How to modify the hash table implementation to use chaining instead of open addressing?

class HashTable( object ):
    """A data structure that contains a collection of values
       where each value is located by a hashable key.
       No two values may have the same key, but more than one
       key may have the same value.
    """

    __slots__ = ( "table", "size" )

    def __init__( self, capacity=100 ):
        """Create a hash table.
           The capacity parameter determines its initial size.
        """
        self.table = [ None ] * capacity
        self.size = 0

    def __str__( self ):
        """Return the entire contents of this hash table,
           one chain of entries per line.
        """
        result = ""
        for i in range( len( self.table ) ):
            result += str( i ) + ": "
            result += str( self.table[i] ) + "\n"
        return result

class _Entry( object ):
    """A private class used to hold key/value pairs"""

    __slots__ = ( "key", "value" )

    def __init__( self, entryKey, entryValue ):
        self.key = entryKey
        self.value = entryValue

    def __str__( self ):
        return "(" + str( self.key ) + ", " + str( self.value ) + ")"

def hash_function( val, n ):
    """Compute a hash of the val string that is in range(0,n)."""
    # return 0
    # return len(val) % n
    return hash( val ) % n

def keys( hTable ):
    """Return a list of keys in the given hashTable.
       (It would be better to return a sequence, but that
         is too advanced.)
    """
    result = []
    for entry in hTable.table:
        if entry != None:
            result.append( entry.key )
    return result

def _locate( hTable, key ):
    """Find the entry in the hash table for the given key.
       If the key is not found, find the first unused location in the table.
       (This is called 'open addressing'.)
       If the entry for the key is found, that entry is returned.
       Otherwise the int index where the key would go in the table is returned.
       Finally if the key is not found and no unusued locations are left,
            the int -1 is returned.
       This function is meant to only be called from within hashtable.
       Callers of this function must be prepared to
       deal with results of two different types, unless they
       are absolutely sure whether the key is in the table
       or not.
    """
    index = hash_function( key, len( hTable.table ) )
    startIndex = index # We must make sure we don't go in circles.
    while hTable.table[ index ] != None and hTable.table[ index ].key != key:
        index = ( index + 1 ) % len( hTable.table )
        if index == startIndex:
            return -1
    if hTable.table[ index ] == None:
        return index
    else:
        return hTable.table[ index ]

def contains( hTable, key ):
    """Return True iff hTable has an entry with the given key."""
    entry = _locate( hTable, key )
    return isinstance( entry, _Entry )

def put( hTable, key, value ):
    """Using the given hash table, set the given key to the
       given value. If the key already exists, the given value
       will replace the previous one already in the table.
       If the table is full, an Exception is raised.
    """
    entry = _locate( hTable, key )
    if isinstance( entry, int ): # It's the index of an unused position.
        if entry == -1:
            raise Exception( "Hash table is full." )
        hTable.table[ entry ] = _Entry( key, value )
        hTable.size += 1
    else: # pre-existing entry
        entry.value = value
    return True

def get( hTable, key ):
    """Return the value associated with the given key in
       the given hash table.
       Precondition: contains(hTable, key)
    """
    entry = _locate( hTable, key )
    return entry.value

any advice is apprentice

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All 8 Replies

Thanks griswolf. This is my assignment so I have to use chaining.

Ah. Well in that case:

  • why are functions such as put get keys not member functions?
  • you need a method __repr__(self) (and you could maybe just set __str__ = __repr__ )
  • your hash_function depends on an excellent built-in hash, but many almost excellent hash functions return values with the lower bits equal (for instance, addresses of pointers are usually on 4-byte boundaries). This doesn't matter for a school assignment, but you might get points for mentioning it.
  • I'd make the table slot be a list of None. On first putting an element in a particular slot, None would convert to [key,[value,]] , but the next time, it would just append the next value: [key,[value,value2,]] outer list at each location can be a tuple-2 if you prefer.

I might find some other things, but can't spend time on it now.

still dont get

still dont get

Seems as if you were interrupted. Don't get what?

wow. you still online

wow. you still online

I know it seems odd to New Yorkers, but there are in fact at least 23 other time zones in the world... :)

I am still online too

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