Develop Reference

Reversing a Linked List not working as expected

I am currently trying to reverse a linked list, I have an unexpected problem where it doesn't print correctly. And when I try and access the values of the linked list I get an error. I would greatly appreciate an expert eye to see what I am missing. Thanks in advance.
public class SinglyLinkedList<E> implements Cloneable, Iterable<E>, List<E> {
//---------------- nested Node class ----------------
/**
* Node of a singly linked list, which stores a reference to its
* element and to the subsequent node in the list (or null if this
* is the last node).
*/
private static class Node<E> {
private E data; // reference to the element stored at this node
private Node<E> nextNode;
//methods for accessing variables
public Node<E> getNextNode() { return nextNode; }
public E getData() { return data; }
// Modifier methods
public void setNext(Node<E> n) { nextNode = n; }
public void setData(E n) { data = n; }
public Node(E e, Node<E> n) {
nextNode = n;
data = e;
}
// reference to the subsequent node in the list// TODO
} //----------- end of nested Node class -----------
// instance variables of the SinglyLinkedList
private int size = 0; // number of nodes in the list
private Node<E> head = null; // head node of the list (or null if empty)
public SinglyLinkedList() {
} // constructs an initially empty list
// access methods
/**
* Returns the number of elements in the linked list.
*
* #return number of elements in the linked list
*/
public void addFirst(E e) {
head = new Node<E>(e, head); // create the new node and link new node
size++;
}
/**
* Produces a string representation of the contents of the list.
* This exists for debugging purposes only.
*/
public String toString() {
StringBuilder temporaryString = new StringBuilder();
temporaryString.append("[");
for(Iterator<E> iterator = iterator(); iterator.hasNext();){
temporaryString.append(iterator.next()).append(", ");
}
temporaryString.deleteCharAt(temporaryString.length() - 1);
temporaryString.deleteCharAt(temporaryString.length() - 1);
temporaryString.append("]");
return temporaryString.toString();
}
private class SinglyLinkedListIterator implements Iterator<E> {
private Node<E> current;
public SinglyLinkedListIterator() {
current = head;
}
#Override
public boolean hasNext() {
return current != null;
}
#Override
public E next() {
if(!hasNext()) throw new RuntimeException("No such element");
E res = current.getData();
current = current.getNextNode();
return res;
}
}
public Iterator<E> iterator() {
return new SinglyLinkedListIterator();
}
The reverse Linked List method:
public Node<E> reverseLinkedList(SinglyLinkedList sll) {
Node<E> previous = null;
Node<E> current = sll.head;
while (current != null) {
Node<E> nextElement = current.getNextNode();
current.setNext(previous);
previous = current;
current = nextElement;
}
return previous;
}
The main method:
public static void main(String[] args) {
SinglyLinkedList<Integer> sll2 = new SinglyLinkedList<Integer>();
sll2.addFirst(1);
sll2.addFirst(2);
sll2.addFirst(3);
System.out.println(sll2.toString());
sll2.reverseLinkedList(sll2);
System.out.println(sll2.toString());
}
The output:
[3, 2, 1]
//i should expect to get 1,2,3
[3]

As you are mutating ("rewiring") the given linked list in the reverseLinkedList function, you are not actually producing a new linked list. So to have it return something is actually contradictory. Either it should return a completely new linked list without mutating the given one, or it should mutate the given linked list and not return anything.
From your main code I see that you actually expect to mutate the given linked list, as you don't use the returned value and print the result based on sll. So make your function a void one, and drop the return statement.
The core problem now is that you never change the head member: it still references what used to be the first node in the list, but is now the last one. You should assign the node to head that previously was the tail node.
So the last statement in your function should be:
sll.head = previous;

Delete node with biggest values from linked list

I want to delete the Node with the biggest generic T object from my linear linked list (list only has head) and return the object of this Node. Method signature must look like this and the code I got so far:
The List looks like this:
public List<T extends Comparable<T>>{
private Node<T> head;
public List(){
this.head = null;
}
//inner class Node
public class Node<T>{
T obj;
Node<T> next;
}
public Node(T obj){
this.obj = obj;
}
//the method my question is about
public T remove(){
if(head == null) return null;
else {
Node<T> act = head;
Node<T> prev = head //previous Node
Node<T> biggest;
while(act != null){
if(act.obj.compareTo(prev.obj) > 0) {
biggest = act;
}
prev = p;
p = p.next;
}
return biggest.obj;
}
}
This code only gets the biggest object but does not delete the Node. I don't know how to adapt the while loop to delete the node. If I found the biggest Element the prev.next pointer must go to the act.next Node somehow.

What your code currently does is it compares two adjacent nodes if(act.obj.compareTo(prev.obj), where I assume nodes are not ordered by value (you did not mention it in your question), so this is incorrect.
What you want to do is:
Find the biggest value in the list
Remove node with that value
T biggestValue = head.obj;
// 1
while(act != null) {
if(act.obj.compareTo(biggestValue.obj) > 0) {
biggestValue = act.obj;
}
}
// 2
while(act != null) { // that loop and its body could be simplified by using: while(!act.obj.equals(biggestValue)) but I leave it that way for brevity
if(act.obj.equals(biggestValue)) {
prev.next = act.next;
break;
}
prev = act;
act = act.next;
}

Hint: If the singly linked list contains more than one item, and you want to cut out the node that contains the largest value, you have to use two while loops, the first loop to identify what is the largest value, the second loop to find the node that contains that largest value and cut it from the list.

