class Link{
private int value;
private Link next;
}
I am asked to write a recursive method to delete last occurrence of a certain value, say 4.
before 2->3->4->5->4->2
after 2->3->4->5->2
The last occurrence only. I know how to delete all occurrence but I can't tell if its the last occurrence. No helper method is allowed.
The one to delete all occurrence
public Link deleteAll(){
if (next == null){
return value==4ļ¼ null:this;
}else{
if (value == 4){
return next.deleteAll();
}
next = next.deleteAll();
return this;
}
}
You can declare a pointer to the last occurred node and delete that node when reached the last element in list. Following steps explains that -
Declare two pointers one is next as in your above code another can be temp.
Iterate through list using next like you doing in deleteAll method above.
If you find the node you looking for assign that node to temp.In your case 4.
When next is null you reached the end of list now delete, whatever node is in temp delete that node. If temp is still null than no node found in given key.
EDIT:
Possible pseudo Code in case of recursion:
public void deleteLast(Node node,Node temp,Node prev, int data)
{
if(node==null)
{
if(temp!=null && temp.next.next!=null){
temp.next = temp.next.next;}
if(temp.next.next==null)
temp.next = null;
return;
}
if(node.data==data)
{
temp = prev;
}
prev = node;
deleteLast(node.next, temp, prev, int data);
}
Above code should be able to solve your problem. I made some edit in my approach which should be obvious from the code but let me describe it below
I added a prev pointer. Because if we want to delete a particular node we need to assign its next to prev node's next.So, we need the prev node not the node that we want to delete.
I think this change will follow in iterative approach too.
Not really answering your exact question, but as an alternative option, you might consider the following.
Write a recursive method to delete the first occurrence of a specified value, something like this:
public Link deleteFirst(int target) {
if (value == target) {
return next;
}
next = (next == null) ? null : next.deleteFirst(target);
return this;
}
Then you could write a reverse() method as either an iterative or recursive method as you see fit. I haven't included this, but googling should show some useful ideas.
Finally the method to remove the last occurrence of a value from the linked list could then be written like this:
public Link deleteLast(int target) {
return reverse().deleteFirst(target).reverse();
}
Note that as long as your reverse() method is linear complexity, this operation will be linear complexity as well, although constants will be higher than necessary.
The trick is to do the work on the way back -- there is no need for additional parameters, helpers or assumptions at all:
Link deleteLast(int target) {
if (next == null) {
return null;
}
Link deleted = next.deleteLast(target);
if (deleted == null) {
return value == target ? this : null;
}
if (deleted == next) {
next = deleted.next;
}
return deleted;
}
Related
Firstly, I have a linked list implementation of a Queue where Dequeuing occurs at the Head of the linked list. I have one no-argument no-return public method:
public void recursiveDequeue() {
head = recursiveDequeue(size()-1, head);
}
And a second method:
private Node recursiveDequeue(int index, Node current) {
if (current==null) {
// some code I need to write
}
return current;
}
I cannot for the life of me figure out how to do this. The only thing I can change is the comment that states clearly where I need to write code.
How do you build a recursion method that dequeues from the head but whose calling method already refers to the head? How is that even recursion? I dont even know what this is supposed to do.
Maybe something like the following. I don't know what exactly to do with index, seems superfluous here, but if it is the number of elements to dequeue as suggested in comments:
private Node recursiveDequeue(int index, Node current) {
if (current==null || index==0) {
return null;
}
return recursiveDequeue(index-1,current.next); // for a single-linked list
}
If the only code you are allowed to write is conditional upon the node argument being null then there is no solution because you can't impact a queue with a non-null head.
If the condition is intended to be current != null then it's possible:
if (current != null) {
if (index > 0)
return recursiveDequeue(index - 1, current.getNext());
}
return current;
This will dequeue index items. Given your no argument method calls it with size - 1 it will dequeue all but the last item.
Ok so i need to deleted items from a circular list,as part of a bigger program that isnt working, and i cant seem to delete the last node passed in to the delete method, if the index passed in is 1 it will delete the 1st node in list and replace it, but when there is only one node left it has nothing to reference off, been at this hours. i will leave my delete method here
public void delete(int index)
{
if(Node.numOfUsers == 1)
{
first=null;
return;
}
//make curr the same as first node
int i = 1;
curr=first;
//if index passed in is 1, make temporary node same as one after first node
// if(size<1)
// {
// System.out.println("ok so this is where we are at");
// }
if(index==1)
{
temp=first.nextNode;
while(temp.nextNode!=first)
{
temp=temp.nextNode;
}
temp.nextNode=temp.nextNode.nextNode;
first=curr.nextNode;
}
else
{
//as long as i is not equal to node index-1 move current on 1 and increment i by 1
while(i != index-1)
{
curr=curr.nextNode;
i++;
}
//curr.nextNode is pointing to the node index we want and making it equal to one index above it
curr.nextNode=curr.nextNode.nextNode;
}
Node.numOfUsers--;
int size=size();
}
}
Looks like you're keeping track globally of a number of users. If this behaves the way I think it would, you could just have a small check at the beginning of this method so that if it is zero, you don't follow through with any of the logic following it.
if(Node.numOfUsers == 0) return;
This will make it so you don't bother executing any of the other logic.
A slightly better methodology to this problem might be to use the Node you want to delete as a parameter, rather than its index. This way you can avoid having to keep track of indices inside your data structure.
e.g.
public void delete(Node n) {
if(Node.numOfUsers == 0 || n == null) return; // 0 nodes or null parameter.
