Develop Reference

Java Simple Linked List

I am taking a course in Data Structures at University and I am having troubles understanding why my Singly Linked List is not following FIFO algorithm.
Here is my Node/PSVM class:
public class Node {
protected int data;
protected Node next;
Node(int element){
this.data = element;
next = null;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
LinkedList ll = new LinkedList();
ll.addElement(300);
ll.addElement(600);
ll.addElement(900);
ll.addElement(1200);
ll.printList();
}
}
This is my Linked List Class:
public class LinkedList {
// create a reference of type node to point to head
Node head;
// keep track of the size of ll
int size = 0;
void printList() {
Node n = head;
for (int i = 0; i < llSize(); i++) {
System.out.print(n.data + " ");
n = n.next;
}
System.out.println("");
}
int llSize() {
return this.size;
}
boolean isEmpty() {
return size == 0;
}
void addElement(int element) {
if (isEmpty()) {
head = new Node(element);
} else {
Node nNode = new Node(element);
Node current = head;
while(current.next != null){
current = current.next;
}
current.next = nNode;
}
this.size++;
}
}
Sorry in advance if this is a basic question/problem. I have asked my professor and she sent me a YouTube link which really didn't help.
Thank you for your time.

The code has no bugs.
For the list to behave as FIFO, nodes will be added to one end and deleted from the opposite end.
Therefore, you will have to implement a delete operation. You can maintain separate reference to the head and tail node.

Java Linked List Priority Queue

I'm trying to create a priority queue in java with the use of a linked list, but something isn't working. I understand the general functionality of the priority queue, but I'm a complete beginner when it comes to java. I've looked at other examples and can't seem to find what's wrong in mine. Any advice? One thing I've noticed is the use of type or or whatever, but I'm not exactly sure what that is.
First class:
public class Node { //Node class structure
int data; //data contained in Node
Node next; //pointer to Next Node
public int getData() {
return data;
}
public void setData(int data) {
this.data = data;
}
public Node getNext() {
return next;
}
public void setNext(Node next) {
this.next = next;
}
}
Second class:
import work.Node;
//basic set-up of a singly linked list
public class SLList{
Node head; //head of SLList
Node tail; //tail of SLList
int n; //number of elements in SLList
}
Third class:
import work.Node;
public class PriorityQueue extends SLList{
//add a new node
public void add(int x){
Node y = new Node();
y.data = x;
if (tail == null){ //if there is no existing tail, thus an empty list
tail = y; //assign tail and head as new node y
head = y;
}
else if (y.data < head.data){ //if new node y is the smallest element, thus highest priority
y.next = head; //assign y's next to be current head of queue
head = y; //reassign head to be actual new head of queue (y)
}
else{ //if there is already a tail node
tail.next = y; //assign the tail's pointer to the new node
tail = y; //reassign tail to actual new tail of queue (y)
}
n++; //increment the queue's size
}
//delete the minimim (highest priority value) from the queue
public Node deleteMin(){
if (n == 0){ //if the list is of size 0, and thus empty
return null; //do nothing
}
else{ //if there are node(s) in the list
Node min = head; //assign min to the head
head = head.next; //reassign head as next node,
n--; //decrement list size
return min; //return the minimum/highest priority value
}
}
//return the size of the queue
public int size() {
return n;
}
}
Tester code:
import work.Node;
import work.SLList;
import work.PriorityQueue;
public class Test {
public static void main(String[] args){
PriorityQueue PQueue1 = new PriorityQueue();
PQueue1.add(3);
PQueue1.add(2);
PQueue1.add(8);
PQueue1.add(4);
System.out.println("Test add(x): " + PQueue1);
System.out.println("Test size() " + PQueue1.size());
PriorityQueue PQueue2 = new PriorityQueue();
PQueue2 = PQueue1.deleteMin(); //the data types don't line up but I don't know what should be changed
System.out.println("Test deleteMin() " + PQueue2);
System.out.println("Test size() " + PQueue2.size());
}
}

Code from your Test class
PQueue2 = PQueue1.deleteMin(); //this line isn't working*
This line is not working because of Type mismatch: you cannot convert from Node to PriorityQueue.
API Specifications for the ClassCastException:
Thrown to indicate that the code has attempted to cast an object to a subclass of which it is not an instance. For example, the following code generates a ClassCastException:
In your example, this will work;
Node node = PQueue1.deleteMin(); //this will work

