COMP2521

Data Structures & Algorithms

Week 2.2

Abstract Data Types (ADTs)

Author: Hayden Smith 2021

In this lecture

Why?

  • ADTs are a fundamental concept of writing robust software, and of being able to work with other people

What?

  • ADT definition
  • ADT usage
  • ADT implementation

 

ADTs

  • Data type:
    • Set of values (atomic or structured)
    • Collection of operations on those values

Can you think of some examples?

What is a data type?

  • int
    • set of value(s): an integer
    • operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc
  • array:
    • set of values(s): a repeat of any data type (e.g. int)
    • operations: index lookup, index assignment, etc

Abstraction

  • Abstraction: Hiding details of a how a system is built in favour of focusing on the high level behaviours, or inputs and outputs, of the system
  • Examples?
    • C abstracts away assembly/MIPS code.
    • Python abstract away pointer arithmetic and memory allocation.
    • Web browsers abstract away the underlying hardware that they're run on.

Abstract Data Type

ADT is a description of a data type that focuses on it's high level behaviour, without regard for how it is implemented underneath. This means:

  • There is a separation of interface from implementations
  • Users of the ADT see only the interface
  • Builds of the ADT provide an implementation
  • Both parties need to agree on the ADTs interface
  • Interface allows people to agree at the start, and work separately.

Programming by Contract

  • When we define our interface, we also need to include information about:
    • Pre-conditions: What conditions hold at the start of the function call
    • Post-conditions: What conditions will hold at the end of the function
  • Add them via comments
  • Can sanity check with asserts

Abstract Data Type

  • Step 1: Determine the interface of your ADT in a .h file
  • Step 2: The "developer" builds a concrete implementation for the adt in a .c file
  • Step 3: The "user" uses the abstract data type in their program
    • They have to compile with it, even though they might not understand how it is built underneath

Set data type: collection of unique integer values.

 

What will we figure out first?

  • What behaviour does this ADT need? (interface)
  • How are we going to code for it? (implementation)

Set ADTs

  • create an empty collection
  • insert one item into the collection
  • remove one item from the collection
  • find an item in the collection
  • check the size of the collection
  • drop the entire collection
  • display the collection
  • check if unions or intersects with another set

Set ADTs

Let's brainstorm!

Now we start to write this as C code!

Notice that we aren't implementing anything yet?

Set ADTs

Set SetCreate() // create a new set
void SetInsert(Set, int) // add number into set
void SetDelete(Set, int) // remove number from set
int SetMember(Set, int) // set membership test
int SetCard(Set) // size of set
Set SetUnion(Set, Set) // union
Set SetIntersect(Set, Set) // intersection
void SetDestroy(Set) // destroy a created set

Set ADTs

#ifndef SET_H
#define SET_H

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdbool.h>

typedef struct SetRep *Set;

// ADT functions go here

#endif

Three key principles of ADTs in C:

  • The "Set" (or equivalent) is usually a pointer of some sort
  • That pointer is usually the first argument in every ADT function, with the exception of the create function
  • When we write .h files, we use header guards to prevent re-definition

 

Notice how we haven't defined "struct SetRep"? That's not our job.

Set.h

Set ADTs

// Set.h ... interface to Set ADT

#ifndef SET_H
#define SET_H

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdbool.h>

typedef struct SetRep *Set;

Set SetCreate();        // create new empty set
void SetDestroy(Set);      // free memory used by set
void SetInsert(Set,int);   // add value into set
void SetDelete(Set,int);   // remove value from set
bool SetMember(Set,int);   // set membership
Set SetUnion(Set,Set);     // union
Set SetIntersect(Set,Set); // intersection
int SetCard(Set);          // cardinality

// others
Set SetCopy(Set);          // make a copy of a set
void ShowSet(Set);         // display set on stdout

#endif

Completed Set.h

 

But what's missing?

Programming by contract

  • Pre and post conditions now added.
  • Helps both developers and users manage expectations

Set ADTs

// create new empty set
// pre:  Integer provided is positive
// post: Valid set returned, set is empty
Set SetCreate();

// add value into set
// pre: Valid set provided
// post: New element "n" is now in set s
void SetInsert(Set s, int newval);

// pre: Valid set provided for s1 and s2
// post: ∀ n ∈ res, n ∈ s1 or n ∈ s2
Set SetUnion(Set s1, Set s2) { ... }

// cardinality
// pre: Valid set provided for s
// post: Response is the number of elements in the set
int SetCard(Set s);

Set Usage

  • How do we actually work with a set though?
    • We write our "main" file, and compile it with the set library that the ADT developer has implemented.
    • While we need their .c file to build with, we never need to look at it or make sense of it, because we have the ADT (i.e. .h file)
    • In fact, we could even just work with the .o file!

my_set.c

Set.c

my_set.o

Set.o

./my_set

Set.h

Set Usage

#include "Set.h"

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    Set s = SetCreate();
    // Could use Scanf instaed
    for (int i = 1; i < 26; i += 2) {
        SetInsert(s,i);
    }
    SetShow(s);
    printf("\n");
}

testSet1.c

It's time to implement the set! The "user" of our set doesn't need to worry about this.

