. if it is peanut butter, then jar 2 must be mixed because it can’t be grape (as its labelled) and it can’t be peanut butter (that’s jar 3). hence jar 1 is grape.
if jar 3 is grape, then you know jar 1 must be the mix because it can’t be p.b. (as its labelled) and it can’t be grape (that’s jar 3). hence jar 2 is peanut butter.
if you pick jelly beans from jar 1 or jar 2, then you would have to pick out all of the jelly beans before you knew what that jar was. this is because jar 1 and 2 could be the mix, so in order to disprove that they were the mix, you would have to pull out every jelly bean just to make sure (since there could just be one bean of the opposite flavor in there)

Read Response Headers in SoapUI using Groovy Script

2013-07-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

SoapUI is one of the Web service testing tool. Many times we have scenarios to validate the headers values in the response weather it might be RESTful service or SOAP service.

SoapUI has many inbuilt assertions. The assertions "Valid HTTP status codes" and "Invalid HTTP status codes" can be used validate the response status code. Which is shown in the below screen.

But the tool doesn't have any inbuilt assertions to get any specific response header value to validate it. We can do this using Groovy script in SoapUI.

From the above image, the response has seven headers values including status code. Using the below groovy script we can read any specific header value.

def val = messageExchange.getResponseHeaders()["Content-Type"][0]
log.info val
assert val == "text/xml; charset=UTF-8" : "Content type not valid"

The above Groovy Script can be used in "Script Assertion" to read and validate the response content type as "text/xml". If we need to read the Response headers value from "Groovy script" test step then we can use the below script.

def val = testRunner.testCase.testSteps['add'].testRequest.response.getResponseHeaders()["Content-Type"][0]
log.info val
assert val == "text/xml; charset=UTF-8" : "Content type not valid"

The below code snippet can be used to read all Header values from the response using groovy script.

def val = messageExchange.getResponseHeaders()
val.each
{
    k,v ->
    log.info "name ="+k+", value = "+v
}

How to use properties in soapui

2013-07-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

What is properties in SoapUI ?
        Properties in SoapUI is used to store and retrieve data. The data is stored as key,value format.

Default properties in SoapUI.

    SoapUI has properties at three levels by default.
        1.    Project level default/custom properties.
            User can add any number properties at project level and this can be accessed from any test steps from any test cases under any test suites.

        2. Test suite level default/custom properties.
            User can add any number properties at test suite level and this can be accessed from any test steps from any test cases under this test suite.

        3. Test Case level default/custom properties.
            User can add any number properties at test case level and this can be accessed from any test steps from this test case.

Where to use properties in SoapUI

We can read the property values into test step endpoint, Header values, username, password, domain, GET, POST, PUT and DELETE method properties.

    The above image shows how to use the properties in Header or inside the Post request.

How to use default/custom properties.

    The default/custom values at three levels can be used for endpoint, Header values, username, password etc..
    The general format for reading the default/custom property value is     :    ${#levelname#key}
    Ex :

        To read test case level property    :    ${#TestCase#param1}
        To read test suite level property    :    ${#TestSuite#param1}
        To read project level property        :    ${#Project#param1}

    The above image shows how to use the property at test case level.

Read property using Groovy Script

    Reading property values from a script is straight-forward, to get a property value you first need to get hold of the containing object and then use the getPropertyValue("property name") method.

    Groovy script can be used in two places inside the SoapUI.
        1.    Groovy script test step
        2.    Script Assertion - within test step.

    The below code snippet can be used to read test case level property from Groovy script test step.

def param1 = context.testCase.getPropertyValue( "param1" )
log.info param1

Similarly the below code snippet can be used to read test case level property from Script Assertion.

def param1 = testRunner.testCase.getPropertyValue( "param1" )
log.info param1

    We can read the property value from test suite level as well as project level in similar way.

    Code snippet to read test suite level property

def param1 = testRunner.testCase.testSuite.getPropertyValue( "param1" )
log.info param1

Code snippet to read project level property

def param1 = testRunner.testCase.testSuite.project.getPropertyValue( "param1" )
log.info param1

Set/Add property using Groovy Script

    As like reading property value, writing property values from a script is also straight-forward. we need to call setPropertyValue("property name","property value") method. If the property is not exist already then it will be created and the value will be assigned. If the property is already exist then its value will be updated.