Java Using Nodes with LinkedList

I've been working through some standard coding interview questions from a book I recently bought, and I came across the following question and answer:
Implement an algorithm to find the nth to last element in a linked list.
Here's the provided answer:
public static LinkedListNode findNtoLast(LinkedListNode head, int n) { //changing LinkedListNode to ListNode<String>
if(head == null || n < 1) {
return null;
}
LinkedListNode p1 = head;
LinkedListNode p2 = head;
for(int j = 0; j < n-1; ++j) {
if(p2 == null) {
return null;
}
p2 = p2.next;
}
if(p2 == null) {
return null;
}
while(p2.next != null) {
p1 = p1.next;
p2 = p2.next;
}
return p1;
}
I understand the algorithm, how it works, and why the book lists this as its answer, but I'm confused about how to access the LinkedListNodes to send as an argument to the method. I know that I'd have to create a LinkedListNode class (since Java doesn't already have one), but I can't seem to figure out how to do that. It's frustrating because I feel like I should know how to do this. Here's something that I've been working on. I'd greatly appreciate any clarification. You can expand/comment on my code or offer your own alternatives. Thanks.
class ListNode<E> {
ListNode<E> next;
E data;
public ListNode(E value) {
data = value;
next = null;
}
public ListNode(E value, ListNode<E> n) {
data = value;
next = n;
}
public void setNext(ListNode<E> n) {
next = n;
}
}
public class MyLinkedList<E> extends LinkedList {
LinkedList<ListNode<E>> list;
ListNode<E> head;
ListNode<E> tail;
ListNode<E> current;
ListNode<E> prev;
public MyLinkedList() {
list = null;
head = null;
tail = null;
current = null;
prev = null;
}
public MyLinkedList(LinkedList<E> paramList) {
list = (LinkedList<ListNode<E>>) paramList; //or maybe create a loop assigning each ListNode a value and next ptr
head = list.getFirst();
tail = list.getLast(); //will need to update tail every time add new node
current = null;
prev = null;
}
public void addNode(E value) {
super.add(value);
//ListNode<E> temp = tail;
current = new ListNode<E>(value);
tail.setNext(current);
tail = current;
}
public LinkedList<ListNode<E>> getList() {
return list;
}
public ListNode<E> getHead() {
return head;
}
public ListNode<E> getTail() {
return tail;
}
public ListNode<E> getCurrent() {
return current;
}
public ListNode<E> getPrev() {
return prev;
}
}
How can the LinkedListNode head from a LinkedList?
Update: I think part of my confusion comes from what to put in the main method. Do I need to create a LinkedList of ListNode? If I do that, how would I connect the ListNodes to each other? How would I connect them without using a LinkedList collection object? If someone could show me how they would code the main method, I think that would put things into enough perspective for me to solve my issues. Here's my latest attempt at the main method:
public static void main(String args[]) {
LinkedList<ListNode<String>> list = new LinkedList<ListNode<String>>();
//MyLinkedList<ListNode<String>> list = new MyLinkedList(linkedList);
list.add(new ListNode<String>("Jeff"));
list.add(new ListNode<String>("Brian"));
list.add(new ListNode<String>("Negin"));
list.add(new ListNode<String>("Alex"));
list.add(new ListNode<String>("Alaina"));
int n = 3;
//ListIterator<String> itr1 = list.listIterator();
//ListIterator<String> itr2 = list.listIterator();
LinkedListNode<String> head = new LinkedListNode(list.getFirst(), null);
//String result = findNtoLast(itr1, itr2, n);
//System.out.println("The " + n + "th to the last value: " + result);
//LinkedListNode<String> nth = findNtoLast(list.getFirst(), n);
ListNode<String> nth = findNtoLast(list.getFirst(), n);
System.out.println("The " + n + "th to the last value: " + nth);
}
In an attempt to connect the nodes without using a custom linked list class, I have edited my ListNode class to the following:
class ListNode<E> {
ListNode<E> next;
ListNode<E> prev; //only used for linking nodes in singly linked list
ListNode<E> current; //also only used for linking nodes in singly linked list
E data;
private static int size = 0;
public ListNode() {
data = null;
next = null;
current = null;
if(size > 0) { //changed from prev != null because no code to make prev not null
prev.setNext(this);
}
size++;
}
public ListNode(E value) {
data = value;
next = null;
current = this;
System.out.println("current is " + current);
if(size > 0) {
prev.setNext(current);//this line causing npe
}
else
{
prev = current;
System.out.println("prev now set to " + prev);
}
size++;
System.out.println("after constructor, size is " + size);
}
public ListNode(E value, ListNode<E> n) {
data = value;
next = n;
current = this;
if(size > 0) {
prev.setNext(this);
}
size++;
}
public void setNext(ListNode<E> n) {
next = n;
}
}
As is right now, the program will run until it reaches prev.setNext(current); in the single argument constructor for ListNode. Neither current nor prev are null at the time this line is reached. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

