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Customizing
Linked
Lists
"As we acquire knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but
more mysterious."
Will Durant
Doubly-linked lists are ideal for managing large lists of data, they
are memory efficient and fast. The only problem is they are compli-
cated! Fortunately, the Toolkit provides a very easy to use doubly-
linked list object called DLLOBJ. DLLOBJ is an abstract object designed
specifically to simplify the task of extending the object. In this
chapter, techniques for developing a custom doubly-linked list for
managing records is discussed.
You might want to consider re-reading the section on linked list theory
(page 9-1) before proceeding.
DLLOBJ
Unlike many objects, you do not need to understand very much about
DLLOBJ to create descendant objects. All the following methods (which
were described in chapter 9) are unaffected by the type of data stored
in the list, and do not need to be modified in descendant objects:
procedure Advance(Amount:longint);
procedure Retreat(Amount:longint);
function NodePtr(NodeNumber:longint): DLLNodePtr;
procedure Jump(NodeNumber:longint);
procedure ShiftActiveNode(NewNode: DLLNodePtr; NodeNumber: longint);
procedure DelNode(Node:DLLNodePtr);
procedure DelAllStatus(BitPos:byte;On:boolean);
function TotalNodes: longint;
function ActiveNodeNumber: longint;
function ActiveNodePtr: DLLNodePtr;
function StartNodePtr: DLLNodePtr;
function EndNodePtr: DLLNodePtr;
procedure EmptyList;
procedure Sort(SortID:shortint;Ascending:boolean);
procedure SwapNodes(Node1,Node2:DLLNodePtr);
The DLLOBJ stores un-typed data in binary format. You can literally
stored any type of data in a DLLOBJ list. The following methods add and
modify data in a list:
19-2 Extending the Toolkit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
function Add(var TheData;Size:longint): integer;
function Change(Node:DLLNodePtr;var TheData;Size:longint): integer;
function InsertBefore(Node:DLLNodePtr;var TheData;Size:longint): inte-
ger;
Each of these three methods are passed an untyped parameter and a lon-
gint indicating the size of the data. In descendant objects, you will
call these methods to manipulate the data in the list. The following
methods return information about the data stored in the list:
procedure Get(var TheData);
procedure GetNodeData(Node:DLLNodePtr;Var TheData);
function GetNodeDataSize(Node:DLLNodePtr):longint;
function GetMaxNodeSize: longint;
The most used method is GetNodeData, which will update a passed un-
typed parameter with the data stored in the list. It is the fundamental
way for a descendant object to get data from the list.
Extending DLLOBJ
The main reason for extending DLLOBJ is to make the new object manage a
specific type of data. The Toolkit includes the descendant StrDLLOBJ,
which is specifically designed to store strings, and FileDLLOBJ, which
stores DOS file details.
In this section, DLLOBJ will be extended and customized to store a
record. To illustrate the principles involved, we will create a new
object RecordDLLOBJ to store the following record data:
RecordInfo = record
FirstName: string[15];
LastName: string[15];
Company: string[20];
Tel: string[10];
CumDollarsSpent: real;
LastOrder: longint;
Comments: string[40];
end;
The main methods that need to be customized are the data manipulation
methods, i.e. Add, Change and InsertBefore. If you want to display the
object in a Browse or List window you must also customize the GetStr
virtual method. GetStr is called by the browse and list objects, and is
simply a function which returns the data stored at a node in string
form. The fifth method which usually needs to be customized is Wron-
Customizing Linked Lists 19-3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
gOrder. This method provides the Sort method with the information
needed to sort the data, and is discussed in a later section. The new
object would therefore be declared as follows:
RecordListOBJ = object (DLLOBJ)
constructor Init;
function Add(Rec:RecordInfo): integer;
function Change(Node:DLLNodePtr;Rec:RecordInfo): integer;
function InsertBefore(Node:DLLNodePtr;Rec:RecordInfo): integer;
function WrongOrder(Node1,Node2:DLLNodePtr;
Asc:boolean): boolean; VIRTUAL;
function GetStr(Node:DLLNodePtr;
Start,Finish: longint):string; VIRTUAL;
destructor Done; VIRTUAL;
end; {RecordListOBJ}
Notice that Add, Change and InsertBefore are each passed a variable of
type RecordInfo. All these methods need to do is call their correspond-
ing DLLOBJ method and pass the record as an untyped parameter together
with the record size. The three methods would be implemented as
follows:
function RecordDLLOBJ.Add(Rec:RecordInfo): integer;
begin
Add := DLLOBJ.Add(Rec,sizeof(Rec));
end; {RecordDLLOBJ.Add}
function RecordDLLOBJ.Change(Node:DLLNodePtr;
Rec:RecordInfo): integer;
begin
Change := DLLOBJ.Change(Node,Rec,sizeof(Rec));
end; {RecordDLLOBJ.Change}
function RecordDLLOBJ.InsertBefore(Node:DLLNodePtr;
Rec:RecordInfo): integer;
{}
begin
InsertBefore := DLLOBJ.InsertBefore(Node,Rec,sizeof(Rec));
end; {RecordDLLOBJ.InsertBefore}
It's really as simple as that.
