1.2 KiB
As you noticed, we can use our basic data-structures, to form more complex ones, which fit more specific needs. This time we will take a look at the queue. This data-structures allows you to perform operations on your data with the FIFO(First in First out) principle. This is critical, if you want to process the oldest data first, just like in a queue in the real world.
The queue data-structure is normally based on a linked list, such that it is also dynamically growing in size. But this does not have to be true, but usually, if you are using libraries, it is.
For the queue we want to perform three basic operations.
-first we want to put something at the end of the queue. We call that enqueue.
-second we want to take something of the beginning of the queue. We call that dequeue.
-third we want just look at the end of the queue without taking it of. We call that peak.
There are also other kinds of queues, which will not necessarily operate like a FIFO-queue. For example the priority-queue, which will sort the member with the highest priority to the beginning of the queue and uses a heap as it's underlying structure.
Your task is to implement the queue on the basis of a singly linked list.