You don't actually need a separate LinkedList class; the ListNode class is a linked list. Or, to state it differently, a reference to the head of the list is a reference to the list.
The use of head, tail, current, prev in the sample code you posted has come from a double-linked list which is a data type that has links in both directions. This is more efficient for certain types of applications (such as finding the nth last item).
So I would recommend renaming your ListNode class to LinkedList and renaming next to tail.
To add a new item to the list you need a method that creates a new list with the new item at it's head. Here is an example:
class LinkedList<E> {
...
private LinkedList(E value, LinkedList<E> tail) {
this.data = value;
this.tail = tail;
}
public LinkedList<E> prependItem(E item) {
return new LinkedList(item, this);
}
}
Then to add a new item i to list you use list = list.prependItem(i);
If for some reason you need to always add the items to the end, then:
private LinkedList(E value) {
this.data = value;
this.tail = null;
}
public void appendItem(E item) {
LinkedList<E> list = this;
while (list.tail != null)
list = list.tail;
list.tail = new LinkedList<>(item);
}
However this is obviously pretty inefficient for long lists. If you need to do this then either use a different data structure or just reverse the list when you have finished adding to it.
Incidentally, an interesting side effect of this is that a reference to any item in the list is a reference to a linked list. This makes recursion very easy. For example, here's a recursive solution for finding the length of a list:
public int getLength(LinkedList list) {
if (list == null) {
return 0;
} else {
return 1 + getLength(list.getTail());
}
}
And using this a simple (but very inefficient!) solution to the problem you provided - I've renamed the method to make its function more obvious:
public LinkedList getTailOfListOfLengthN(LinkedList list, int n) {
int length = getLength(list);
if (length < n) {
return null;
} else if (length == n) {
return list;
} else {
return getTailOfLengthN(list.getTail(), n);
}
}
And to reverse the list:
public LinkedList<E> reverse() {
if (tail == null) {
return this;
} else {
LinkedList<E> list = reverse(tail);
tail.tail = this;
tail = null;
return list;
}
}
As I hope you can see this makes the methods a lot more elegant than separating the node list classes.

Actually you have created a linked list with you class ListNode.
A linked list is made of a node and a reference to another linked list (see the recursion?).

Inspect a Queue to print all elements

I am currently revising for my programming exam and I have came across a question from a past paper that has me rather confused.
I have two classes, Queue and Node, shown below.
The question states that I have to extend the behaviour of the Queue class by adding the necessary code to the inspectQueue method that prints to the console all the data stored within the queue.
The only solution I can think of, and it is very weak, is to have a simple ArrayList and every time an element is enqueued/dequeued then add/remove the node to/from the list.
Is there a better solution that I am glossing over? I'd really appreciate some guidance.
I've commented the code where I have implemented my "solution" the rest of the code is how it appears in the exam paper.
Thanks for your time.
Queue.java
public class Queue {
protected Node head;
protected Node last;
//added by me
private ArrayList<Node> nodes = new ArrayList<Node>();
//end my add
public boolean isEmpty() {
return (this.head == null);
}
public void enqueue(Object d) {
Node n = new Node();
n.setData(d);
nodes.add(n); //added by me
if (this.isEmpty()) {
head = n;
last = n;
}
else {
last.setNext(n);
last = n;
}
}
public Object dequeue() {
if(this.isEmpty()) {
this.last = null;
return null;
}
else {
Node h = this.head;
nodes.remove(h); //added by me
head = h.getNext();
return h.getData();
}
}
public Object peek() {
if(this.isEmpty()) {
return null;
}
else {
Node t = this.head;
return t.getData();
}
}
public void clearQueue() {
this.head = null;
this.last = null;
}
public void inspectQueue() {
//added by me (all below)
System.out.println("Inspecting Queue: (contains " + nodes.size() + " nodes)");
for(Node n : nodes) {
System.out.println(n.getData());
}
}
}
Node.java
public class Node {
protected Object data;
protected Node next;
public void setNext(Node e) {
this.next = e;
}
public Node getNext() {
return this.next;
}
public void setData(Object d) {
this.data = d;
}
public Object getData() {
return this.data;
}
}

