As the title mentioned, I have to remove adjacent duplicates in doubly linked list such that if input is 'google', the adjacent duplicates removal is google-->ggle-->le and hence output should be 'le'. I'm supposed to code it in C. I tried to perform delete operation as shown in this image-, except that I don't know how to continuously loop till all adjacent duplicates are removed (I don't know how to use recursion). I'm removing adjacent duplicates in remove_adjacent_duplicates() function, and since I don't know how to put terminating condition in loop, I've merely used while loop. I also don't know how to assign modified doubly linked list to original linked list named 'head', and so head=current;
in while loop (line 63 of code) is a wrong assignment as it finally prints empty(?) list. Please rectify my mistakes and give correct solution. Here's my code-
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
struct node {
char data;
struct node *next;
struct node *prev;
};
struct node *head, *tail = NULL; //Represent the head and tail of the doubly linked list
int len;
void addNode(char data) {
struct node *newNode = (struct node*)malloc(sizeof(struct node)); //Create new node
newNode->data = data;
if(head == NULL) { //If dll is empty
head = tail = newNode; //Both head and tail will point to newNode
head->prev = NULL; //head's previous will point to NULL
tail->next = NULL; //tail's next will point to NULL, as it is the last node of the list
}
else {
tail->next = newNode; //newNode will be added after tail such that tail's next points to newNode
newNode->prev = tail; //newNode's previous will point to tail
tail = newNode; //newNode will become new tail
tail->next = NULL; //As it is last node, tail's next will point to NULL
}
}
void remove_adjacent_duplicates() {
struct node *current, *index, *temp;
if(head == NULL) {
return;
}
else
{
current=head;
while(current != NULL)
{
if(current->data == current->next->data)
{
index = current->prev; //noting data previous to duplicate data
//printf("%c\n",index->data);
while(current->data == current->next->data && current!=NULL)
{
current=current->next; //iterating till all adjacent duplicates are found
//printf("*%c\n",current->data);
}
temp=current->next; //temp points to character next to latest adjacent duplicate
//printf("!%c\n",temp->data);
index->next=temp; //the 'next' pointer of struct node of data before duplicate points to node after all adjacent duplicates found currently
//printf("@%c\n",index->data);
temp->prev=index; //data's 'prev' pointer (right after adjacent duplicates) points to data present just before adjacent duplicates
//printf("#%c\n",temp->data);
head=current; //logical error
//printf("$%c\n",head->data);
free(current);
free(index);
free(temp);
break;
}
else
{
current=current->next;
}
}
}
}
void display() {
struct node *current = head; //head the global one
while(current != NULL) {
printf("%c<->", current->data); //Prints each node by incrementing pointer.
current = current->next;
}
printf("NULL\n");
}
int main()
{
char s[100];
int i;
printf("Enter string: ");
scanf("%s",s);
len=strlen(s);
for(i=0;i<len;i ){
addNode(s[i]);
}
printf("Doubly linked list: \n");
display();
remove_adjacent_duplicates()
printf("Doubly linked list after removing adjacent duplicates: \n");
display();
return 0;
}
CodePudding user response:
Here is a possible implementation that keeps a running count of adjacent nodes still to be removed. This will have the value 0, 1 or 2. It mostly advances forwards through the list except when the running count reaches 0 and a previous node exists, in which case it steps backwards one position:
EDIT: This does not work for all cases. See reason why and a fix further down.
void remove_adjacent_duplicates(void) {
struct node *current = head;
struct node *next;
struct node *prev;
int remove = 0;
while (current != NULL)
{
next = current->next;
if (next != NULL && next->data == current->data)
{
// Need to remove the current node and the next node.
remove = 2;
}
if (remove != 0)
{
// Remove the current node.
prev = current->prev;
if (prev == NULL)
{
head = next;
}
else
{
prev->next = next;
}
if (next == NULL)
{
tail = prev;
}
else
{
next->prev = prev;
}
free(current);
remove -= 1; // Reduce running count of adjacent nodes to be removed.
if (remove != 0)
{
// Next node will also be removed.
// Step forward to next node.
current = next;
}
else if (prev == NULL)
{
// No current plan to also remove the next node.
// No previous node to step back to,
// so step forwards to the next node.
current = next;
}
else
{
// No current plan to also remove the next node.
// Step backwards to the previous node.
current = prev;
}
}
else
{
// Not removing current node. Step forwards to the next node.
current = next;
}
}
}
EDIT: The problem with the above code.
The above code fails to reduce ggoogle
to le
. The reason is that it has already removed the gg
and the oo
before it sees the next g
.
EDIT: A possible fix follows.