Node temp = first;
if(temp.next == null) { //only one node
temp = null; //simply delete it
} else {
while(temp.next != n) {
temp = temp.next;
if(temp == first) { //if we circle the entire list and don't find n, it doesn't exist.
return;
}
}
temp.next = n.next; // perform the switch, deleting n
}
}
EDIT: The above code follows the assumption that you'll have references to the node you want to delete. If this is not the case, using indices is just as good. You may also consider comparing values, however this would require you to assume that you have unique values in your nodes (and I don't know what you're restrictions are).
The logic for comparing values would be identical to the above, however instead of comparing if(temp == n) for example, you would compare if(temp.data.equals(n.data)). The use of the .equals() method is specifically for the String type, but you could modify it to work with whatever data type you are expecting, or better yet write a custom .equals method that allows the use of Generics for your abstract data type.
public Link getEnd(LinkList a, Link current){
if(current.next == null){
Link temp = current; //here I save the Link in a variable before nullifying it
current = null;
return temp;
}
else{
getEnd(a , current.next);
}
return null;
}
I'm using a class for LinkedList that was written specifically for the CS course I'm taking so keep that in mind if the syntax isn't the same as what you are used to.
What happens here is that I get a null pointer exception and the last Link in the List is the same, nothing happens to it.
As noted current is a local variable. Changing it does not do anything.
You want to modify the second last element, and do a
secondlast.next = null;
to unlink the last element. Furthermore, Java does not allow you to reference the current.next field, but only to copy the reference. In C, such code can be written much shorter, but this needs full-blown pointer operations.
So you do need to modify your overall logic to look ahead by one more element. The simplest probably is designing your method as
public Link getEnd(LinkedList a, Link previous, Link current) {
...
if (previous != null) previous.next = null;
...
else
...
return getEnd(a, current, current.next);
}
However, I would suggest to use a non-recursive implementation.
public Link getEnd(LinkedList a) {
if (a.head == null) return null; // Empty list.
Link previous = null, current = a.head;
while(current.next != null) {
previous = current;
current = current.next;
}
// Figure out what to do now yourself. It's easy.
}
The statement:
current = null;
Changes the value of a local variable, not the list structure. It has no effect at all.
Example input: the node ācā from the linked list a->b->c->d->e Result: nothing is returned, but the new linked list looks like a->b->d->e
I do understand that ppl have already asked this question before, but since my reputation is not high enough yet, I couldn't ask my question in that thread. so here goes my quesetion:
So in the solution, when deleting the middle node we do:
public static boolean deleteNode(LinkedListNode n) {
if (n == null || n.next == null) {
return false; // Failure
}
LinkedListNode next = n.next;
n.data = next.data;
n.next = next.next;
return true;
}
But what I don't understand is that why can't I just do n = next?
It is probably a trivial question, but I didn't seem to find a good explanation for this question
If you just do n = next then you have only changed what object your local reference variable n refers to; you haven't modified any part of the list.
The trick to "deleting" the current node is to overwrite it with the next one:
n.data = next.data;
n.next = next.next;
Now you are modifying fields of the object that is referred to by n, which is a part of the actual list.
In C++, the code you wrote would look like this:
bool deleteNode(LinkedListNode* n) {
if (n == null || (*n).next == null) {
return false; // Failure
}
LinkedListNode* next = (*n).next;
(*n).data = (*next).data;
(*n).next = (*next).next;
return true;
}
So what does that mean? When you call this method, in C++ it would look like this:
LinkedListNode* listNode = new LinkedListNode();
deleteNode(&listNode);
This is important, because that means you're just sending an address over, and not the entire object. This means that you don't actually have access to the node you gave as a parameter to the method, you only have a reference to its address.
Basically, in Java, you can't do the following C++ code:
*n = *next;
You can't modify the listNode object that's outside of the method. You only get its address. And you are only modifying the copy of its address, not the address itself.
Basically, it's because in Java, the pointer of the class is passed by value (as a copy), and primitives are also passed by value (as a copy).
somehow, it overwrites the current node which is supposed to be deleted with the
data of next node to it,and delete the next node.
LinkedListNode next = n.next;
n.data = next.data;
n.next = next.next;
That is how the code comes.
I am attempting to remove the last iterated element, with a custom iterator/linked list class. It for some reason only does this for the first item in the list (the head condition). Is there anything wrong with the conditions?
Should I, instead of the Else after If (prev=head), write If (next != null) to find middle nodes, and If (next = null) to find the last node?
Second question: to remove the items, should I also write prev.element = null (now I only have prev = null, and I suppose that erases the node but not its content.
Quite simply, what is wrong with my remove method, as I cannot figure it out myself. Thank you guys so much in advance. I have been working many hours with this but I still haven't got it working.
public E next() {
if (!hasNext())
throw new NoSuchElementException ();
prev = next;
E element = next.element;
next = next.next;
return element;
}
public void remove() {
if(prev == null) {
throw new IllegalStateException();
}
else {
if(prev == head){
head = head.next;
next = head;
}
else {
next = prev.next;
}
sizeOfList--;
prev = null;
}
}
You would need a while loop to be able to go through every node in the list until you hit the last one. As it is now, your code simply goes past the head, and then gets into the code that says sizeOfList-- and then prev = null;
You need something like this:
while (prev.next.next != null) {
prev = prev.next;
}
prev.next = null;
I do prev.next.next so that you can set the 2nd to last node in your linked list to point to a null value (which is done by prev.next = null;). Think of it this way: prev is the 2nd to last element in the list, prev.next is the last element, and obviously prev.next.next HAS to be null (because prev.next is LAST.) So once this is the case, delete the last element by setting the 2nd to last element to point to a null value.
And then decrement your list count.
This is my best guess with the given code
if(prev == head){ should change to if(prev.equals(head)){ Use equals method.
And I think you have to override equals method in the corresponding element class might definitely help.
== only checks for whether both variables refer to same object in memory, where as equals check Object state.
I hope it helps :).