class Solution:
    def isMatch(self, s: str, p: str) -> bool:
        """tc O(SP) sc P(SP)
        dp[i][j]: s[:i] == p[:j] 
        corner case: if  p == "", its up to if s is empty 
        case 0: s = "" : it's up to how the p is organized==> a*x*b* will match empty string 
        case 1: s[i-1] == p[j-1] -> dp[i][j] = dp[i-1][j-1]
        case 2: p[j-1] == '.' -> dp[i][j] = dp[i-1][j-1]
        case 3:  p[j-1] == '*'
                case 3.1 p[j-1] acts as empty "" -> dp[i][j] = dp[i][j-2]
                case 3.2 s[i-1] == p[j-2] or p[j-2] = "."  && dp[i][j-2] == True 
        """
        #corner case: p = ""
        if len(p) == 0:
            return len(s) == 0  
        
        dp = [ [False] *(n+1) for _ in range(m+1)]
        # p != "" ========================>
        dp[0][0] = True
        #special case  for example 4 to mach [empty string] t = "" == > p =  #*#*#*#* , 
        for j in range(2,n+1,2):
            if p[j-1] == "*" :
                dp[0][j] = dp[0][j-2]
        
        for i in range(1,len(s)+1):
            for j in range(1,len(p)+1):
                if s[i-1] == p[j-1] or p[j-1] =="." :
                    dp[i][j] = dp[i-1][j-1]
                elif p[j-1] == "*":
                    if p[j-2] !='.' and s[i-1] != p[j-2]:  # p[i-2:i] ==  ""
                        dp[i][j] = dp[i][j-2]
                    else: # p[i-2:i] ==  ""  or s[i-1] or s[i-x:i-2]
                        dp[i][j] = dp[i][j-2] or dp[i-1][j-2] or dp[i-1][j]

                   
        return dp[m][n]