    Code snippet to write test case level property


context.testCase.setPropertyValue( "param1","88" );

Similarly the code snippet to write values for testsuite and project level property are

context.testCase.testSuite.setPropertyValue( "param1","88" );
context.testCase.testSuite.project.setPropertyValue( "param1","88" );

Delete property using Groovy Script

    We can manually add any number of default or custom properties at all three levels. But the tool doesn't have the option to delete the properties manually. we need to use the script to delete the property.

using the below script we can delete the property.


context.testCase.removeProperty( "param1" );

similarly we can delete the properties in testsuite and project level


context.testCase.testSuite.removeProperty( "param1" );
context.testCase.testSuite.project.removeProperty( "param1" );

Delete/Remove all custom properties using Groovy Script.

The below code snippet can be used to delete all the properties available in test suite level.

context.testCase.properties.each
{
    k,v ->
    context.testCase.removeProperty(k);
}

we can modify the above code to delete all the properties at different levels as discussed above.

SoapUI - Parametrize the endpoint

2013-07-10T05:50:00.000-07:00

SoapUI is one the most famous Web Service testing tool in today's scenario. For all GUI Testing we have several environments. Similarly we have multiple environments for Web Service Testing.

Parametrize the environment is most important and could be first task in automation testing. For that a more common scenario in a complex service environment is the need to change the endpoint of some of the services involved in your tests, for example between test, dev and staging environments.

Manually changing endpoints is of course possible but far too tedious when there might be hundreds of request test steps involved, and using the command-line host override option does not allow you to change a single service endpoint if you have multiple ones in use.

Changing the endpoint manually will take lot of time for more number of test cases. To overcome this issue SoapUI has the option called properties.

Properties to the rescue;

1. Define a project property holding the endpoint:

2. Configure the endpoint to use this property via property-expansion

3. Make sure your requests are using the configured endpoint

4. Now when you run the request, the property will automatically be replaced with its current value. To use a different value just change the endpoint in the UI, or from the command-line you can use the -P option;

-PServiceEndoint=dev.smartbear.com:8884

which would use the dev.smartbear.com:8884 endpoint instead (entirely fictional).

Reference :

http://www.soapui.org/Functional-Testing/working-with-properties.html

3 Ways to Answer “What’s Your Biggest Weakness?”

2012-12-29T02:44:00.000-08:00

3 Ways to Answer “What’s Your Biggest Weakness?”

When you’re asked “what’s your greatest strength?” in an interview, you’ve got it covered: You showcase your professional skills and talk about how there’s no one better suited for the job. But, “what’s your biggest weakness?” That question can be much tougher to answer.

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But it’s not a trick question. What your interviewer is really trying to do—beyond identifying any red flags—is to gauge your self-awareness and honesty. So, “I can’t meet a deadline to save my life” is not an option—but neither is “Nothing! I’m perfect!” A good answer can show how you can overcome challenges, paint you as a committed professional who continues to improve herself, and actually highlight your strengths.

Here are three strategies to ensure that talking about your weakness won’t be the weak spot in your next interview.

1. Show How You’ve Overcome Something

Everyone has areas that could use improvement, but if you can describe how you’ve mitigated yours, you’ll seem strong, capable, and in charge of your professional development. So, think of something that you struggle with but that you’re working to improve. You could explain that you’ve never been strong at public speaking, but over the past few years, you’ve asked for team leadership roles, run successfully meetings, and found tools to help you be more comfortable when addressing a crowd.

Another smart tactic is to describe something that was once a weakness, but that you now can point to as an accomplishment. For example, “I’ve always had to work at math. But I took a course in Excel, and that’s helped me tackle quantitative analysis projects much more easily. In fact, let me show you a report I recently developed.”

2. Address Uncertainties in Your Background

If your background doesn’t completely match up with the requirements in the job description, or if you know that the employer has hesitations about parts of your experience, this question is a great time to address those uncertainties.

