Algorithm / pseudo-code to create paging links?

Question

Can someome provide code or pseudo-code for how the paging links on StackOverflow are generated?

I keep racking my brain but can\'t think of a decent way to build th

Answer 1

This is my approach to make a paging link. The following java code is just a pseudo.

package com.edde;

/**
 * @author Yang Shuai
 */
public class Pager {

    /**
     * This is a method used to display the paging links(pagination or sometimes called pager).
     * The totalPages are the total page you need to display. You can get this value using the
     * formula:
     * 
     *     total_pages = total_records / items_per_page
     * 
     * This methods is just a pseudo-code.
     * 
     * 
     * @param totalPages how many pages you need to display
     * @param currentPage you are in which page now
     */
    public static void printPageLinks(int totalPages, int currentPage) {

        // how many pages to display before and after the current page
        int x = 2;

        // if we just have one page, show nothing
        if (totalPages == 1) {
            return;
        }

        // if we are not at the first page, show the "Prev" button
        if (currentPage > 1) {
            System.out.print("Prev");
        }

        // always display the first page
        if (currentPage == 1) {
            System.out.print("    [1]");
        } else {
            System.out.print("    1");
        }

        // besides the first and last page, how many pages do we need to display?
        int how_many_times = 2 * x + 1;

        // we use the left and right to restrict the range that we need to display
        int left = Math.max(2, currentPage - 2 * x - 1);
        int right = Math.min(totalPages - 1, currentPage + 2 * x + 1);

        // the upper range restricted by left and right are more loosely than we need,
        // so we further restrict this range we need to display
        while (right - left > 2 * x) {
            if (currentPage - left < right - currentPage) {
                right--;
                right = right < currentPage ? currentPage : right;
            } else {
                left++;
                left = left > currentPage ? currentPage : left;
            }
        }

        // do we need display the left "..."
        if (left >= 3) {
            System.out.print("    ...");
        }

        // now display the middle pages, we display how_many_times pages from page left
        for (int i = 1, out = left; i <= how_many_times; i++, out++) {
            // there are some pages we need not to display
            if (out > right) {
                continue;
            }

            // display the actual page
            if (out == currentPage) {
                System.out.print("    [" + out + "]");
            } else {
                System.out.print("    " + out);
            }
        }

        // do we need the right "..."
        if (totalPages - right >= 2) {
            System.out.print("    ...");
        }

        // always display the last page
        if (currentPage == totalPages) {
            System.out.print("    [" + totalPages + "]");
        } else {
            System.out.print("    " + totalPages);
        }

        // if we are not at the last page, then display the "Next" button
        if (currentPage < totalPages) {
            System.out.print("    Next");
        }
        System.out.println();
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // printPageLinks(50, 3);
        help(500);
    }

    public static void test(int n) {
        for (int i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
            printPageLinks(n, i);
        }
        System.out.println("------------------------------");
    }

    public static void help(int n) {
        for (int i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
            test(i);
        }
    }

    public static void help(int from, int to) {
        for (int i = from; i <= to; i++) {
            test(i);
        }
    }

}