Talking About Linked List Traversal in JavaScript

We practice coding data structures regularly. However, how often do we talk out loud about what the code is doing? I realized this was an area I was lacking in when I was asked to explain a Linked List traversal without coding it. I have wrote some form of the code block below many times, this time I am going to talk about what I am doing in the code block.

class Node {
  constructor(data, next = null) {
    this.data = data;
    this.next = next;
  }
}

class LinkedList {
  constructor() {
    this.head = null;
  }

  traverse() {
    let currentNode = this.head;
    while (currentNode) {
      console.log(currentNode.data);
      currentNode = currentNode.next;
    }
  }
}

const linkedList = new LinkedList();
linkedList.head = new Node(1, new Node(2, new Node(3, new Node(4))));

linkedList.traverse(); 
// output ->  1 2 3 4

Traversing a Linked List in JavaScript Without Using Code

A linked list is a data structure where each element is linked to the next element in the list. In this post, we will explore how to traverse a linked list without using code. This will help us understand the concepts and logic behind linked list traversal and help us write and explain our own code later.

Understanding the Structure of a Linked List

A linked list is made up of nodes. Each node in a linked list has two parts: the data and the pointer. The data part stores the actual value of the node and the pointer points to the next node in the list. The last node in the linked list has a pointer that points to null, indicating the end of the list.

What is a Linked List Traversal?

Linked list traversal is the process of visiting each node in the linked list and processing its data. The traversal starts from the first node and ends at the last node.

How to Traverse a Linked List?

To traverse a linked list, you need to start from the first node and follow the pointers until you reach the end of the list. The steps are:

• Create a variable, let's call it "currentNode," to keep track of the current node that you are processing. Set its value to the first node in the list.
• Write a loop that continues until the "currentNode" is equal to null.
• In the loop, process the data of the current node.
• Move to the next node by updating the "currentNode" to be equal to the next node, which is stored in the pointer of the current node.

By following these steps, you will visit each node in the linked list and process its data.

Summary

Linked list traversal is the process of visiting each node in a linked list and processing its data. To traverse a linked list, you start from the first node and follow the pointers until you reach the end of the list.