The function method GetStr is passed three parameters; a node pointer
indicating which data to access, and the Start and Finish parameters of
type longint. Start and Finish identify the first and last character
positions of the sub-string to be returned by the function. The DLLOBJ
method GetNodeData can be used to retrieve the node data, and then the
data must be converted into string form. The requested portion of this
string can then be returned. GetStr could be implemented as follows:
19-4 Extending the Toolkit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
function RecordDLLOBJ.GetStr(Node:DLLNodePtr;Start,Finish: lon-
gint):string;
{Returns string representation of record}
var
Temp: string;
Rec: RecordInfo;
begin
if Node = nil then
GetStr := 'Not found'
else
begin
GetNodeData(Node,Rec); {inherited method}
with Rec do
begin
Temp := inttostr(ActiveNodeNumber)+': '+
FirstName+
LastName+
Company;
if Finish > 53 then
Temp := Temp + PicFormat(Tel,'(###) ###-####',' ')+' ';
if Finish > 68 then
Temp := Temp + JultoStr(LastOrder,MMDDYY)+' ';
if Finish > 77 then
Temp := Temp + FmtNumberTOT.FormattedReal
(CumDollarsSpent,2,10)+' ';
if Finish > 88 then
Temp := Temp + Comments;
end;
GetStr := copy(Temp,Start,succ(Finish-start));
end;
end; {RecordDLLOBJ.GetStr}
GetStr will never be called with Start and Finish parameters that are
more than 255 characters apart. In this case example, the entire record
can be represented by a string, so GetStr builds a string and returns
the requested sub-string. In cases where the record is larger than will
fit in a 255 string, the method should only convert the requested por-
tion of the record in string form. Note that the Browse object calls
GetStr many times during a browse session, and that GetStr needs to
respond quickly to avoid sluggishness. If you find that browsing is too
slow, try the program with range checking, stack checking etc. turned
off. These compiler directives slow down string-related activity con-
siderably.
The file EXTLINK.PAS contains the entire code for the customized
RecordDLLOBJ object, and is only about 100 lines long. Use this unit as
a template for your own specific record types.
Customizing Linked Lists 19-5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Displaying RecordListOBJ Records
The List and Browse objects automatically support any descendant of
DLLOBJ, and so the new object RecordDLLOBJ can be easily displayed in a
List or Browse window.
The key method controlling what information is displayed in the window
is the GetStr method. Thanks to polymorphism, the List and Browse
objects don't need to know the specifics of GetStr. When they need a
node in string form, they simply call the DLLOBJ (or descendant) GetStr
method, and use whichever string is returned.
Listed below is the demo program, EXTDEM5.PAS, which displays the list
contents in a browse window. Figure 19.1 shows the resultant output.
Program ExtendedDemoFive;
Uses DOS,CRT,
totFAST, totINPUT, totList, extLINK, totSTR;
var
RecList: RecordDLLOBJ;
ListWin: BrowseLinkOBJ;
procedure BuildTheList(Filename:string);
{loads in the data from disk - could also be from d/b}
var
F: file of RecordInfo;
Rec: RecordInfo;
Ecode: integer;
begin
assign(F,filename);
{$I-}
reset(F);
{$I+}
if ioresult <> 0 then
begin
writeln('The file ',filename,' cannot be located.');
writeln('Demo aborting');
halt(1);
end;
Ecode := 0;
RecList.Init;
while not eof(F) and (Ecode = 0) do
begin
Read(F,Rec);
with Rec do
begin
FirstName:= padleft(FirstName,15,' ');
LastName:= padleft(LastName,15,' ');
Company:= padleft(Company,20,' ');
end;
19-6 Extending the Toolkit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ecode := RecList.Add(Rec);
end;
close(F);
end; {BuildtheList}
begin {Main program}
BuildTheList('EXTDEM5.DBF');
Screen.Clear(white,'░'); {paint the screen}
Key.SetFast;
with ListWin do
begin
Init;
AssignList(RecList);
Go;
end;
end.
Figure 19.1 [SCREEN]
Browsing
RecordDLLOBJ
As it stands, the string returned by GetStr is not really suited for
displaying in a list. Each item in the list would be wider than the
list display! A quick solution is to build a descendant of RecordDLLStr
and replace the GetStr method with a method which only returns a short
string, e.g. last name. The on-disk example EXTDEM6.PAS illustrates
this technique. In this example, ListLinkOBJ is also extended and cus-
tomized to show the full record in the message box at the bottom of the
list. This technique was described on page 9-30. Figure 19.2 shows the
output generated by EXTDEM6.
