Best way of adding and removing?

[J-moges]

Over the summer I am trying to get my programming skills and ADT knowledge up. Right now I am doing a registrar program where I can set up different classes like a Physics class, Humanities class, etc. and add and remove students from each class. I am currently using an array of Students but as I was writing the checks to see if a student is already registered and then add them to the class, I was thinking there was probably an easier way to do it.

Would a linked list be an easier or more effective way of doing this? If I needed to remove a student that is in the middle of the list I could point the node to the element after the one I needed to remove, delete the node I need to remove etc. and when adding I just make a new node and point the last node to the new node. Would it be a bad idea to finish the program using a small array and then update my code to use a linked list after I get everything working or would that be a waste of time?

It just seems like bad practice to me to keep making new arrays when I need to add or remove a student.

Thanks

[jps]

If I needed to remove a student that is in the middle of the list I could point the node to the element after the one I needed to remove, delete the node I need to remove etc.

As long as after this....

and when adding I just make a new node and point the last node to the new node.

and after this, you finish connecting the other node in both cases. When you break the "chain" to delete or add a "link" there are two open ends of the chain that must connect to each other or to the inserted node (unless the insert is an append)

Would it be a bad idea to finish the program using a small array and then update my code to use a linked list after I get everything working or would that be a waste of time?

Would it be a bad idea to paint the second half of your car the wrong color, or just stop now and paint the whole car one color one time? This is something you try to determine before you write code, during the planning. Many people skip the planning (not saying that you did or did not) but for all readers, this is one example to consider when planning.

It just seems like bad practice to me to keep making new arrays when I need to add or remove a student.

I agree. All that reading and writing involved. I like the idea of pointers too.

[helloworld922]

It just seems like bad practice to me to keep making new arrays when I need to add or remove a student.

Look into how vectors (a.k.a. ArrayList) track "dynamic arrays". They don't always create a new array storage area every time the size of the list is modified.

Would it be a bad idea to finish the program using a small array and then update my code to use a linked list after I get everything working or would that be a waste of time?

This is a great application area for abstraction. Why should your front-end care about how the students are stored at all? Create an interface with the necessary features you need to implement the front-end, then you are free to write any back-end scheme you want which implements that front-end. This allows you to test and compare your code with a simple implementation you're familiar with, then work on more advanced implementations if necessary.



I would suggest looking into set and map data structures as these will likely perform much better than list data structures in this scenario (see if you can't figure out why).

[J-moges]

and after this, you finish connecting the other node in both cases. When you break the "chain" to delete or add a "link" there are two open ends of the chain that must connect to each other or to the inserted node (unless the insert is an append)

Would it be a bad idea to paint the second half of your car the wrong color, or just stop now and paint the whole car one color one time? This is something you try to determine before you write code, during the planning. Many people skip the planning (not saying that you did or did not) but for all readers, this is one example to consider when planning.

I agree. All that reading and writing involved. I like the idea of pointers too.

Yeah, I wasn't explaining the whole process in the post but I understand I need to make sure both ends are pointing to the right places. I am a first year CS student and finished a intro to data structures class last semester. This project was in the first chapter (I'm just going through the book again over the summer to reinforce topics and practice) and was basically step by step and originally wanted me to use arrays (linked lists and different data types aren't covered for a few more chapters). As I was getting farther into the program it hit me that I might be able to use some of the ADTs that I learned. So I didn't really plan it out, just followed the book. I'll start looking farther ahead.

Look into how vectors (a.k.a. ArrayList) track "dynamic arrays". They don't always create a new array storage area every time the size of the list is modified.


I would suggest looking into set and map data structures as these will likely perform much better than list data structures in this scenario (see if you can't figure out why).

I'll look into the map a little more, we didn't cover it in the intro class but it is looking like a nice alternative. Thanks for the suggestions guys!