Linked list clean up. Add explainations to problems, fix titles and t… (

#167)

README.md

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Welcome to **Data Structures and Algorithms in Go**! 🎉 This project is design
         * [Join Two Sorted Linked Lists](./linkedlist/join_sorted_lists_test.go)
         * [Keep Repetitions](./linkedlist/keep_repetitions_test.go)
         * [Copy Linked List with Random Pointer](./linkedlist/copy_linklist_with_random_pointer_test.go)
-        * [Implement LRU Cache](./linkedlist/lru_cache_test.go)
+        * [LRU Cache](./linkedlist/lru_cache_test.go)
     * [Stacks](./stack/README.md)
         * [Max Stack](./stack/max_stack_test.go)
         * [Balancing Symbols](./stack/balancing_symbols_test.go)

heap/merge_sorted_list_test.go

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ func TestMergeSortedLists(t *testing.T) {
 	for i, test := range tests {
 		nodes := []*linkedlist.Node{}
 		for _, sortedLinkedList := range test.sortedLinkedLists {
-			nodes = append(nodes, linkedlist.Unserialize(sortedLinkedList))
+			nodes = append(nodes, linkedlist.Deserialize(sortedLinkedList))
 		}
 		got := linkedlist.Serialize(MergeSortedLists(nodes))
 		if got != test.merged {