Java Priority Queue in Linked List Test Cases

So I'm trying to implement a priority queue with a linked list. I think I have the basics together, but for some reason my test cases aren't working. When I run it, the size show up fine, but none of the node values are showing (only an arrow "->" pops up once). If anyone could help me figure out why it isn't working, or suggest a better way to set up test cases in java (I've never done that before) it would be appreciated!
Node class:
public class Node { //Node class structure
int data; //data contained in Node; for assignment purposes, data is an int
Node next; //pointer to Next Node
//Node Constructor
public Node(int data) {
this.data = data;
next = null;
}
//Set Methods
public void setData(int data) { //set Node value
this.data = data;
}
public void setNext(Node next) { //set next Node value
this.next = next;
}
//Get Methods
public int getData() { //get Node value
return this.data;
}
public Node getNext() { //get next Node value
return this.next;
}
//Display the Node Value
public void displayNode() {
System.out.println(data + "urgh"); //display value as a string
}
}
Linked List Class:
import Question1.Node;
//basic set-up of a FIFO singly linked list
public class SLList{
protected Node head; //head of SLList
protected Node tail; //tail of SLList
int n; //number of elements in SLList
//SLList constructor
public SLList() {
head = null;
n = 0;
}
//check if list is empty
public boolean isEmpty() {
return head == null;
}
//return the size of the list
public int size() {
return n;
}
//add a new node to the end of the list
public boolean insert(int x){
Node y = new Node(x);
if (head == null){ //if head is null, thus an empty list
head = y; //assign head as y
}
else{ //if there is already a tail node
tail.next = y; //assign the tail's pointer to the new node
}
tail = y; //assign tail to y
this.n++; //increment the queue's size
return true; //show action has taken place
}
//remove and return node from head of list
public Node remove(){
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 pointer = head; //assign pointer to the head
head = head.next; //reassign head as next node,
n--; //decrement list size
return pointer; //return the pointer
}
}
//display SLList as string
public void displayList() {
Node pointer = head;
while (pointer != null) {
pointer.displayNode();
pointer = pointer.next;
}
System.out.println(" ");
}
}
Priority Queue Class:
import Question1.Node;
import Question1.SLList;
public class PriorityQueue extends SLList {
private SLList list; //SLList variable
public PriorityQueue(){ //create the official SLList
list = new SLList();
}
//add a new node; new add method that ensures the first element is sorted to be the "priority"
public boolean add(int x){
Node y = new Node(x);
if (n == 0){ //if there are 0 elements, thus an empty list
head = y; //assign head as 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; //assign tail to y
n++; //increment the queue's size
return true; //show action has taken place
}
//delete the minimim value (highest priority value) from the queue and return its value
public Node deleteMin(){
return list.remove(); //the list is sorted such that the element being removed in indeed the min
}
//return the size of the queue
public int size() {
return n;
}
//display Queue as string
public void displayQueue() {
System.out.println("->");
list.displayList();
}
}
Test Cases (so far, the delete one wasn't working so it's commented out):
import Question1.PriorityQueue;
public class TestQ1 { //Test code
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.displayQueue();
System.out.println("Test size(): " + PQueue1.size());
PriorityQueue PQueue2 = new PriorityQueue();
//Node node1 = PQueue1.deleteMin();
System.out.println("Test deleteMin():");
PQueue2.displayQueue();
System.out.println("Test size(): " + PQueue2.size());
}
}

Change list.displayList() to displayList(), and you'll see the expected output.
Why? Because your queue is already a list (that is, an instance of SLList). When a class A extends another class B, an instance of A is also an instance of B. This is inheritance.
You've also included an instance variable private SLList list within your PriorityQueue implementation, which is an example of composition. Generally you'll only do one or the other of these two options, depending on your situation. In this case it seems you're trying to use inheritance, so there's no reason to create a separate list instance variable. You're adding the data directly to the queue (using the fact that, intrinsically, it is a list in its own right).
You should remove the list instance variable, and all the usages of it should refer to the parent class' methods or variables.

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?).

How to use compareTo() method to compare objects in a List?

I have a class called ListNode that works like a list. Using this class I want to establish a list of Magazine objects. In my MagazineList class I want to edit the add method so when I insert Magazines they will be sorted alphabetically. How can I do this?
My ListNode class:
public class ListNode {
private Object value;
private ListNode next;
//intializes node
public ListNode (Object initValue, ListNode initNext) {
value = initValue;
next = initNext;
}
//returns value of node
public Object getValue () {
return value;
}
//returns next reference of node
public ListNode getNext () {
return next;
}
//sets value of node
public void setValue (Object theNewValue) {
value = theNewValue;
}
//sets next reference of node
public void setNext (ListNode theNewNext) {
next = theNewNext;
}
}
my MagazineList class's add method:
//when instantiated, MagazineList's list variable is set to null
public void add (Magazine mag) {
ListNode node = new ListNode (mag, null);
ListNode current;
if (list == null)
list = node;
else {
current = list;
while (current.getNext() != null)
current = current.getNext();
current.setNext(node);
}
}
I used this method to compare the Magazines in the Magazine class:
//compares the names (Strings) of the Magazines.
public int compareTo(Magazine mag2) {
return (title).compareTo(mag2.toString());
}

One easy way to do this is to keep your list always sorted.
Then, each time you insert a new node, starting from the head, you should compare the the new node with each node in the list using compareTo method, and insert the new node after the node for which compareTo returns positive.
A basic implementation may be like this. You need to improve it and consider edge cases etc. though.
//when instantiated, MagazineList's list variable is set to null
public void add (Magazine mag) {
ListNode node = new ListNode (mag, null);
ListNode current;
if (list == null)
list = node;
else {
current = list; // you list head
while (node.compareTo(current) < 0)
current = current.getNext();
ListNode next = current.getNext();
current.setNext(node);
node.setNext(next);
}
}

Like this
//compares the names (Strings) of the Magazines.
public int compareTo(Magazine mag2) {
//assume that you have getTittle() method which returns Title
return title.compareTo(mag2.getTitle());
}