Your nodes form a linked list, so just do
public void inspectQueue() {
Node n = head;
while (n != null) {
System.out.println(n.getData());
n = n.getNext();
}
}

This is a very basic data structure, called a LinkedList. In the your code for the Node class you can see the following:
protected Node next;
This means that every Node also holds a reference to the next Node in the list. If this Node is null, there are no more elements in the list. Knowing this, you can loop somewhat like this:
Node currentNode = this.head;
while(currentNode != null) {
System.out.println(currentNode.getData().toString());
currentNode = currentNode.getNext();
}
This eliminates the need for an ArrayList to store your references.
The LinkedList is a VERY frequently used data structure and very important to understand. If you have any questions, just go ahead and ask!
If you also want to have the size, keep a counter along, increment it each time you call getNext(), and print the size after the for loop.

You don't need the array, you have that information stored within the Node next property:
public void inspectQueue() {
Node current = head;
while(current != null) {
System.out.println(n.getData());
current = current.getNext();
}
}
That data structure is called linked list.

The simpler solution is to start with queue.head and traverse the linked list of nodes using node.next, printing the data as you go along.

SLinkedList and Node in Java

To start with, yes, this is for an assignment in class, but my lack of understanding on how it operates is higher than I want it to be.
We were given 3 classes, they are the following:
SLinkedList.java
package chapter3.linkedList;
public class SLinkedList<V> {
// instance variables. Add the tail reference.
protected Node<V> head, tail;
protected long size;
// methods, empty list constructor first
public SLinkedList () {
head = null;
tail = null;
size = 0;
} // end constructor of a SLinkedList
// method to add nodes to the list. Storage space for the node
// is already allocated in the calling method
public void addFirst (Node<V> node) {
// set the tail only if this is the very first node
if (tail == null)
tail = node;
node.setNext (head); // make next of the new node refer to the head
head = node; // give head a new value
// change our size
size++;
} // end method addFirst
// addAfter - add new node after current node, checking to see if we are at the tail
public void addAfter (Node<V>currentNode, Node<V>newNode) {
if (currentNode == tail)
tail = newNode;
newNode.setNext (currentNode.getNext ());
currentNode.setNext (newNode);
// change our size
size++;
} // end method addAfter
// addLast - add new node after the tail node. Adapted from Code Fragment 3.15, p. 118.
// Mike Qualls
public void addLast (Node<V> node) {
node.setNext (null);
tail.setNext (node);
tail = node;
size++;
} // end method addLast
// methods to remove nodes from the list. (Unfortunately, with a single linked list
// there is no way to remove last. Need a previous reference to do that. (See
// Double Linked Lists and the code below.)
public Node<V> removeFirst () {
if (head == null)
System.err.println("Error: Attempt to remove from an empty list");
// save the one to return
Node<V> temp = head;
// do reference manipulation
head = head.getNext ();
temp.setNext(null);
size--;
return temp;
} // end method removeFirst
// remove the node at the end of the list. tail refers to this node, but
// since the list is single linked, there is no way to refer to the node
// before the tail node. Need to traverse the list.
public Node<V> removeLast () {
// // declare local variables/objects
Node<V> nodeBefore;
Node<V> nodeToRemove;
// make sure we have something to remove
if (size == 0)
System.err.println("Error: Attempt to remove fron an empty list");
// traverse through the list, getting a reference to the node before
// the trailer. Since there is no previous reference.
nodeBefore = getFirst ();
// potential error ?? See an analysis and drawing that indicates the number of iterations
// 9/21/10. size - 2 to account for the head and tail nodes. We want to refer to the one before the
// tail.
for (int count = 0; count < size - 2; count++)
nodeBefore = nodeBefore.getNext ();
// save the last node
nodeToRemove = tail;
// now, do the pointer manipulation
nodeBefore.setNext (null);
tail = nodeBefore;
size--;
return nodeToRemove;
} // end method removeLast
// method remove. Remove a known node from the list. No need to search or return a value. This method