 

We will implement 3 different types of sets:

  1. That uses an unsorted array
  2. That uses a sorted array
  3. That uses a linked list

 

Set Implementation

Set Implementation (Unsorted array)

#define MAX_ELEMS 10000

// concrete data structure
struct SetRep {
    int elems[MAX_ELEMS];
    int nelems;
};

Set SetCreate(int) { ... }
void SetInsert(Set, int) { ... }
void SetDelete(Set, int) { ... }
int SetMember(Set, int) { ... }
int SetCard(Set) { ... }
Set SetUnion(Set, Set) { ... }
Set SetIntersect(Set, Set) { ... }
void SetDestroy(Set) { ... }

Set-array.c

We can represent this set using an array (unsorted). This means we do have to do upper and lower bounds checks because there will be a theoretical limit on the size of the set.

 

A sample of the implemented set

Set Implementation (Unsorted array)

// create new empty set
Set SetCreate()
{
    Set s = malloc(sizeof(struct SetRep));
    if (s == NULL) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Insufficient memory\n");
         exit(1);
    }
    s->nelems = 0;
    // assert(isValid(s));
    return s;
}

// set membership test
int SetMember(Set s, int n)
{   
    // assert(isValid(s));
    int i; 
    for (i = 0; i < s->nelems; i++) {
        if (s->elems[i] == n) {
            return TRUE;
        }
    }
    return FALSE;
}

Set Implementation (Unsorted array)

Data Structure insert
(time)		 delete
(time)		 member
(time)		 union or intersection
(time)		 storage
(space)
unsorted array O(n) O(n) O(n) O(n * m) O(E)

Let's look at the time and space complexities:

  • n: Number of elements in the set
  • m: Number of elements in another set
  • E: Maximum number of items able to be in set

  • Same data structure as for unsorted array. Differences:

    • membership test -> can use binary search
    • insertion -> binary search and then shift up and insert
    • deletion -> binary search and then shift down

Set Implementation (Sorted array)

Set Implementation (Sorted array)

Data Structure insert
(time)		 delete
(time)		 member
(time)		 union or intersection
(time)		 storage
(space)
unsorted array O(n) O(n) O(n) O(n * m) O(E)
sorted array O(n) O(n) O(logn) O(n * m) O(E)

Set Implementation (Linked list)

typedef struct Node {
   int  value;
   struct Node *next;
} Node;

struct SetRep {
   Node *elems;  // pointer to first node
   int nelems;   // number of nodes
};

Set SetCreate() { ... }
void SetInsert(Set, int) { ... }
void SetDelete(Set, int) { ... }
int SetMember(Set, int) { ... }
int SetCard(Set) { ... }
Set SetUnion(Set, Set) { ... }
Set SetIntersect(Set, Set) { ... }
void SetDestroy(Set) { ... }

Set-list.c

Set Implementation (Linked list)

// create new empty set
Set newSet()
{
   Set s = malloc(sizeof(struct SetRep));
   if (s == NULL) {...}
   s->nelems = 0;
   s->elems = s->last = NULL;
   return s;
}

// set membership test
int SetMember(Set s, int n)
{
   // assert(isValid(s));
   Node *cur = s->elems;
   while (cur != NULL) {
      if (cur->value == n) return true;
      cur = cur->next;
   }
   return false;
}

Set Implementation (Linked list)

Data Structure insert
(time)		 delete
(time)		 member
(time)		 union or intersection
(time)		 storage
(space)
unsorted array O(n) O(n) O(n) O(n * m) O(E)
sorted array O(n) O(n) O(logn) O(n * m) O(E)
unsorted linked list O(n) O(n) O(n) O(n * m) O(n)

Direct access - issues?

What happens if we try to access elements of the implementation directly?

 

We might receive a "dereferencing pointer to incomplete type" error

ADT Summary

  • ADT interface:
    • A user-view of the data structure
    • Functions for all operations
    • Explanations of those operations
    • Any guarantees it provides ("Contract")
  • ADT implementation:
    • Concrete definition of the data structures
      • List, tree, graph, array, etc etc
    • Definition of functions that operate on the data structure
  • Why abstract the data structure?
    • Allows future iterations to remove or upgrade a data structure
    • Allows things like lists to actually have more intelligent implementations underneath

ADT Summary

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COMP2521 21T2 - 2.2 - Abstract Data Types (ADTs)

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