XOR Linked list
This problem was asked by Google.
An XOR linked list is a more memory efficient doubly linked list. Instead of each node holding next and prev fields, it holds a field named both, which is an XOR of the next node and the previous node. Implement an XOR linked list; it has an add(element) which adds the element to the end, and a get(index) which returns the node at index.
If using a language that has no pointers (such as Python), you can assume you have access to get_pointer and dereference_pointer functions that converts between nodes and memory addresses.
My Solution(C++):
/* C/C++ Implementation of Memory
efficient Doubly Linked List */
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <inttypes.h>
// Node structure of a memory
// efficient doubly linked list
struct Node
{
int data;
struct Node* npx; /* XOR of next and previous node */
};
/* returns XORed value of the node addresses */
struct Node* XOR (struct Node *a, struct Node *b)
{
return (struct Node*) ((uintptr_t) (a) ^ (uintptr_t) (b));
};
/* Insert a node at the begining of the
XORed linked list and makes the newly
inserted node as head */
void insert(struct Node **head_ref, int data)
{
// Allocate memory for new node
struct Node *new_node = (struct Node *) malloc (sizeof (struct Node) );
new_node->data = data;
/* Since new node is being inserted at the
begining, npx of new node will always be
XOR of current head and NULL */
new_node->npx = XOR(*head_ref, NULL);
/* If linked list is not empty, then npx of
current head node will be XOR of new node
and node next to current head */
if (*head_ref != NULL)
{
// *(head_ref)->npx is XOR of NULL and next.
// So if we do XOR of it with NULL, we get next
struct Node* next = XOR((*head_ref)->npx, NULL);
(*head_ref)->npx = XOR(new_node, next);
}
// Change head
*head_ref = new_node;
};
// prints contents of doubly linked
// list in forward direction
void printList (struct Node *head)
{
struct Node *curr = head;
struct Node *prev = NULL;
struct Node *next;
printf ("Following are the nodes of Linked List: \n");
while (curr != NULL)
{
// print current node
printf ("%d ", curr->data);
// get address of next node: curr->npx is
// next^prev, so curr->npx^prev will be
// next^prev^prev which is next
next = XOR (prev, curr->npx);
// update prev and curr for next iteration
prev = curr;
curr = next;
}
};
// Driver program to test above functions
int main ()
{
/* Create following Doubly Linked List
head-->40<-->30<-->20<-->10 */
struct Node *head = NULL;
insert(&head, 10);
insert(&head, 20);
insert(&head, 30);
insert(&head, 40);
// print the created list
printList (head);
return (0);
} ;