anchorage digital·Software Engineer·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

Intermediate

May 2026

Summary

Interviewed for a software engineer role at Anchorage Digital and got a coding question around implementing a print method for a custom file system. Pretty focused on how you model and traverse the data structure.

Questions Asked (1)

Implement a print() method that displays the entire file system in its current state, where each block is shown in sequence (e.g. [] -> [] -> [] for three empty blocks).

Algorithms & Data StructuresSystem Design

Author's notes

The output format made it look simpler than it was.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Clarify the file system's data structure and block representation, then design a traversal that visits blocks in order and formats each as '[]'. Discuss handling of non-empty blocks and ensure the output matches the expected sequence format.

Pro tip: Mention that you would separate the traversal logic from the formatting logic to make the code testable and adaptable to different block representations. Also, proactively ask about edge cases like empty file systems or blocks with content.

1. Clarify Requirements

Ask questions to understand the file system's structure, how blocks are stored, and what 'current state' means. Confirm the exact output format and whether blocks can contain data.

2. Choose Traversal Strategy

Decide on an in-order traversal (e.g., depth-first) to visit blocks sequentially. Consider if the file system is a tree, list, or other structure and adapt accordingly.

3. Design Formatting Logic

For each block, generate a string representation: '[]' for empty blocks, and possibly include content for non-empty ones. Ensure separators like ' -> ' are placed correctly between blocks.

4. Implement and Test

Write the print() method, handling edge cases like empty file systems. Test with sample inputs to verify the output matches the expected sequence.

5. Discuss Extensibility

Explain how the design can be extended if block representation changes or if additional metadata needs to be displayed.

Key Points to Mention

Traversal order (e.g., in-order, pre-order) and why it matters for displaying blocks sequentially.
Handling of empty vs. non-empty blocks and their string representations.
Efficiency considerations: time and space complexity of the traversal.
Edge cases: empty file system, single block, blocks with content.
Separation of concerns: traversal logic vs. formatting logic for maintainability.
Testing strategy: unit tests for different file system states.

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.