Figure 19.2 [SCREEN]
Listing
RecordDLLOBJ
Sorting
It is very easy to make your custom linked lists sortable. To make a
list sortable, the inherited virtual method WrongOrder must be com-
pleted. Behind the scenes, the Toolkit sort routines repeatedly call
WrongOrder to determine whether two nodes are in the correct order.
The WrongOrder method is declared as follows:
function WrongOrder(Node1,Node2:DLLNodePtr;Asc:boolean): boolean;
Customizing Linked Lists 19-7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WrongOrder is a boolean function method which should return TRUE if the
data in the two nodes are in the wrong order. The method is passed
three parameters; two DLLNodePtr pointers to identify the nodes to be
compared, and a boolean to indicate whether the list is being sorted in
ascending (true) or descending (false) order.
The WrongOrder method must therefore get the data from the two nodes,
and decide if they are in the appropriate order for the sort. All
DLLOBJ objects include a shortint vSortID. This variable can be used to
provide multiple sorting capabilities. When you call the Sort method,
you must pass two parameters; a Sort ID, and a boolean to indicate
whether the sort order is ascending or descending. The Toolkit automat-
ically updates vSortID with the parameter passed to Sort. WrongOrder
should therefore check vSortID to determine what data to use in
deciding whether the order is correct.
In the RecordDLLOBJ example, the following codes might be appropriate:
1 sort on LastName
2 sort on Company
3 sort on Tel
4 sort on CumDollarsSpent
5 sort on LastOrder
The actual codes you select are not important. You decide which fields
you want to be able to sort on, and which codes to use. Using the
listed codes, the WrongOrder method for the RecordDLLOBJ object would
be as follows:
function RecordDLLOBJ.WrongOrder(Node1,Node2:DLLNodePtr;Asc:boolean):
boolean;
var
S1,S2: string;
Rec1,Rec2: RecordInfo;
R1,R2: real;
D1,D2: longint;
begin
GetNodeData(Node1,Rec1);
GetNodeData(Node2,Rec2);
if vSortID in [1,2,3] then
begin
case vSortID of
1:begin {LastName}
S1 := Rec1.LastName;
S2 := Rec2.LastName;
end;
2: begin {Company}
S1 := Rec1.Company;
S2 := Rec2.Company;
end;
3: begin {Tel}
19-8 Extending the Toolkit
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S1 := Rec1.Tel;
S2 := Rec2.Tel;
end;
end; {case}
if Asc then
WrongOrder := (S1 > S2)
else
WrongOrder := (S2 > S1);
end
else if vSortID = 4 then {CumDollars}
begin
R1 := Rec1.CumDollarsSpent;
R2 := Rec2.CumDollarsSpent;
if Asc then
WrongOrder := (R1 > R2)
else
WrongOrder := (R2 > R1);
end
else {LastOrder}
begin
D1 := Rec1.LastOrder;
D2 := Rec2.LastOrder;
if Asc then
WrongOrder := (D1 > D2)
else
WrongOrder := (D2 > D1);
end;
end; {RecordDLLOBJ.WrongOrder}
To sort the list, call the method Sort, e.g. MyList.Sort(1,true). The
demo file EXTDEM6.PAS includes a sort statement.
Using Status Codes
List status codes are used internally by the Toolkit to support the
displaying of lists in windows. In some circumstances, you may be able
to use this facility in your custom lists.
All items stored in a DLLOBJ, or descendant object, include a Status
byte. Each of the eight bits in the Status byte can be used for a
different purpose. Chapter 9: Managing Lists (page 9-27), describes how
the first two bits are used by the List display object. You may recall
that bit 0 is used to identify whether the item is tagged, and bit 1
identifies which items to display in an alternate color. The remaining
six bits can be used for your own custom needs. For example, you might
use bit 2 to identify all customers with a delinquent account, and bit
3 might identify whether the customer is international or domestic, or
Customizing Linked Lists 19-9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
you might extend ListOBJ to use a three-color list, and use bit 2 to
identify items to show in the third color. Whatever the reason, they
are there if you need them.
To access the Status bits, you need to know how data is stored at each
node. Each node in a list actually points to a DLLNodeOBJ. This object
manages the storage of data at the node, as well as the node status
byte. The following four DLLNodeOBJ methods support the Status byte:
GetStatus(Bitpos:byte): boolean;
SetStatus(BitPos:byte;On:boolean);
GetStatusByte:byte;
SetStatusByte(Val:byte);
To call these methods use the syntax MyList.NodePtr(number)^.method.
Use the Set methods to change a status bit, and the get methods to
check the current status. For example, to set the fourth bit to true
for the 12th entry in the list MyList, you would use the following
statement:
MyList.NodePtr(12).SetStatus(3,true);
