Linked Lists

Outline
Why linked lists? Linked lists basics Implementation Basic primitives
- Searching - Inserting - Deleting

Why linked lists?

The default implementation for storing a set of objects is an array
- int v[10]; denotes the allocation of 10 int variables

Arrays are efficient for many purposes (e.g., fast access to elements), but have several limitations

Limitations of arrays (1)

Their size must be fixed in advance
- At compile time (statically allocated) int mydata[100]; - At run time (dynamically allocated) int *mydata; mydata = (int*)malloc(sizeof(int)*100);

In theory it is possible, for a dynamically allocated array to resize it using realloc but it tends to be quite inefficient
- E.g., reallocate a large array to add 1 element

Limitations of arrays (2)

Because of first limitation, arrays are often over-sized
To deal with dynamically changing sets of data, programmers usually allocate arrays which seem "large enough. Problems:
- Low utilization of arrays (you allocate a size X but use at most a fraction of it) and the space is wasted - If the program ever needs to process more than X data, the code breaks

Limitation of arrays (3)

Inserting elements to keep a given order is inefficient
Example:
- If elements of the array represent an order of arrival (a[0] is last arrived) inserting a new element implies moving all elements one position ahead

Array vs. linked lists

Linked lists solve limitations of arrays by paying in terms of efficiency of access of elements
Arrays:
- allocate memory for all its elements stored in contiguous memory locations (appears as one block of memory)

Linked lists:
- allocate space for each element separately in its own block of memory called a "linked list element" or "node". - The list gets is overall structure by using pointers to connect all its nodes together like the links in a chain.

Array vs. linked lists

Array
int v[4];

List
???? 2

2 5 3 -1

v[0] v[1] v[2] v[3]

?
5 -1 3

Linked lists
Each list node contains two fields:
- a "data" field to store whatever element type the list holds - and a "next" field which is a pointer used to link one node to the next node.

Each node is allocated with malloc() and it continues to exist until it is explicitly deallocated with free()

Arrays vs. linked lists

Arrays
Access time + (independent of array size random access) (over allocation typical) (requires movement of elements)

Lists
(proportional to list size sequential access) + (allocate what you need) + (insert where needed by moving pointers)

Utilization Modification of element order

Lists (cont.)
Variants:
- Double linked lists The element possesses a pointer also to the previous element

- Circular lists The last element in the list is linked to the head

Lists (cont.)
Variants:
- Lists with sentinel Head or tail or both exist as fictitious elements to manage special cases at the boundary - Ordered Lists Starting from the head the elements (i.e., the keys) have an order (increasing or decreasing)

Array vs. linked lists

Array
int v[4];

List
List* Head; Head 2

2 5 3 -1

v[0] v[1] v[2] v[3]

5 -1 3

Lists - (cont.)
Primitives - Insert (at the head of the list) - Search - Delete - InsertSorted
NOTE: The ordering of a list is not immediate
- It requires double pointers or auxiliary lists

Lists: Basic operations Different from vector based data structures, operation on a list requires pointer manipulation Element creation:
- Using malloc()

Initialization of a list
- A pointer to list initialized to NULL

Insertion/deletion of an element
- Movement of pointers

Lists - list.h
typedef struct e{ int key; List* next; } List; List* Insert(List*,int); /* modifies the head */ List* Search(List*, int); void Display(List*); List* Delete(List*,int, int*); /* modifies the head */ List* InsertSorted(List*,int); /* modifies the head*/

Lists - list.c (1)

#include <stdio.h>

List* Insert( List* head, int val) { List* p; p = newE();

p->key = val; /* pi vari campi */ p->next = head; head = p; return head; }

Lists - list.c (2)

List* Search( List* head, int val) { List* p; p = head; while(p != NULL) { if( p->key == val) return(p); else p = p->next; } return(NULL); }

Lists - list.c (3) void Display(List* head) { List* p; p = head; while( p != NULL) { printf(%5d\n,p->val); p = p->next; }

Lists - list.c (4) The previous examples are in fact two applications of a generic visit function that does something on ALL list elements
void Visit (List* head) { List* p; p = head; while( p != NULL) { /* do something on p->key */ p = p->next; }

