help! I don't know what's wrong with my simple code

[kloony]

I have the following list-processing interface which I save as .h file.
I don't see anything wrong with it but everytime I compile, it says that the
declaration in line 2 is missing ";"..........can anyone please help?

my code is:

typedef struct node *link;
struct node{ itemType item; link next; };
typedef link Node;
void initNodes(int);
link newNode(int);
void freeNode(link);
void insertNext(link,link);
link deleteNext(link);
link Next(link);
int Item(link);

anyone's help/comments/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

[Dave Sinkula]

Care to tell us what itemType is? Compiling eyes want to know.

[kloony]

Care to tell us what itemType is? Compiling eyes want to know.

To be frank, I am new to programming and I am learning C while reading Robert Sedgewick's Algorithms in C (3rd Ed). The code was taken from pg 102. It was mentioned in the book that I should save this code as list.h file so that it can be called on in the future.

I wrote another program that has a #include"list.h".
The structure of the node in my program is
structure node {int item; link next; }. When I compile my program, I get the error message saying that line 2 in list.h is missing a ";".

[Dave Sinkula]

To be frank, I am new to programming and I am learning C while reading Robert Sedgewick's Algorithms in C (3rd Ed). The code was taken from pg 102. It was mentioned in the book that I should save this code as list.h file so that it can be called on in the future.

I wrote another program that has a #include"list.h".
The structure of the node in my program is
structure node {int item; link next; }. When I compile my program, I get the error message saying that line 2 in list.h is missing a ";".

Paraphrasing code may only lengthen your response time.
Please copy and paste exactly what you have within code tags.

Does the code read as follows?

structure node {int item; link next; }

Or like this?

structure node {int item; link next; }[B];[/B]

In this case, what is link?

And again, how does itemType enter into this?

[edit]Off to find Sedgewick...

[kloony]

Paraphrasing code may only lengthen your response time.
Please copy and paste exactly what you have within code tags.

Does the code read as follows?

structure node {int item; link next; }

Or like this?

structure node {int item; link next; }[B];[/B]

In this case, what is link?

And again, how does itemType enter into this?

[edit]Off to find Sedgewick...

My list.h is as follows:

typedef struct node *link;
struct node { itemType item; link next; };
typedef link Node;
void initNodes(int);
link newNode(int);
void freeNode(link);
void insertNext(link,link);
link deleteNext(link);
link Next(link);
int Item(link);

My program is as follows:
#include<stdlib.h>
#include"list.h"
#include<stdio.h>

main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
int i, N=atoi(argv[1]), M=atoi(argv[2]);
Node t,x;
initNodes(N);

for(i=2, x=newNode(1); 1<=N; i++)
{
t=newNode(i); insertNext(x,t); x=t;}

while (x!=Next(x))
{
for(i=1;i<M; i++) x=Next(x);
freeNode(deleteNext(x));
}

printf("%d\n", Item(x));
}

[kloony]

My list.h is as follows:

typedef struct node *link;
struct node { itemType item; link next; };
typedef link Node;
void initNodes(int);
link newNode(int);
void freeNode(link);
void insertNext(link,link);
link deleteNext(link);
link Next(link);
int Item(link);

My program is as follows:
#include<stdlib.h>
#include"list.h"
#include<stdio.h>

main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
int i, N=atoi(argv[1]), M=atoi(argv[2]);
Node t,x;
initNodes(N);

for(i=2, x=newNode(1); 1<=N; i++)
{
t=newNode(i); insertNext(x,t); x=t;}

while (x!=Next(x))
{
for(i=1;i<M; i++) x=Next(x);
freeNode(deleteNext(x));
}

printf("%d\n", Item(x));
}

I am sorry, I did'nt know how to use the code tag. Now I do...here it is again:

typedef struct node *link;
struct node { itemType item; link next; };
typedef link Node;
void initNodes(int);
link newNode(int);
void freeNode(link);
void insertNext(link,link);
link deleteNext(link);
link Next(link);
int Item(link);

and

main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
        int i, N=atoi(argv[1]), M=atoi(argv[2]);
        Node t,x;
        initNodes(N);

        for(i=2, x=newNode(1); 1<=N; i++)
        {
                t=newNode(i); insertNext(x,t); x=t;}

        while (x!=Next(x))
        {
                for(i=1;i<M; i++) x=Next(x);
                freeNode(deleteNext(x));
                }

        printf("%d\n", Item(x));
        }

[1o0oBhP]

Read the code CAREFULLY. Something MUST be defined before it is used... Hence list.h needs some re-arrangement:

struct node { itemType item; link next; }; // Define node first
typedef struct node *link;                  // Link NEEDS node
typedef link Node;                          // Confusing name, Node is a pointer to a node (check caps)
void initNodes(int);
link newNode(int);
void freeNode(link);
void insertNext(link,link);
link deleteNext(link);
link Next(link);
int Item(link);

I personally think link is redundant and useless, as it can be replaced with node* Also if you look at the top you will see that itemType NEEDS a definition somewhere. check back at your book. itemType MAY be a enumeration, meaning if you cant find it, you could replace it with short, int, ect...

[Narue]

>I am learning C while reading Robert Sedgewick's Algorithms in C (3rd Ed).
Please do not follow the example code from that book. The concepts and descriptions are exquisite, but the code SUCKS! It's a poor translation from Pascal, with errors and bad style on every page. You would be better off taking the code examples with a grain of salt and picking up a book such as C Unleashed for examples of good code.

To summarize, Algorithms in C is a great book...provided you don't look at the code.

>Something MUST be defined before it is used
Yes.

>typedef struct node *link; // Link NEEDS node
No, this is a legal forward declaration. node need not be defined first.

>as it can be replaced with node*
struct node*. Because this is C, the struct keyword is required. The primary reason that typedef is used with structures is to avoid this:

typedef struct node {
  /* Stuff */
} node;

struct node *a; /* Legal */
node *b; /* Also legal */

You're thinking of C++.

>check back at your book.
IIRC, itemType is defined like so:

typedef double itemType;

With the qualification that it be changed to suit the needs of whomever uses the code.