Implement linked list in php

Question

How should I implement a linked list in PHP? Is there a implementation built in into PHP?

I need to do a lot of insert and delete operations, and at same time I need

Answer 1

There is SplDoublyLinkedList. Is this okay, too?

Answer 2

I was also trying to write a program to create a linked list in PHP. Here is what I have written and it worked for me. I hope it helps to answer the question.

Created a php file. Name: LinkedList.php
{code}
<?php

require_once (__DIR__ . "/LinkedListNodeClass.php");

$node_1 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_1, 5);
echo "\n Node 1 is created.";

$head = &$node_1;
echo "\n Head is intialized with Node 1.";

$node_2 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_2, 1);
echo "\n Node 2 is created.";

Node::insertNodeInLinkedList($head, $node_2);

$node_3 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_3, 11);
echo "\n Node 3 is created.";

Node::insertNodeInLinkedList($head, $node_3);

$node_4 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_4, 51);
echo "\n Node 4 is created.";

Node::insertNodeInLinkedList($head, $node_4);

$node_5 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_5, 78);
echo "\n Node 5 is created.";

Node::insertNodeInLinkedList($head, $node_5);

$node_6 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_6, 34);
echo "\n Node 6 is created.";

Node::insertNodeInLinkedList($head, $node_6);

$node_7 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_7, 99);
echo "\n Node 7 is created.";

Node::insertNodeInHeadOfLinkedList($head, $node_7);

$node_8 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_8, 67);
echo "\n Node 8 is created.";

Node::insertNodeInHeadOfLinkedList($head, $node_8);

$node_9 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_9, 101);
echo "\n Node 9 is created.";

Node::insertNodeAfterAPositionInLinkedList($head, 5, $node_9);

$node_10 = new Node();
Node::createNode($node_10, 25);
echo "\n Node 10 is created.";

Node::insertNodeAfterAPositionInLinkedList($head, 2, $node_10);

echo "\n Displaying the linked list: \n";
Node::displayLinkedList($head);

?>
{code}

This file is calling a class to create, insert and display nodes in linked list. Name: LinkedListNodeClass.php
{code}
<?php

class Node {
  private $data;
  private $next;

  public function __construct() {
    //does nothing...
  }

  //Creates a node
  public function createNode($obj, $value) {
    $obj->data = $value;
    $obj->next = NULL;
  }    

  //Inserts a created node in the end of a linked list
  public function insertNodeInLinkedList($head, &$newNode) {
    $node = $head;
    while($node->next != NULL){
      $node = $node->next;
    }
    $node->next = $newNode;
  }

  //Inserts a created node in the start of a linked list
  public function insertNodeInHeadOfLinkedList(&$head, &$newNode) {
    $top = $head;
    $newNode->next = $top;
    $head = $newNode;
  }

  //Inserts a created node after a position of a linked list
  public function insertNodeAfterAPositionInLinkedList($head, $position, &$newNode) {
    $node = $head;
    $counter = 1;
    while ($counter < $position){
      $node = $node->next;
      $counter++;
    }
    $newNode->next = $node->next;
    $node->next = $newNode;
  }

  //Displays the Linked List
  public function displayLinkedList($head) {
    $node = $head;
    print($node->data); echo "\t";
    while($node->next != NULL){
      $node = $node->next;
      print($node->data); echo "\t";
    }
  }
}

?>
{code}

Answer 3

Here is a linked list implementation in PHP pulled from: http://www.codediesel.com/php/linked-list-in-php/ which can add, delete, reverse and empty a linkedlist in PHP.

<?php
class ListNode
{
    public $data;
    public $next;
    function __construct($data)
    {
        $this->data = $data;
        $this->next = NULL;
    }

    function readNode()
    {
        return $this->data;
    }
}

class LinkList
{
    private $firstNode;
    private $lastNode;
    private $count;

    function __construct()
    {
        $this->firstNode = NULL;
        $this->lastNode = NULL;
        $this->count = 0;
    }

    //insertion at the start of linklist
    public function insertFirst($data)
    {
        $link = new ListNode($data);
        $link->next = $this->firstNode;
        $this->firstNode = &$link;

        /* If this is the first node inserted in the list
           then set the lastNode pointer to it.
        */
        if($this->lastNode == NULL)
            $this->lastNode = &$link;
            $this->count++;
    }


    //displaying all nodes of linklist
    public function readList()
    {
        $listData = array();
        $current = $this->firstNode;
        while($current != NULL)
        {
            array_push($listData, $current->readNode());
            $current = $current->next;
        }
        foreach($listData as $v){
            echo $v." ";
        }
    }

    //reversing all nodes of linklist
    public function reverseList()
    {
        if($this->firstNode != NULL)
        {
            if($this->firstNode->next != NULL)
            {
                $current = $this->firstNode;
                $new = NULL;

                while ($current != NULL)
                {
                    $temp = $current->next;
                    $current->next = $new;
                    $new = $current;
                    $current = $temp;
                }
                $this->firstNode = $new;
            }
        }
    }