Example of usage
int val; List* head, p; val = 1; p = Search (head, val); if (p == NULL) printf(Value not found!\n); else printf(Value found!\n);

Lists: Deleting an element

Deleting an element q (after element p)
p q

Before
p->next q->next

After

p->next = q->next; free(q);

Lists - list.c (3)

List* Delete( List* head, int val, int* status) { List *p, *q;

p = q = head; if (head != NULL){ if (p->key == val) { /* found */ head = p->next; Delete from head free(p); *status = SUCCESS; return head; } else { Search where while(q->next != NULL) { p = q; q = q->next; if (q->key == val) { p->next = q->next; Delete it free(q); *status = SUCCESS; return head;}}}} *status = FAILURE; return head;

is it

Lists: Inserting an element

Insertion of node q after node p
q

Before
p

3
p->next
p->next

6 q->next = p->next; p->next = q;

q->next

5
q

After

Lists - list.c (4)

List* InsertSorted(List* head, int val) { List *p, *q=head; /* head insertion */ if( (q == NULL) || (q->key > val)) { p = newE(); p->key = val; p->next = head; head = p;

return head;
}

Lists - list.c (4)

/* search where to insert q is != NULL, so q->next is defined */ while( q->next != NULL) { if( q->next->key > val) { p = newE(); p->key = val; p->next = q->next; q->next = p; return head;

} q = q->next;
}

Lists - list.c (4)

/* tail insertion: q->next is null here*/ p = newE(); p->key = val; p->next = NULL; q->next = p; return head; }

Stacks and Queues

Stack Use a LIFO (Last In First Out) policy

- The last element inserted is the first that will be deleted - Eg.: a stack of books

Implementation in terms of lists Primitives:

- Push - Pop - Top - Empty

Stack and queues

Dynamic Push
- Insertion in head
List* head=NULL; //init. head = Push (head, val); //call List* Push (List*,int val) { List* p; p = newE(); p->next = head; p->key = val; head = p; }

Dynamic Pop - Deletion from head

List* Pop(List* head, int* val) { List* p; if (head==NULL) { printf(Stack Underflow\n); } else { *val = head->key; p = head; head = p->next; free(p); return head; } }

Queues
Implements a FIFO (First In First Out) policy
- First inserted item is the first to be extracted (deleted) - E.g., a queue of persons to be served

Queues and lists

Dynamic Enqueue
- Insert in tail

Dynamic Dequeue
- Extract from the head

Given the huge number of accesses to the tail of the list, it is convenient to use an explicit pointer tail for the queues

Linear queues with lists

Dynamic Enqueue
Function call: pTail = enqueue (&head, pTail, val); List* enqueue(List** head, List* pTail,int val) { List* p; p = newE(); p->key = val; if (pTail==NULL) { //first elem *head = p; p->next = NULL; } else { pTail->next = p; } pTail = p; return pTail; }

Dynamic Dequeue
head = dequeue (head, &pTail, &val); List* dequeue(List* head, List** pTail,int* val) { List* p; if (head==NULL) { printf(Queue underflow\n); } else { *val = head->key; p = head; if (head == *pTail) { /* one-element queue */ *pTail=NULL; head=NULL; } else { head = head->next;} free (p); } return head; }

List* head=NULL, tail; //init.

Circular queues
Dynamic Enqueue
- Insert in tail

Dynamic Dequeue
- Extract from the head

Usage of pointer pTail for insertion and deletion: last element points to first one
pTail->next pTail

Queues and lists - (cont.)

Dynamic Enqueue
Function call: pTail = enqueue(pTail, val); List* enqueue(List* pTail, int val) { List* pNew; pNew = newE(); p->key = val; /* . */ if (pTail==NULL) { pTail = pNew; pTail->next = pTail; } else { pNew->next = pTail->next; pTail->next = pNew; pTail = pNew; } return pTail; }

Dynamic Dequeue
Function call: pTail = dequeue(pTail, val); List* dequeue(List* pTail, int* val, int* status) { List* pOld; if (pTail=!=NULL) { *status = SUCCESS; if (pTail == pTail->next){ *val = pTail->key; free(pTail); pTail = NULL;} else{ pOld = pTail->next; *val = pOld->key; pTail->next = pOld->next; free(pOld);}} return pTail; }