linkedlist/README.md

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func addToFront(node *node) {
 }
 ```
 
-A pointer is typically stored for the first and last items in a singly linked list. Adding items to the front or back of the list is a constant-time operation. However, deleting the last item can be challenging, as the last item's pointer needs to be updated to the second-to-last item. This is where referencing the last item in each node proves useful. In contrast, doubly linked lists maintain pointers to the previous and next nodes, making deletion operations less expensive.
+A pointer is typically stored for the first and sometimes the last items in a singly linked list. Adding items to the front or back of the list is a constant-time operation. However, deleting the last item can be challenging, as the last item's pointer needs to be updated to the second-to-last item. This is where referencing the last item in each node proves useful. In contrast, doubly linked lists maintain pointers to the previous and next nodes, making deletion operations less expensive.
 
 The Go standard library contains an implementation of [doubly linked lists](https://golang.org/pkg/container/list/). In the following example, numbers from 1 to 10 are added to the list. Even numbers are removed, and the resulting linked list containing odd numbers is printed.
 
@@ -81,11 +81,11 @@ func main() {
 
 Adding new items to the front or back of the linked list has the time complexity of O(1).
 
-Deleting the first item is also O(1). Deleting the last item in a singly linked list is O(n), because the node before the last node must be found, and for that, every node must be visited. Deleting the last item can be done in O(1) time in a doubly linked list since nodes are connected to the previous and next nodes.
+Deleting the first item is also O(1). Deleting the last item in a singly linked list is O(n), because the node before the last node must be found, and for that, every node must be visited. Deleting the last item can be done in O(1) time in a doubly linked list since nodes are connected to the previous and next nodes, so we can simply find the node before the last node and remove its reference to the next node.
 
 ## Application
 
-Linked lists can be useful where the order of items matters, especially if there is a need for flexible reordering of the items or having current, next, and previous items. Music players for example have playlists that play tracks in a predetermined order. At any given time, one track is playing while changing the current track with the previous or next ones is possible.
+Linked lists can be useful where the order of items matters, especially if there is a need for flexible reordering of the items or having current, next, and previous items. For example music players are a good candidate to implement using linked lists because they have playlists that play tracks in a predetermined order. At any given time, one track is playing while changing the current track with the previous or next ones is possible.
 
 ## Rehearsal
 
@@ -94,4 +94,4 @@ Linked lists can be useful where the order of items matters, especially if there
 * [Join Two Sorted Linked Lists](./join_sorted_lists_test.go), [Solution](./join_sorted_lists.go)
 * [Keep Repetitions](./keep_repetitions_test.go), [Solution](./keep%20repetitions.go)
 * [Copy Linked List with Random Pointer](./copy_linklist_with_random_pointer_test.go), [Solution](./copy_linklist_with_random_pointer.go)
-* [Implement LRU Cache](./lru_cache_test.go), [Solution](./lru_cache.go)
+* [LRU Cache](./lru_cache_test.go), [Solution](./lru_cache.go)

linkedlist/copy_linklist_with_random_pointer_test.go

@@ -15,10 +15,23 @@ const (
 /*
 TestCopyLinkedListWithRandomPointer tests solution(s) with the following signature and problem description:
 
+	type RandomNode struct {
+		Val int
+		Next *RandomNode
+		Random *RandomNode
+	}
+
 	func CopyLinkedListWithRandomPointer(head *RandomNode) *RandomNode
 
 Given a singly connected linked list in which each node may optionally be connected to another node in
 random order, return a deep copy of the linked list.
+
+A deep copy of a linked list is a new linked list with the same values as the original linked list in
+which each node is a new node with a new memory address.
+
+In the string representation below "1:nil->2:1->3:4->4:nil" is a linked list with 4 nodes:
+* Nodes 1,2,3,4 are sequentially connected to each other with the Next pointer.
+* Node 2 is randomly connected to node 1, and node 3 is randomly connected to node 4.
 */
 func TestCopyLinkedListWithRandomPointer(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
@@ -33,7 +46,7 @@ func TestCopyLinkedListWithRandomPointer(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for i, test := range tests {
-		list := unserializeRandomNode(test.list)
+		list := deserializeRandomNode(test.list)
 		deepCopy := CopyLinkedListWithRandomPointer(list)
 
 		if list != nil {
@@ -89,7 +102,7 @@ func indicesMap(node *RandomNode) map[*RandomNode]int {
 	return indices
 }
 
-func unserializeRandomNode(stringRepresentation string) *RandomNode {
+func deserializeRandomNode(stringRepresentation string) *RandomNode {
 	if stringRepresentation == "" {
 		return nil
 	}

linkedlist/join_sorted_lists_test.go

@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ TestJoinTwoSortedLinkedLists tests solution(s) with the following signature and
 	func JoinTwoSortedLinkedLists(l1, l2 *Node) *Node
 
 Given two sorted linked lists of integers, merge them into one sorted linked list.
+
+For example if given 1->4->6 and 2->3->5->7, the output should be 1->2->3->4->5->6->7.
 */
 func TestJoinTwoSortedLinkedLists(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
@@ -26,7 +28,7 @@ func TestJoinTwoSortedLinkedLists(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for i, test := range tests {
-		got := Serialize(JoinTwoSortedLinkedLists(Unserialize(test.list1), Unserialize(test.list2)))
+		got := Serialize(JoinTwoSortedLinkedLists(Deserialize(test.list1), Deserialize(test.list2)))
 		if got != test.joined {
 			t.Fatalf("Failed test case #%d. Want %s got %s", i, test.joined, got)
 		}