    //deleting a node from linklist $key is the value you want to delete
    public function deleteNode($key)
    {
        $current = $this->firstNode;
        $previous = $this->firstNode;

        while($current->data != $key)
        {
            if($current->next == NULL)
                return NULL;
            else
            {
                $previous = $current;
                $current = $current->next;
            }
        }

        if($current == $this->firstNode)
         {
              if($this->count == 1)
               {
                  $this->lastNode = $this->firstNode;
               }
               $this->firstNode = $this->firstNode->next;
        }
        else
        {
            if($this->lastNode == $current)
            {
                 $this->lastNode = $previous;
             }
            $previous->next = $current->next;
        }
        $this->count--;  
    }


       //empty linklist
    public function emptyList()
    {
        $this->firstNode == NULL;

    }


    //insertion at index

    public function insert($NewItem,$key){
        if($key == 0){
        $this->insertFirst($NewItem);
    }
    else{
        $link = new ListNode($NewItem);
        $current = $this->firstNode;
        $previous = $this->firstNode;

        for($i=0;$i<$key;$i++)
        {       
                $previous = $current;
                $current = $current->next;
        }

           $previous->next = $link;
           $link->next = $current; 
           $this->count++;
    }

    }   
}

$obj = new LinkList();
$obj->insertFirst($value);
$obj->insert($value,$key); // at any index
$obj->deleteNode($value);
$obj->readList();

Answer 4

Here is the code in php which will implement Linked List, only with the reference of head node i.e first node and then you add at first, last and delete a key, and also maintain the code of the keys in list.

<?php

/**
 * Class Node
 */
class Node
{
    public $data;
    public $next;

    public function __construct($item)
    {
        $this->data = $item;
        $this->next = null;
    }
}

/**
 * Class LinkList
 */
class LinkList
{
    public $head = null;

    private static $count = 0;

    /**
     * @return int
     */
    public function GetCount()
    {
        return self::$count;
    }

    /**
     * @param mixed $item
     */
    public function InsertAtFist($item) {
        if ($this->head == null) {
            $this->head = new Node($item);
        } else {
            $temp = new Node($item);

            $temp->next = $this->head;

            $this->head = $temp;
        }

        self::$count++;
    }

    /**
     * @param mixed $item
     */
    public function InsertAtLast($item) {
        if ($this->head == null) {
            $this->head = new Node($item);
        } else {
            /** @var Node $current */
            $current = $this->head;
            while ($current->next != null)
            {
                $current = $current->next;
            }

            $current->next = new Node($item);
        }

        self::$count++;
    }

    /**
     * Delete the node which value matched with provided key
     * @param $key
     */
    public function Delete($key)
    {
        /** @var Node $current */
        $current = $previous = $this->head;

        while($current->data != $key) {
            $previous = $current;
            $current = $current->next;
        }

        // For the first node
        if ($current == $previous) {
            $this->head = $current->next;
        }

        $previous->next = $current->next;

        self::$count--;
    }

    /**
     * Print the link list as string like 1->3-> ...
     */
    public function PrintAsList()
    {
        $items = [];
        /** @var Node $current */
        $current = $this->head;
        while($current != null) {
            array_push($items, $current->data);
            $current = $current->next;
        }

        $str = '';
        foreach($items as $item)
        {
            $str .= $item . '->';
        }

        echo $str;

        echo PHP_EOL;
    }
}

$ll = new LinkList();

$ll->InsertAtLast('KP');
$ll->InsertAtLast(45);
$ll->InsertAtFist(11);
$ll->InsertAtLast('FE');
$ll->InsertAtFist('LE');
$ll->InsertAtFist(100);
$ll->InsertAtFist(199);
$ll->InsertAtLast(500);

$ll->PrintAsList();
echo 'Total elements ' . $ll->GetCount();
echo PHP_EOL;
$ll->Delete(45);
$ll->PrintAsList();
echo 'Total elements ' . $ll->GetCount();
echo PHP_EOL;
$ll->Delete(500);
$ll->PrintAsList();
echo 'Total elements ' . $ll->GetCount();
echo PHP_EOL;
$ll->Delete(100);
$ll->PrintAsList();
echo 'Total elements ' . $ll->GetCount();
echo PHP_EOL;

Code out put as:

$ php LinkList.php
199->100->LE->11->KP->45->FE->500->
Total elements 8
199->100->LE->11->KP->FE->500->
Total elements 7
199->100->LE->11->KP->FE->
Total elements 6
199->LE->11->KP->FE->
Total elements 5

Answer 5

Just to clarify, implementing linked list in PHP using PHP arrays probably is not a good idea, because PHP array is hash-table under the hood (not simple low-level arrays). Simultaneously, you don't get advantages of pointers.

Instead, you can implement data structures like linked list for PHP using extensions, that means you are implementing a data structure in C to PHP.

Spl data structures are an example, another example is php-ds extension, specially in case of linked lists, you can use this: https://www.php.net/manual/en/class.ds-sequence.php

Sequence ADT is the unification of List ADT and Vector ADT, so you can use Sequence ADT implemented data structures as lists.

Hope this could help someone choose wisely.

Answer 6

If don't think most people understand what linked lists are. The basic idea is you want to keep data organised is such a way that you can access the previous and next node using the current node. The other features like add, delete, insert, head etc are sugar, though necessary. I think the SPL package does cover a lot. Problem is I need a PHP 5.2.9 class. Guess I've to implement it myself.