C Video Tutorial 9

Welcome to my linked list structure or linked list struct tutorial. I have been asked to cover these structs numerous times lately and so I will do so.

In this tutorial and the next I will show how to create an unlimited number of structs using malloc. I’ll focus on creating the structs, adding them to the list and then how to display them. Because you guys ask for homework all of the time, you’ll then get the opportunity to write the code on how to search through the linked list, how to delete structs and free memory.

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Code From the Video

CTutorial9.c

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

struct product { 
	float price; 
	char productName[30]; 
	
	struct product *next;
}; 

// To traverse the struct linked list I just need to
// track the first and last node in the list

struct product *pFirstNode = NULL;
struct product *pLastNode = NULL;

void createNewList(){

	// Set aside enough space in memory for this struct

	struct product *pNewStruct = (struct product *) malloc(sizeof(struct product));
		
	// We can assign the value directly for the structs 
	// reference for the next struct in the linked list
		
	pNewStruct->next = NULL;
	
	printf("Enter Product Name: ");
	
	// The & is needed only because scanf() is used
	
	scanf("%s", &(pNewStruct)->productName);
	
	printf("Enter Product Price: ");
		
	scanf("%f", &(pNewStruct)->price);
	
	// When the first struct is created all of the following
	// refer to the same struct
	
	pFirstNode = pLastNode = pNewStruct;

}

void inputData(){

	if(pFirstNode == NULL){
	
		createNewList();
	
	} else {
	
		// Set aside enough space in memory for this struct
	
		struct product *pNewStruct = (struct product *) malloc(sizeof(struct product));
	
		printf("Enter Product Name: ");
	
		// The & is needed only because scanf() is used
	
		scanf("%s", &(pNewStruct)->productName);
	
		printf("Enter Product Price: ");
		
		scanf("%f", &(pNewStruct)->price);
	
		// If the first and last struct are equal we know this
		// is the second struct in the list
	
		if(pFirstNode == pLastNode){
		
			// Assign the value of next for the first struct to
			// this new one since the new one is the second struct
		
			pFirstNode->next = pNewStruct;
			
			// Since this is the second struct we know the last 
			// struct is equal to this new one
			
			pLastNode = pNewStruct;
			
			// Since this is the last struct in the list it has
			// NULL stored in its next
			
			pNewStruct->next = NULL;
		
		} else {
		
			// We know that this is at least the third struct in the
			// list so we don't need to touch the pFirstNode.
			// We instead just change the pLastNode value for next
			// from NULL to our new struct 
		
			pLastNode->next = pNewStruct;
			
			pNewStruct->next = NULL;
			
			pLastNode = pNewStruct;
		
		}
	
	}

}

void outputData(){

	// This temporarily takes the location of the structs in the 
	// linked list as we cycle through them to the end

	struct product *pProducts = pFirstNode;

	printf("Products Entered\n\n");
	
	// Until the ptr reaches a value of NULL for next we'll
	// keep printing out values
	
	while(pProducts != NULL){
	
		printf("%s costs %.2f\n\n", pProducts->productName, pProducts->price);
		
		// Switch to the next struct in the list
		
		pProducts = pProducts->next;
	
	}

}

int main(){

	inputData();
	
	inputData();
	
	outputData();

        return 0;
}