// makes use of a 'before' reference in order to allow list manipulation.
public void remove (Node<V> nodeToRemove) {
// declare local variables/references
Node<V> nodeBefore, currentNode;
// make sure we have something to remove
if (size == 0)
System.err.println("Error: Attempt to remove fron an empty list");
// starting at the beginning check for removal
currentNode = getFirst ();
if (currentNode == nodeToRemove)
removeFirst ();
currentNode = getLast ();
if (currentNode == nodeToRemove)
removeLast ();
// we've already check two nodes, check the rest
if (size - 2 > 0) {
nodeBefore = getFirst ();
currentNode = getFirst ().getNext ();
for (int count = 0; count < size - 2; count++) {
if (currentNode == nodeToRemove) {
// remove current node
nodeBefore.setNext (currentNode.getNext ());
size--;
break;
} // end if node found
// change references
nodeBefore = currentNode;
currentNode = currentNode.getNext ();
} // end loop to process elements
} // end if size - 2 > 0
} // end method remove
// the gets to return the head and/or tail nodes and size of the list
public Node<V> getFirst () { return head; }
public Node<V> getLast () { return tail; }
public long getSize () { return size; }
} // end class SLinkedList
Node.java
package chapter3.linkedList;
public class Node<V> {
// instance variables
private V element;
private Node<V> next;
// methods, constructor first
public Node () {
this (null, null); // call the constructor with two args
} // end no argument constructor
public Node (V element, Node<V> next) {
this.element = element;
this.next = next;
} // end constructor with arguments
// set/get methods
public V getElement () { return element; }
public Node<V> getNext () { return next; }
public void setElement (V element) { this.element = element; }
public void setNext (Node<V> next) { this.next = next; }
} // end class Node
and GameEntry.java
package Project_1;
public class GameEntry
{
protected String name; // name of the person earning this score
protected int score; // the score value
/** Constructor to create a game entry */
public GameEntry(String name, int score)
{
this.name = name;
this.score = score;
}
/** Retrieves the name field */
public String getName()
{
return name;
}
/** Retrieves the score field */
public int getScore()
{
return score;
}
/** Returns a string representation of this entry */
public String toString()
{
return "(" + name + ", " + score + ")";
}
}
I've spent the past 3 hours listening to his lecture, reading through the text (Data Structures and Algorithms 5th Edition), and looking through internet forums and youtube videos, but I can't seem to grasp any understanding of how to utilize the node/slinkedlist class.
The object of the assignment is "Write a class that maintains the top 10 scores or a game application, implementing the add and remove methods, but using a single linked list instead of an array.
I don't want someone to do this for me, but I do want to know how to make the linked list. I know these are NOT that hard, but doing them with this code he's given has become painfully difficult, any help would be really appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Edit:
My main function: ScoresTest.java
package Project_1;
public class ScoresTest {
/**
* #param args
*/
public static void main(String[] args)
{
GameEntry entry;
Scores highScores = new Scores();
entry = new GameEntry("Anna", 600);
highScores.add(entry);
entry = new GameEntry("Paul", 720);
highScores.add(entry);
System.out.println("The Original High Scores");
System.out.println(highScores);
entry = new GameEntry("Jill", 1150);
highScores.add(entry);
System.out.println("Scores after adding Jill");
System.out.println(highScores);
}
}
This is for the most part exactly how it should end up looking, but it's everything that makes this work that's throwing me off...well...everything dealing with the 3 classes mentioned above, I could do this if they weren't a factor without too much of an issue, they are what's causing my blank.

Here is a skeleton, without doing much for you this at least talks you through what you have so far in the comments above:
public class ScoreDriver
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
SLinkedList<GameEntry> sll = new SlinkedList<GameEntry>();
}
}
Once you have this in eclipse, auto-complete will take you pretty far. Instantiating the linked list class with generics could be odd if you've never seen them before. Focus, on SLinkedList though it has a lot of utility for what you want to do, don't worry about Node too much upfront.