Java - 📏 Measuring Up `size()`- Doubly Linked List 📖

Hey Dev.to folks! 👋

Want to know how many nodes are in your doubly linked list? Look no further: here comes the size() method.

📘 Quick Doubly Linked List Recap:

Here’s our foundational setup:

class Node { int data; Node next; Node prev; // Constructor to initialize the node Node(int data) { this.data = data; this.next = null; this.prev = null; } } class DoublyLinkedList { Node head; Node tail; // Constructor to initialize the doubly linked list DoublyLinkedList() { this.head = null; this.tail = null; } } 

Remember, in a doubly linked list, each node knows about its next and previous node. 🔄

🧮 Breaking Down size():

Let's get counting:

public int size() { int count = 0; // Initialize the counter to zero Node current = head; // Start at the beginning of the list while (current != null) { count++; // Increase the counter for each node current = current.next; // Move to the next node in the list } return count; // Return the total number of nodes } 

The gist is simple: start at the head, traverse the list, and count each node until you reach the end.

🔍 Why size() Matters:

Knowing the size of your list can be essential, especially when you're adding, removing, or accessing elements.

🎉 In Conclusion:

The size() method is a basic but essential tool for managing a doubly linked list. 🚀

In the next article we will look at isEmpty() method

Cheers and happy coding! 🚀