You can talk about something she already knows is a hurdle, but at the same time, turn it around to highlight your strong points. For example: “It might seem that my biggest weakness in applying for this position is that I don’t have any inside sales experience. But the skills I’ve gained during my five years of fundraising are incredibly relevant to the position—let me tell you why.”

3. Paint a Weakness as a Strength

Choose a shortcoming that can be explained in the most positive light possible. Are you neurotic, stubborn, or incapable of delegating? Instead, try using words that are seen as professional strengths, like dedicated, persistent, or thorough. For example: “I tend to be a perfectionist, so sometimes I have a hard time letting a project leave my hands until it’s absolutely finalized.” This answer addresses an area you need to improve, but explains it in a positive way.

Just be sure to follow it up with how you’ve addressed this “shortcoming,” such as: “But I’ve found that sometimes it’s more effective to get feedback on a project along the way, even if it is not yet complete. I try to strike a balance between getting things done right the first time and being open to others’ input.”

Whatever strategy you choose, the trick is to sound genuine and to end things on a positive note. Rehearse your response so that you can give it easily, and more importantly, concisely—if you spend too much time talking about your flaws, it’s easy to dig yourself into a hole. Get past the “weakness” part of your answer as quickly as possible, so you can get back what’s most important: your (many!) strengths.

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses ?

2012-12-29T02:36:00.002-08:00

What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses ?

Strengths

Trabs
Best Answer

Weeknesses

Trabs
Possible Answer
Example 1
Drawback
Example 2
Example 3

Strengths

Trabs :

This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared. You don't want to come across as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble.

Best Answer:

You know that your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions. And from Question 1, you know how to do this.

Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements.

You should, have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding examples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being shaken awake at 2:30AM.

Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up.

As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are:

A proven track record as an achiever...especially if your achievements match up with the employer's greatest wants and needs.
Intelligence...management "savvy".
Honesty...integrity...a decent human being.
Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a team player who meshes well with interviewer's team.
Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor.
Good communication skills.
Dedication...willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence.
Definiteness of purpose...clear goals.
Enthusiasm...high level of motivation.
Confident...healthy...a leader.

Weaknesses

Trabs: Beware - this is an eliminator question, designed to shorten the candidate list. Any admission of a weakness or fault will earn you an “A” for honesty, but an “F” for the interview.

PASSABLE ANSWER: Disguise a strength as a weakness.

Example 1: “I sometimes push my people too hard. I like to work with a sense of urgency and everyone is not always on the same wavelength.”

Drawback : This strategy is better than admitting a flaw, but it's so widely used, it is transparent to any experienced interviewer.

BEST ANSWER: (and another reason it's so important to get a thorough description of your interviewer's needs before you answer questions): Assure the interviewer that you can think of nothing that would stand in the way of your performing in this position with excellence. Then, quickly review you strongest qualifications.

Example 2: “Nobody's perfect, but based on what you've told me about this position, I believe I' d make an outstanding match. I know that when I hire people, I look for two things most of all. Do they have the qualifications to do the job well, and the motivation to do it well? Everything in my background shows I have both the qualifications and a strong desire to achieve excellence in whatever I take on. So I can say in all honesty that I see nothing that would cause you even a small concern about my ability or my strong desire to perform this job with excellence.”

Alternate strategy : (if you don't yet know enough about the position to talk about such a perfect fit):
Instead of confessing a weakness, describe what you like most and like least, making sure that what you like most matches up with the most important qualification for success in the position, and what you like least is not essential.

Example 3: Let's say you're applying for a teaching position. “If given a choice, I like to spend as much time as possible in front of my prospects selling, as opposed to shuffling paperwork back at the office. Of course, I long ago learned the importance of filing paperwork properly, and I do it conscientiously. But what I really love to do is sell (if your interviewer were a sales manager, this should be music to his ears.)

Tell us something about yourself

2012-12-29T01:31:00.001-08:00

Tell us something about yourself

Introduction :

This is the first question, you can expect during any interview you face. This usually is a question to start the communication and set the ball rolling for the interview. You can answer this question by providing some information about your work experience, technologies you have worked upon, educational qualifications. If you are a fresh graduate, you can provide some information about your family also.

