Project: Linked Lists

Learn how to build a linked list.

Introduction

In Computer Science one of the most basic and fundamental data structures is the linked list, which functions similarly to an array. The principal benefit of a linked list over a conventional array is that the list elements can easily be inserted or removed without reallocation of any other elements.

In some programming languages the size of an array is a concern and one of the ways to overcome that problem and allow dynamically allocated data is using linked lists.

Luckily in Ruby arrays aren't limited to a certain size, so you don't have to think about overcoming that limitation.

So if array size is not a limitation in Ruby, are linked lists really necessary? The short answer to that is no; however, it's the simplest of the dynamic data structures and it will give you a solid foundation, so you can understand more complex data structures like graphs and binary trees with more ease.

Structure of a Linked List

A linked list is a linear collection of data elements called nodes that "point" to the next node by means of a pointer.

Each node holds a single element of data and a link or pointer to the next node in the list.

A head node is the first node in the list, a tail node is the last node in the list. Below is a basic representation of a linked list:

[ NODE(head) ] -> [ NODE ] -> [ NODE(tail) ] -> nil

For a more thorough explanation, use these resources:

1. Linked Lists in Plain English

2. Linked Lists, Ruby's Missing Data Structure

3. A more verbose explanation with plenty of diagrams

Assignment

You will need two classes:

1. LinkedList class, which will represent the full list.

2. Node class, containing a #value method and a link to the #next_node, set both as nil by default.

Build the following methods in your linked list class:

1. #append(value) adds a new node containing value to the end of the list

2. #prepend(value) adds a new node containing value to the start of the list

3. #size returns the total number of nodes in the list

4. #head returns the first node in the list

5. #tail returns the last node in the list

6. #at(index) returns the node at the given index

7. #pop removes the last element from the list

8. #contains?(value) returns true if the passed in value is in the list and otherwise returns false.

9. #find(value) returns the index of the node containing value, or nil if not found.

10. #to_s represent your LinkedList objects as strings, so you can print them out and preview them in the console.

    The format should be: ( value ) -> ( value ) -> ( value ) -> nil

Extra credit

1. #insert_at(value, index) that inserts a new node with the provided value at the given index.

2. #remove_at(index) that removes the node at the given index.

Extra credit tip: When you insert or remove a node, consider how it will affect the existing nodes. Some of the nodes will need their #next_node link updated.