The program I'm trying to write uses a linkedList templated class to manipulate and add polynomials in the form ax^b + cx^d + ex^f etc. The polynomials are stored as linked lists.
My problem occurs when I try to add them together. I've added some cout lines to try to trace what the program is doing. It seems like the getNext function is successfully advancing the current pointer, but when the program leaves getNext the current pointer goes back to the beginning. I can't understand why it's starting itself over.
I think it's either a problem with getNext (in the implementation file) or add (in the application file).
HERE'S MY LINKEDLIST CLASS:
template <class T>
class linkedList
{public:
//sets the head to null
linkedList() {head = NULL;}
//Copy constructor does a deep copy
linkedList(const linkedList &list);
//Assignment operator does a deep copy
linkedList& operator=(const linkedList &list);
//returns true if the list is empty, false otherwise
bool empty() const;
//inserts the value in the list to maintain ascending order
//insert fails if the value is already in the list
bool insert(T value);
//find looks for the value in the list. If found, it copies
// the list component into the parameter. This is in case
// the component is not a simple type.
//Return: true if found, falser otherwise
bool find(T &value);
//for traversing
//moves to the beginning of the list
void start();
//returns the next value in the list and advances along
//getNext fails if it is at the end of the list
bool getNext(T &value);
private:
class node
{
public:
node() {next = NULL;}
node(T value) {data = value; next = NULL;}
T data;
node *next;
};
//attributes
node *head; //points to the beginning of the list
node *current; //keeps track of where the traversal is
};MY GETNEXT FUNCTION IS DEFINED IN THE IMPLEMENTATION FILE:
bool linkedList<T>::getNext(T &value)
{ start();
value = current->data;
cout << value << endl;
if(current->next != NULL)
{ current = current->next;
return true;
}
else
return false;
}MY ADD FUNCTION IS DEFINED IN THE APPLICATION FILE:
linkedList<term> add(linkedList<term> &Apoly1, linkedList<term> &Apoly2)
{ linkedList<term> answer;
term t1, t2, t3;
bool oneOK, twoOK;
Apoly1.start();
Apoly2.start();
oneOK = Apoly1.getNext(t1);
twoOK = Apoly2.getNext(t2);
while(oneOK && twoOK)
{ if(t1==t2)
{t3 = t1 + t2;
answer.insert(t3);
oneOK = Apoly1.getNext(t1);
twoOK = Apoly2.getNext(t2);
}
else if (t1 < t2)
{answer.insert(t1);
oneOK = Apoly1.getNext(t1);
}
else
{ answer.insert(t2);
twoOK = Apoly2.getNext(t2);
}
}
while(oneOK)
{ answer.insert(t1);
oneOK = Apoly1.getNext(t1);
}
while(twoOK)
{ answer.insert(t2);
twoOK = Apoly2.getNext(t2);
}
}When I tried to run the program, I used poly1= 2x^2 + 3x^3 and poly2= 4x^2 + 6x^3. I added some cout lines in getNext to see where current was.
Basically, when getNext was first called, the current pointer in poly1was pointing to 2x^2, and the current pointer in poly2 was pointing to 4x^2.
GetNext correctly set t1 = 2x^2 and t2 = 4x^2.
GetNext moved the current pointer in poly1 was to point to to 3x^3 and the current pointer in poly2 to point to 6x^3.
Add inserted 6x^2 into the sum.
BUT when it called on getNext a second time (and every time after that), the current pointer in poly1 was pointing to 2x^2 again! And the current pointer in poly2 was pointing to 4x^2 again!
So even though getNext is changing the current pointer, the change isn't lasting- the pointer starts over at the beginning after we leave getNext.