linkedlist/keep_repetitions_test.go

@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ TestKeepRepetitions tests solution(s) with the following signature and problem d
 
 Given a linked list of sorted integers, create a copy of the list that contains one example of
 each repeated item.
+
+For example if the linked list is 1->1->4->4->6->6->7, the output should be 1->4->6 because
+1,4,6 are items that are repeated in this list and 7 is not repeated.
 */
 func TestKeepRepetitions(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
@@ -21,11 +24,12 @@ func TestKeepRepetitions(t *testing.T) {
 		{"1->4->4->4->6", "4"},
 		{"1->1->4->4->4->6", "1->4"},
 		{"1->1->4->4->4->6->6", "1->4->6"},
+		{"1->1->4->4->6->6->7", "1->4->6"},
 		{"1->1->4->4->4->6->7->7", "1->4->7"},
 	}
 
 	for i, test := range tests {
-		got := Serialize(KeepRepetitions(Unserialize(test.list)))
+		got := Serialize(KeepRepetitions(Deserialize(test.list)))
 		if got != test.solution {
 			t.Fatalf("Failed test case #%d. Want %s got %s", i, test.solution, got)
 		}

linkedlist/lru_cache.go

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package linkedlist
 
 import (
 	"container/list"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 )
 
 type (
@@ -50,3 +52,12 @@ func (cache *lruCache) put(key int, value int) {
 		cache.list.Remove(cache.list.Front())
 	}
 }
+
+// String represents the cache as a string.
+func (cache *lruCache) String() string {
+	var pairs []string
+	for e := cache.list.Front(); e != nil; e = e.Next() {
+		pairs = append(pairs, fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d", e.Value.(*element).key, e.Value.(*element).value))
+	}
+	return strings.Join(pairs, ",")
+}

linkedlist/lru_cache_test.go

@@ -6,18 +6,30 @@ import "testing"
 TestLRU tests solution(s) with the following signature and problem description:
 
 	func get(key int) int
-	func put(key int, value int) {
+	func put(key int, value int)
 
-Implement a least recently used cache with integer keys and values, where the
-least recently used evicted upon insertion when cache is at full capacity.
+Implement a least recently used cache with integer keys and values, where the least
+recently used key is evicted upon insertion when the cache is at full capacity.
+
+For example if we have a cache with capacity 2, and we perform:
+
+	put(0, 1) // put key 0 with value 1
+	put(1, 2)
+	get(1) // get value with key 1
+	put(2, 3)
+
+When putting 2,3, the cache is at capacity and it needs to evict. Since we used key 1 by
+getting it, the [1,2] key value pair which is the least used value will be evicted.
+What remains in the cache
+is [1:2] and [2:3].
 */
 func TestLRU(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		capacity int
 		puts     []int // n(i) element is key, n(i+1) element is value
 		gets     []int // n(i) element is the key to get, n(i+1) element is the expected value
 	}{
-		{1, []int{}, []int{1, -1}},
+		{1, []int{}, []int{1, -1}}, // -1 means not found
 		{1, []int{2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1}, []int{2, -1, 4, 1}},
 		{2, []int{2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1}, []int{1, -1, 2, 3, 4, 1}},
 		{3, []int{2, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1}, []int{1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1}},
@@ -38,4 +50,16 @@ func TestLRU(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 		}
 	}
+
+	lru := newLRU(2)
+	lru.put(0, 1)
+	lru.put(1, 2)
+	lru.get(1)
+	lru.put(2, 3)
+
+	got := lru.String()
+	want := "1:2,2:3"
+	if got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("want %s, got %s", want, got)
+	}
 }

linkedlist/reverse_in_place_test.go

@@ -5,9 +5,14 @@ import "testing"
 /*
 TestReverseLinkedList tests solution(s) with the following signature and problem description:
 
+	type Node struct {
+		Val int
+		Next *Node
+	}
+
 	func ReverseLinkedList(head *Node) *Node
 
-Reverse a given linked list in place.
+Reverse a given linked list in place. For example if the linked list is 1->2->3 return 3->2->1.
 */
 func TestReverseLinkedList(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
@@ -20,7 +25,7 @@ func TestReverseLinkedList(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for i, test := range tests {
-		got := Serialize(ReverseLinkedList(Unserialize(test.list)))
+		got := Serialize(ReverseLinkedList(Deserialize(test.list)))
 		if got != test.reversed {
 			t.Fatalf("Failed test case #%d. Want %s got %s", i, test.reversed, got)
 		}

linkedlist/serialization.go

@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ func Serialize(node *Node) string {
 	return strings.TrimSuffix(output, separator)
 }
 
-// Unserialize solves the problem in O(n) time and O(1) space.
-func Unserialize(stringRepresentation string) *Node {
+// Deserialize solves the problem in O(n) time and O(1) space.
+func Deserialize(stringRepresentation string) *Node {
 	if stringRepresentation == "" {
 		return nil
 	}

linkedlist/serialization_test.go

@@ -3,23 +3,28 @@ package linkedlist
 import "testing"
 
 /*
-TestSerializeAndUnserializeLinkedList tests solution(s) with the following signature and problem description:
+TestSerializeAndDeserializeLinkedList tests solution(s) with the following signature and problem description:
+
+	type Node struct {
+		Val int
+		Next *Node
+	}
 
 	func Serialize(node *Node) string
-	func Unserialize(stringRepresentation string) *Node
+	func Deserialize(stringRepresentation string) *Node
 
-Write a function that turns a linked list into a string representation, and then a function that turns that
-string representation to an actual linked list.
+Write a function that turns a linked list into a string representation (Serialize), and then a function
+that turns that string representation to an actual linked list (Deserialize).
 */
-func TestSerializeAndUnserializeLinkedList(t *testing.T) {
+func TestSerializeAndDeserializeLinkedList(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []string{
 		"",
 		"1",
 		"1->2",
 		"1->2->3->4->2->1",
 	}
 	for i, test := range tests {
-		got := Serialize(Unserialize(test))
+		got := Serialize(Deserialize(test))
 		if got != test {
 			t.Fatalf("Failed test case #%d. Want %#v got %#v", i, test, got)
 		}