Evaluating Toolset
I'm currently focused on assessing available tools to best address this task. My initial thought is to craft a script, which I will evaluate against existing utilities. Specifically, I'm considering if view_file or grep_search are applicable. This prioritizes the best tool for the job.
Choosing Python Solution
I've decided to proceed with a Python script. Given the algorithm's self-contained nature, I'll write the code directly as it is straightforward implementation. I am planning to test it in scratch/timeline_flattening.py, as requested by the user. I'll focus on providing clean code, including an illustrative example.