Since this is often the opening question in an interview, be extra careful that you don’t run off at the mouth. Keep your answer to a minute or two at most. Cover four topics: early years, education, work history, and recent career experience. Emphasize this last subject. Remember that this is likely to be a warm-up question. Don’t waste your best points on it.

The trick is to put the full stop at the right place to provoke the next question you want. For e.g. “Recently I developed a website using Drupal. It was quite an interesting but challenging job which I enjoyed”

Trabs:

Beware, about 80% of all interviews begin with this “innocent” question. Many candidates, unprepared for the question, skewer themselves by rambling, recapping their life story, delving into ancient work history or personal matters.

Best Answer:

Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting.

So, before you answer this or any question it's imperative that you try to uncover your interviewer's greatest need, want, problem or goal.

To do so, make you take these two steps:

1. Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs (not the generalized needs of the industry or company)
2. As early as you can in the interview, ask for a more complete description of what the position entails. You might say: “I have a number of accomplishments I'd like to tell you about, but I want to make the best use of our time together and talk directly to your needs. To help me do, that, could you tell me more about the most important priorities of this position? All I know is what I (heard from the recruiter, read in the classified ad, etc.)”Then, ALWAYS follow-up with a second and possibly, third question, to draw out his needs even more. Surprisingly, it's usually this second or third question that unearths what the interviewer is most looking for.

You might ask simply, "And in addition to that?..." or, "Is there anything else you see as essential to success in this position?

This process will not feel easy or natural at first, because it is easier simply to answer questions, but only if you uncover the employer's wants and needs will your answers make the most sense. Practice asking these key questions before giving your answers, the process will feel more natural and you will be light years ahead of the other job candidates you're competing with.

After uncovering what the employer is looking for, describe why the needs of this job bear striking parallels to tasks you've succeeded at before. Be sure to illustrate with specific examples of your responsibilities and especially your achievements, all of which are geared to present yourself as a perfect match for the needs he has just described.

Nunchuk Supreme

2012-09-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

Nunchuk Supreme

Nunchuk Supreme is a powerful weapon that can be used to disable an unlimited number of assailants. To graduate from the Mangan Kung Fu Academy, one has to master the use of the Nunchuk Supreme. Think of it as a very long stick.

The Nunchuk is thrown at the assailants and rotates in the air as it is thrown. It will strike an assailant, disable him/her and then using this person as a pivot, rotate about them and strike a second person and then rotate about the second person until it strikes a third person and rotates about them and so on until all of the assailants have been dealt with. Being disabled from fighting does not prevent being struck again by the Nunchuk and causing a change in the pivot of rotation.

Think of assailants as fixed points in the plane; is it always possible to choose a first assailant to strike, so that if no three assailants are collinear and the Nunchuck is long enough, then all assailants will be struck down?

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Einstein's Riddle

2012-02-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

Einstein's Riddle

ALBERT EINSTEIN'S RIDDLE ARE YOU IN THE TOP 2% OF INTELLIGENT PEOPLE IN THE WORLD? SOLVE THE RIDDLE AND FIND OUT.

There are no tricks, just pure logic, so good luck and don't give up.

1. In a street there are five houses, painted five different colors.

2. In each house lives a person of different nationality

3. These five homeowners each drink a different kind of beverage, smoke different brand of cigar and keep a different pet.

THE QUESTION: WHO OWNS THE FISH?

HINTS

   1. The British man lives in a red house.
   2. The Swedish man keeps dogs as pets.
   3. The Danish man drinks tea.
   4. The Green house is next to, and on the left of the White house.
   5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.
   6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
   7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.
   8. The man living in the center house drinks milk.
   9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
   10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
   11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.
   12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.
   13. The German smokes Prince.
   14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
   15. The Blends smoker lives next to the one who drinks water.

ALBERT EINSTEIN WROTE THIS RIDDLE EARLY DURING THE 19th CENTURY. HE SAID THAT 98% OF THE WORLD POPULATION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SOLVE IT.

Feel free to comment your answers and share to your friends.

Image Puzzle Find the Cat

2012-02-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

Image Puzzle Find the Cat - i.

