The Linked List Data Type#
The linked list data type handles a linked list in memory, including its instance fields and associated methods. Minimally a linked list must have a way of accessing the front of it, called the head. From the front, we can access any node by following the next links. Often we also provide a way to access the end, called the tail, and keep track of how big the list is with size. Here is the Java code for the data fields and constructor:
public class LinkedList<V> {
//Instance Fields
private Node<V> head;
private Node<V> tail;
private int size;
//Constructor - makes an empty linked list
public LinkedList(){
head = null;
tail = null;
size = 0;
}
}//class
Now we need to add in operations for linked lists, as we will see in the next section.
Practice Questions#
Write a getter to return the head node of a linked list.
Write a getter to return the tail node of a linked list.
Write a getter to return the size of a linked list.