How to compare linked-lists?

We say two linked-lists are equal if they have the same number of elements, and the elements themselves are the same. Furthermore elements' order are not significant.

 

If compared linked-lists are not sorted, the straightforward approach to compare two linked-lists can be achieved in following way:
1)Define a method to determine whether a linked-list is a subset of the other. This can be achieved through enumerating every items in a list and determine whether they exist in the other list.
2)If a list is a subset of the other one, and vice versa, we can say that the two linked-lists are equal.

 

If compared linked-lists are sorted, comparing linked-lists become easier. I write the following program to sort linked-lists firstly, and then compare them. The sort algorithms can be categorized as inserting-sort.

 

import java.util.Random; class Node { int value; Node next; Node(int v){ value=v; next =null; } Node(){ this(0); } } class LinkListHandle { static boolean equals(Node head1,Node head2){ while(head1!=null && head2!=null){ if(head1.value!=head2.value){ return false; } head1=head1.next; head2=head2.next; } if(head1==head2){ return true; }else{ return false; } } static Node clone(Node head){ if(head==null) return null; Node first=new Node(head.value); Node remaining=clone(head.next); first.next=remaining; return first; } static Node seqInsert(Node head, Node elem){ elem.next=head; return elem; } static Node sortInsert(Node head, Node elem){ Node cur=head; Node prev=null; while(cur!=null && elem.value>cur.value){ prev=cur; cur=cur.next; } //insert to a empty list if(cur==null && prev==null) { elem.next=null; return elem; } //insert at tail of the list if(cur==null && prev!=null) { elem.next=null; prev.next=elem; return head; } //insert at head of the list if(cur!=null && prev==null){ elem.next=head; return elem; } //insert at middle of the list if(cur!=null && prev!=null){ prev.next=elem; elem.next=cur; return head; } //should not reach here return null; } static Node insertSort(Node head){ if(head==null) return head; Node newHead=null; Node next=null; while(head!=null){ //must remember next elem here, because sortInsert may change head's next field next=head.next; newHead=sortInsert(newHead,head); head=next; } return newHead; } static void printLinkList(Node head){ System.out.print('['); Node prev=null; Node cur=head; while(cur!=null){ if(prev!=null) { System.out.print(prev.value); System.out.print(','); } prev=cur; cur=cur.next; } if(cur==null && prev!=null){ System.out.print(prev.value); } System.out.println(']'); } } public class JavaLearn { public static void main(String[] args) { // TODO, add your application code Random rnd=new Random(); Node head1=null; Node head2=null; for(int i=0;i<10;i++){ head1=LinkListHandle.seqInsert(head1,new Node(rnd.nextInt() % 100)); } head2=LinkListHandle.clone(head1); System.out.println("head1"); LinkListHandle.printLinkList(head1); System.out.println("head2"); LinkListHandle.printLinkList(head2); head2=LinkListHandle.insertSort(head2); System.out.println("head1"); LinkListHandle.printLinkList(head1); System.out.println("head2 sort"); LinkListHandle.printLinkList(head2); head1=LinkListHandle.insertSort(head1); System.out.println("head1 sort"); LinkListHandle.printLinkList(head1); System.out.println("head2 sort"); LinkListHandle.printLinkList(head2); if(LinkListHandle.equals(head1,head2)){ System.out.println("they are equal"); }else{ System.out.println("they are not equal"); } } }

//running output head1 [-50,-92,35,67,-94,-53,-56,50,-38,-4] head2 [-50,-92,35,67,-94,-53,-56,50,-38,-4] head1 [-50,-92,35,67,-94,-53,-56,50,-38,-4] head2 sort [-94,-92,-56,-53,-50,-38,-4,35,50,67] head1 sort [-94,-92,-56,-53,-50,-38,-4,35,50,67] head2 sort [-94,-92,-56,-53,-50,-38,-4,35,50,67] they are equal