he-011

1.000

1/1 tests· basic

Proposed solution

```python
def string_xor(a: str, b: str) -> str:
    # Pad the shorter string with leading zeros to match the lengths
    max_length = max(len(a), len(b))
    a = a.zfill(max_length)
    b = b.zfill(max_length)
    
    # Perform XOR operation
    result = ''.join('1' if x != y else '0' for x, y in zip(a, b))
    
    return result
```

Test output (stdout)

.                                                                        [100%]
1 passed in 0.01s

System prompt

You are an expert programmer. Solve the task exactly as specified. Output your solution as fenced code blocks using the required file name(s) and the exact function/type signatures requested. Prefer correctness; do not include prose outside code unless asked.