Doubly linked list
Doubly linked list is a complex type of linked list in which a node contains a
pointer to the previous as well as the next node in the sequence. Therefore, in a
doubly linked list, a node consists of three parts: node data, pointer to the next
node in sequence (next pointer) , pointer to the previous node (previous pointer). A
sample node in a doubly linked list is shown in the figure.
A doubly linked list containing three nodes having numbers from 1 to 3 in their
data part, is shown in the following image.
In C, structure of a node in doubly linked list can be given as :
struct node
{
struct node *prev;
int data;
struct node *next;
}
The prev part of the first node and the next part of the last node will always
contain null indicating end in each direction.
In a singly linked list, we could traverse only in one direction, because each node
contains address of the next node and it doesn't have any record of its previous
nodes. However, doubly linked list overcome this limitation of singly linked list.
Due to the fact that, each node of the list contains the address of its previous node,
we can find all the details about the previous node as well by using the previous
address stored inside the previous part of each node.
Operations on Doubly Linked List
In a double linked list, we perform the following operations...
1. Insertion
2. Deletion
3. Display
Insertion
In a double linked list, the insertion operation can be performed in three ways as follows...
1. Inserting At Beginning of the list
2. Inserting At End of the list
3. Inserting At Specific location in the list
Inserting At Beginning of the list
We can use the following steps to insert a new node at the beginning of the double linked list...
● Step 1 - Create a newNode with given value and newNode → previous as NULL.
● Step 2 - Check whether list is Empty (head == NULL)
● Step 3 - If it is Empty then, assign NULL to newNode → next and newNode to head.
● Step 4 - If it is not Empty then, assign head to newNode → next and newNode to
head.
Inserting At End of the list
We can use the following steps to insert a new node at the end of the doubly linked list.
● Step 1 - Create a newNode with given value and newNode → next as NULL.
● Step 2 - Check whether list is Empty (head == NULL)
● Step 3 - If it is Empty, then assign NULL to newNode → previous and
newNode to head.
● Step 4 - If it is not Empty, then, define a node pointer temp and initialize with
head.
● Step 5 - Keep moving the temp to its next node until it reaches to the last node
in the list (until temp → next is equal to NULL).
● Step 6 - Assign newNode to temp → next and temp to newNode → previous.
Inserting At Specific location in the list (After a Node)
We can use the following steps to insert a new node after a node in the doubly linked list:
● Step 1 - Create a newNode with given value.
● Step 2 - Check whether list is Empty (head == NULL)
● Step 3 - If it is Empty then, assign NULL to both newNode → previous & newNode
→ next and set newNode to head.
● Step 4 - If it is not Empty then, define two node pointers temp1 & temp2 and
initialize temp1 with head.
● Step 5 - Keep moving the temp1 to its next node until it reaches to the node after
which we want to insert the newNode (until temp1 → data is equal to location, here
location is the node value after which we want to insert the newNode).
● Step 6 - Every time check whether temp1 is reached to the last node. If it is reached to
the last node then display 'Given node is not found in the list!!! Insertion not
possible!!!' and terminate the function. Otherwise move the temp1 to next node.
● Step 7 - Assign temp1 → next to temp2, newNode to temp1 → next, temp1 to
newNode → previous, temp2 to newNode → next and newNode to temp2 →
previous.
Deletion
In a double linked list, the deletion operation can be performed in three ways as follows...
1. Deleting from Beginning of the list
2. Deleting from End of the list
3. Deleting a Specific Node
Deleting from Beginning of the list
We can use the following steps to delete a node from beginning of the double linked list...
● Step 1 - Check whether list is Empty (head == NULL)
● Step 2 - If it is Empty then, display 'List is Empty!!! Deletion is not possible' and
terminate the function.
● Step 3 - If it is not Empty then, define a Node pointer 'temp' and initialize with head.
● Step 4 - Check whether list is having only one node (temp → previous is equal to
temp → next)
● Step 5 - If it is TRUE, then set head to NULL and delete temp (Setting Empty list
conditions)
● Step 6 - If it is FALSE, then assign temp → next to head, NULL to head → previous
and delete temp.
Deleting from End of the list
We can use the following steps to delete a node from end of the double linked list...
● Step 1 - Check whether list is Empty (head == NULL)
● Step 2 - If it is Empty, then display 'List is Empty!!! Deletion is not possible' and
terminate the function.
● Step 3 - If it is not Empty then, define a Node pointer 'temp' and initialize with head.
● Step 4 - Check whether list has only one Node (temp → previous and temp → next
both are NULL)
● Step 5 - If it is TRUE, then assign NULL to head and delete temp. And terminate
from the function. (Setting Empty list condition)
● Step 6 - If it is FALSE, then keep moving temp until it reaches to the last node in the
list. (until temp → next is equal to NULL)
● Step 7 - Assign NULL to temp → previous → next and delete temp.
Deleting a Specific Node from the list
We can use the following steps to delete a specific node from the doubly linked list:
● Step 1 - Check whether list is Empty (head == NULL)
● Step 2 - If it is Empty then, display 'List is Empty!!! Deletion is not possible' and
terminate the function.
● Step 3 - If it is not Empty, then define a Node pointer 'temp' and initialize with head.
● Step 4 - Keep moving the temp until it reaches to the exact node to be deleted or to the
last node.
● Step 5 - If it is reached to the last node, then display 'Given node not found in the list!
Deletion not possible!!!' and terminate the fuction.
● Step 6 - If it is reached to the exact node which we want to delete, then check whether
list is having only one node or not
● Step 7 - If list has only one node and that is the node which is to be deleted then set
head to NULL and delete temp (free(temp)).
● Step 8 - If list contains multiple nodes, then check whether temp is the first node in the
list (temp == head).
● Step 9 - If temp is the first node, then move the head to the next node (head = head →
next), set head of previous to NULL (head → previous = NULL) and delete temp.
● Step 10 - If temp is not the first node, then check whether it is the last node in the list
(temp → next == NULL).
● Step 11 - If temp is the last node then set temp of previous of next to NULL (temp
→ previous → next = NULL) and delete temp (free(temp)).
● Step 12 - If temp is not the first node and not the last node, then set temp of previous
of next to temp of next (temp → previous → next = temp → next), temp of next of
previous to temp of previous (temp → next → previous = temp → previous) and
delete temp (free(temp)).
Displaying a Double Linked List
We can use the following steps to display the elements of a doubly linked list:
● Step 1 - Check whether list is Empty (head == NULL)
● Step 2 - If it is Empty, then display 'List is Empty!!!' and terminate the function.
● Step 3 - If it is not Empty, then define a Node pointer 'temp' and initialize with head.
● Step 4 - Display 'NULL <--- '.
● Step 5 - Keep displaying temp → data with an arrow (<===>) until temp reaches to
the last node
● Step 6 - Finally, display temp → data with arrow pointing to NULL (temp → data
---> NULL).
Applications/Uses of doubly linked list in real life
There are various applications of doubly linked list in the real world. Some of them
can be listed as:
● Doubly linked list can be used in navigation systems where both front and
back navigation is required.
● It is used by browsers to implement backward and forward navigation of
visited web pages i.e. back and forward buttons.
● It is also used by various applications to implement Undo and Redo
functionality.
● It can also be used to represent a deck of cards in games.
● It is also used to represent various states of a game.