One way to fix the problem is to extend struct node
to include a flag which can be used as a temporary marker to defer the removal of one of the duplicate nodes. The first pass through the list can refer back to previous nodes that were duplicates.
struct node {
char data;
char flag;
struct node *next;
struct node *prev;
};
Here is a version of remove_adjacent_duplicates()
that uses the flag to mark duplicates that have not been removed yet, and which searches back when it encounters a node that isn't a duplicate to check if it can be paired up with an earlier node and marked for removal. A second pass then removes the nodes marked for removal:
void remove_adjacent_duplicates(void) {
struct node *current = head;
struct node *next;
struct node *prev;
int remove = 0;
// First pass.
while (current != NULL)
{
if (remove == 0)
{
prev = current->prev;
while (prev != NULL && prev->flag != 0 &&
prev->data != current->data)
{
prev = prev->prev;
}
if (prev != NULL && prev->data == current->data)
{
prev->flag = 1;
current->flag = 1;
}
else
{
current->flag = 0;
}
}
next = current->next;
if (next != NULL && next->data == current->data)
{
// Need to remove the current node and the next node.
remove = 2;
}
switch (remove)
{
case 2:
// Remove the current node.
prev = current->prev;
if (prev == NULL)
{
head = next;
}
else
{
prev->next = next;
}
if (next == NULL)
{
tail = prev;
}
else
{
next->prev = prev;
}
free(current);
remove--;
break;
case 1:
// Mark the current node to be removed later.
current->flag = 1;
remove--;
break;
}
current = next;
}
// Second pass - remove marked nodes.
current = head;
while (current != NULL)
{
next = current->next;
if (current->flag != 0)
{
prev = current->prev;
if (prev == NULL)
{
head = next;
}
else
{
prev->next = next;
}
if (next == NULL)
{
tail = prev;
}
else
{
next->prev = prev;
}
free(current);
}
current = next;
}
}
CodePudding user response:
Truly speaking the task is very difficult for beginners as you and me.
Firstly it seems you think that in this declaration
struct node *head, *tail = NULL; //Represent the head and tail of the doubly linked list
the both pointers are initialized explicitly by the specified initializer NULL
.
Actually this declaration is not the same as
struct node *head = NULL, *tail = NULL; //Represent the head and tail of the doubly linked list
In the original declaration the pointer head
will be initialized implicitly as a null pointer only because the declaration has the file scope. Otherwise you have to write
struct node *head = NULL, *tail = NULL; //Represent the head and tail of the doubly linked list
to initialize the both pointers with NULL
.
Further it is a bad idea when functions depend on global variables.
You should introduce one more structure as for example
struct list
{
struct node *head;
struct node *tail;
};
that indeed will define a doubly linked list.
Also the declaration of the global variable len
that is used only in main also is a bad style of programming and actually along with the call of strlen
is redundant. You should declare variables in minimal scopes where they are used.
Your function remove_adjacent_duplicates
is invalid at least because it does not change the pointers head
and tail
. They stay unchanged.
Or for example this while loop
while(current != NULL)
{
if(current->data == current->next->data)
//...
can invoke undefined behavior when the list contains only one node because in this case you are dereferencing a null pointer in the condition of the if statement
current->next->data
The function can be defined the following wat as shown in the demonstration program below. I introduced one more structure as I already pointed out. The program does not use global variables.
Here you are.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
struct node
{
char data;
struct node *next;
struct node *prev;
};
struct list
{
struct node *head;
struct node *tail;
};
int addNode( struct list *list, char data )
{
struct node *newNode = malloc( sizeof( *newNode ) );
int success = newNode != NULL;
if (success)
{
newNode->prev = list->tail;
newNode->next = NULL;
newNode->data = data;
if (list->head == NULL)
{
list->head = newNode;
}
else
{
list->tail->next = newNode;
}
list->tail = newNode;
}
return success;
}
void display( const struct list *list )
{
for (const struct node *current = list->head; current != NULL; current = current->next)
{
printf( "%c -> ", current->data );
}
puts( "null" );
}
void reverse_display( const struct list *list )
{
for (const struct node *current = list->tail; current != NULL; current = current->prev)
{
printf( "%c -> ", current->data );
}
puts( "null" );
}
void remove_adjacent_duplicates( struct list *list )
{
struct node **current = &list->head;
while (*current != NULL)
{
if (( *current )->next && ( *current )->data == ( *current )->next->data)
{
struct node *tmp;
// remove adjacent nodes with data equal to data of the current node
while (( *current )->next && ( *current )->data == ( *current )->next->data)
{
tmp = ( *current )->next;
if ( tmp->next != NULL)
{
tmp->next->prev = tmp->prev;
}
( *current )->next = tmp->next;
free( tmp );
}
// remove the current node
if (( *current )->next == NULL)
{
list->tail = ( *current )->prev;
}
tmp = *current;
if (tmp->next != NULL)
{
tmp->next->prev = tmp->prev;
}
*current = tmp->next;
free( tmp );
// step one back in the list
if ( *current && ( *current )->prev)
{
current = ( *current )->prev->prev
? &( *current )->prev->prev
: &list->head;
}
}
else
{
current = &( *current )->next;
}
}
}
int main( void )
{
struct list list = { .head = NULL, .tail = NULL };
char s[100];
printf( "Enter string: " );
scanf( "