Javascript implementation of a doubly linked-list data structure
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This is a javascript implementation of a doubly linked list data structure.
In simple terms, a doubly linked list consists of one or more 'nodes'. Each node has a data field (which can contain any data--a primitive value or complex object) and a pointer to the next 'node' and the previous 'node'. This additional pointer to the previous node is what distinguishes a doubly linked list from a singly linked list--a singly linked list only contains a pointer, or reference, to the next node. The major advantage to having pointers to both the next and previous node is that the list can be traversed in both directions, as well as making operations that operate on the 'middle' of the list a bit more efficient since each node has a reference the one before it and the one after it. The idea of having a links to the previous and next nodes is where this data structure got its descriptive name.
This implementation provides basic functionality of adding nodes to the front or back of the list, as well as the ability to insert a node at a given position in the list. It also provides the ability to remove nodes at the front or back of the list, or from any given position.
The find, or search, functionality provides the ability to find the first node containing specified data. It also provides the ability to find a node given a specific position, or index, in the list.
- List will grow dynamically with each node added; no requirement to 'resize' list when it reaches a certain size, saving considerable overhead in 'house-keeping' operations.
- Flexibility to add or remove nodes at the beginning or end of the list in O(1) time. This is a significant improvement over its singly linked list counterpart.
- All 'find' operations take O(n) time to iterate over the list to find the requested node. This is the case for both the singly and doubly linked list.
_For specific examples and documentation, see the below sections_
The main purpose of this project is revisit the basics, and focus on the development process.
_I wholehearedly acknowledge that the basic data structure space is populated with well-written code and efficient implementations, and one could easily grab one of those libraries and integrate it in their project. However, the main difference between those libraries/implementations and this one is that this is the best implementation I have ever written. My hope is that someone else will find this useful, but understand, this code is not the goal; this will simply be a useful bi-product of the journey. The underlying motivation is to understand and, more importantly, learn from the process to get to the desired end-state—for me it is all about the joy of the journey._
#### Environment:
Although this implementation is designed to be used with Node.js, it could be used in other contexts with minor modifications. This implementation does not have any external dependencies that would preclude it from being used in the browser--just include it with a