Find Cat - Image puzzle

There is a cat hidden in the above image. Try to find out. Feel free to comment.

Chasing Dogs Puzzle

2011-07-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

Chasing Dogs Puzzle :

Puzzle :

There are four dogs each at the corner of a unit square. Each of the dogs starts chasing the dog in the clockwise direction. They all run at the same speed and continuously change their direction accordingly so that they are always heading straight towards the other dog. How long does it take for the dogs to catch each other and where?

Have a better solution? Let us know through the comments section!

Liked this question? Post this on Stumble, Twitter or Digg!

Heaven Puzzle

2011-07-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

Heaven Puzzle.

Puzzle :

A person dies, and he arrives at the gate to heaven. There are three doors in the heaven. one of them leads to heaven. another one leads to a 1-day stay at hell, and then back to the gate, and the other leads to a 2-day stay at hell, and then back to the gate. every time the person is back at the gate, the three doors are reshuffled. How long will it take the person to reach heaven?

this is a probability question - i.e. it is solvable and has nothing to do with religion, being sneaky, or how au dente the pasta might be ;-)

Answer:

1/3 of the time, the door to heaven will be chosen, so 1/3 of the time it will take zero days. 1/3 of the time, the 1-day door is chosen; of those, the right door will be chosen the next day, so 1/9 trips take 1 day. Similarly, 1/9 will take two days (choosing the 2-day door, then the right door).

After that, the cases split again, and again, and again. I can’t seem to make a nice infinite sum this way, so let’s try again.

Suppose the average days spent is X. 1/3 of the cases are done in zero days as before. 1/3 of the cases are 1 day plus X. 1/3 are 2 + X. So:

X = 1/3 * 0 + 1/3 * (1 + X) + 1/3 * (2 + X)

= 0 + 1/3 + X/3 + 2/3 + X/3

= 1 + 2X/3

Therefore,

X/3 = 1

X = 3

On average, it takes three days to get to heaven. Two if the noodles are limp.

Took me one blind alley, and about five minutes.

Chess Board Puzzle

2011-01-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

Chess

Chess Board Puzzle :

Imagine there are infinite number of Queens (Chess Game Piece) with u. Find the minimum number of queens required so that every square grid on the chess board is under the attack of a queen. Arrange this minimum no. of Queens on a chess board.

Answer :

Indicates Queen.

Tumblers on a Rotating Table

2010-09-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

Tumblers on a Rotating Table Puzzle :

A blind gnome and an evil goblin take turns to play a game. Four tumblers are placed at the corners of a square table. The initial configuration of the tumblers (facing up or facing down) is chosen by the evil goblin. When the blind gnome gets his turn, he is allowed to specify a subset of the four tumblers and flip them simultaneously. To be precise, he may choose “one tumbler”, “two diagonally opposites”, “two adjacent”, “three tumblers” or “four tumblers” lying in front of him, and flip them simultaneously. After flipping, if all four tumblers are upright, he wins the game! Otherwise, the game continues and the evil goblin is allowed to rotate the table by an amount of his choice. Can the blind gnome win the game with a deterministic strategy?

Solution :

If there were only two cards, then “flip both” — “flip one” — “flip both” would ensure a victory for the blind gnome. For the case of four cards, let F denote “all four cards”, A denote “two adjacent cards”, D denote “two diagonally opposite cards”, O denote “one card”. Then the following 15-step sequence ensures victory for the blind gnome: F, D, F, A, F, D, F, O, F, D, F, A, F, D, F. The procedure can be generalized to 2^n cards. This problem is studied in detail by Ehrenborg and Skinner (see bibliography below); they call it “The Blind Bartender’s Problem”.

A variant of the above problem allows the blind gnome to first “touch” any t out of n tumblers on a polygonal table with n sides. Touching allows the gnome to deduce which of the t tumblers he touched are upright, and then to decide which of these t tumblers to flip. It was this variant that was originally published in Martin Gardner’s article in Feb 1979. For four tumblers, the blind gnome can win in five moves, as Gardner showed in his subsequent article in Mar 1979. The problem generated quite some interest. Two pairs of mathematicians independently proved that the blind gnome can win with a deterministic strategy if and only if t ≥ n(p-1)/p where p is the largest prime factor of n (Lewis and Willard in 1980; Laaser and Ramshaw 1981). These proofs are quite involved

Mars Rovers thoughtworks puzzles

2010-09-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

Mars Rovers is one of the famous puzzle asked by many companies while recruiting people for them. Here the problem is defined and answers are given with Java program.

Mars Rovers thoughtworks puzzles

A squad of robotic rovers are to be landed by NASA on a plateau on Mars. This plateau, which is curiously rectangular, must be navigated by the rovers so that their on-board cameras can get a complete view of the surrounding terrain to send back to Earth.

A rover's position and location is represented by a combination of x and y co-ordinates and a letter representing one of the four cardinal compass points. The plateau is divided up into a grid to simplify navigation. An example position might be 0, 0, N, which means the rover is in the bottom left corner and facing North.

In order to control a rover, NASA sends a simple string of letters. The possible letters are 'L', 'R' and 'M'. 'L' and 'R' makes the rover spin 90 degrees left or right respectively, without moving from its current spot. 'M' means move forward one grid point, and maintain the same heading.

Assume that the square directly North from (x, y) is (x, y+1).

INPUT:

The first line of input is the upper-right coordinates of the plateau, the lower-left coordinates are assumed to be 0,0.

The rest of the input is information pertaining to the rovers that have been deployed. Each rover has two lines of input. The first line gives the rover's position, and the second line is a series of instructions telling the rover how to explore the plateau.

The position is made up of two integers and a letter separated by spaces, corresponding to the x and y co-ordinates and the rover's orientation.

Each rover will be finished sequentially, which means that the second rover won't start to move until the first one has finished moving.

OUTPUT:

The output for each rover should be its final co-ordinates and heading.

INPUT AND OUTPUT:

Test Input:

5 5

1 2 N

LMLMLMLMM

3 3 E

MMRMMRMRRM

Expected Output:

1 3 N

5 1 E

==========

SOLUTION :

Administrator removed the solution. Try your own.

Covent Garden Puzzle

2010-09-03T03:18:00.000-07:00

Covent Garden Puzzle

Mrs. Ram and Mrs. Jones had equal number of apples but Mrs. Jones had larger fruits and was selling hers at the rate of two for a penny, while Mrs. Ram sold three of hers for a penny.

Mrs. Ram was for some reason called away and asked Mrs. Jones to dispose of her stock. Upon accepting the responsibility of disposing her friend's stock, Mrs. Jones mixed them together and sold them of at the rate of five apples for two pence.

When Mrs. Ram returned the next day the apples had all been disposed of, but when they came to divide the proceeds they found that they were just seven pence short, and it is this shortage in the apple or financial market which has disturbed the mathematical equilibrium for such a long period.

Supposing that they divided the money equally, each taking one-half, the problem is to tell just how much money Mrs. Jones lost by the unfortunate partnership?

Puzzle Solution

The mixed apples were sold of at the rate of five apples for two pence. So they must have had a multiple of five i.e. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30,…, 60, 65,… etc apples.

But the minimum number of apples they could have together is 60; so that 30 would have been of Mrs. Ram's that would fetch her 10 (an integer) pence and the other 30 of Mrs. Jones's that would fetch her 15 (also an integer) pence.

When sold separately it would fetch them 10+15=25 pence altogether. But when sold together it would fetch them 60X2/5=24 pence i.e. a loss of one (25-24=1) pence.

Since they lost 7 pence altogether; they had altogether 60X7=420 apples that fetched them only 420X2/5=168 pence and they shared 84 pence each of them. But Mrs. Jones could sell her 420/2=210 apples for 210/2=105 pence so she lost "21 pence".

Note: to solve it algebraically:
They lost 7 pence altogether
Suppose each lady has x apples
x/2 + x/3 - 2(2x/5) = 7

15x + 10x - 24x = 210

x = 210
Note: Mrs. Johns lost 21 pence.

But without working Mrs. Ram earned 14 extra pence!

(84 pence – 210/3 pence = 14 pence).

Not very fair!

(Perhaps Mrs. Johns was not very good at math)