Circular Linked List

A circular linked list is a sequence of elements in

which every element has a link to its next element in
the sequence and the last element has a link to the
first element.

circular linked list is similar to the single

linked list except that the last node points
to the first node in the list
Advantage of CLL over SLL: Every node is Accessible
from a given node.

Operations in CLL:
1.Creation
2.Insertion –at Beginning
3. Insertion –at Position
4. Insertion –at End
5.Deletion-at Beginning
6.Deletion-at Position
7. Deletion-at End
8.Display/Traversing
9.Searching

Before we implement actual operations, first we need to

setup empty list. First perform the following steps before
implementing actual operations.

 Step 1 - Include all the header files which

are used in the program.
 Step 2 - Declare all the user
defined functions.
 Step 3 - Define a Node structure with two
members data and next
 Step 4 - Define a Node pointer 'Start' and
set it to NULL.
 Step 5 - Implement the main method by
displaying operations menu and make
suitable function calls in the main method
to perform user selected operation.
Creation of CLL:
struct cll
{
Int data;
Struct cll *next;
};
Typedef struct cll node;
Node *start=NULL;

Inserting At Beginning of the list

We can use the following steps to insert a new node at beginning of the circular linked list...

 Step 1 - Create a newNode with given value.

 Step 2 - Check whether list
is Empty (start == NULL)
 Step 3 - If it is Empty then,
set start = newNode and newNode→next =
start .
 Step 4 - If it is Not Empty then, define a Node
pointer 'temp' and initialize with 'start'.
 Step 5 - Keep moving the 'temp' to its next
node until it reaches to the last node (until
'temp → next == start').
 Step 6 - Set 'newNode → next =start',
'start = newNode' and 'temp → next = start'.
Inserting At End of the list
We can use the following steps to insert a new node at end of the circular linked list...

 Step 1 - Create a newNode with

given value.
 Step 2 - Check whether list
is Empty (start == NULL).
 Step 3 - If it is Empty then,
set start = newNode and newNod
e → next = start.
 Step 4 - If it is Not Empty then,
define a node pointer temp and
initialize with start.
 Step 5 - Keep moving the temp to
its next node until it reaches to the
last node in the list (until temp →
next == start).
 Step 6 - Set temp →
next = newNode and newNode →
next = start.
Inserting At Specific location in the list (After a
Node)
We can use the following steps to insert a new node after a node in the circular linked list...

 Step 1 - Create a newNode with given value.

 Step 2 - Check whether list is Empty (start == NULL)
 Step 3 - If it is Empty then, set start = newNode and newNode → next = start.
 Step 4 - If it is Not Empty then, define a node pointer temp and initialize with start.
 Step 5 - Keep moving the temp to its next node until it reaches to the node after which
we want to insert the newNode (until temp1 → data is equal to location, here location is
the node value after which we want to insert the newNode).
 Step 6 - Every time check whether temp is reached to the last node or not. If it is
reached to last node then display 'Given node is not found in the list!!! Insertion not
possible!!!' and terminate the function. Otherwise move the temp to next node.
 Step 7 - If temp is reached to the exact node after which we want to insert the newNode
then check whether it is last node (temp → next == start).
 Step 8 - If temp is last node then set temp → next = newNode and newNode →
next = start.
 Step 8 - If temp is not last node then set newNode → next = temp → next and temp →
next = newNode.

Deletion
In a circular linked list, the deletion operation can be performed in three ways those are as
follows...

1. Deleting from Beginning of the list

2. Deleting from End of the list
3. Deleting a Specific Node

Deleting from Beginning of the list

We can use the following steps to delete a node from beginning of the circular linked list...

 Step 1 - Check whether list is Empty (start == NULL)

 Step 2 - If it is Empty then, display 'List is Empty!!! Deletion is not possible' and
terminate the function.
 Step 3 - If it is Not Empty then, define two Node pointers 'temp1' and 'temp2' and
initialize both 'temp1' and 'temp2' with start.
 Step 4 - Check whether list is having only one node (temp1 → next == start)
 Step 5 - If it is TRUE then set start = NULL and delete temp1 (Setting Empty list
conditions)
 Step 6 - If it is FALSE move the temp1 until it reaches to the last node. (until temp1 →
next == start )
 Step 7 - Then set start = temp2 → next, temp1 → next = start and delete temp2.

Deleting from End of the list

We can use the following steps to delete a node from end of the circular linked list...

 Step 1 - Check whether list is Empty (start == NULL)

 Step 2 - If it is Empty then, display 'List is Empty!!! Deletion is not possible' and
terminate the function.
 Step 3 - If it is Not Empty then, define two Node pointers 'temp1' and 'temp2' and
initialize 'temp1' with start.
 Step 4 - Check whether list has only one Node (temp1 → next == start)
 Step 5 - If it is TRUE. Then, set start = NULL and delete temp1. And terminate from the
function. (Setting Empty list condition)
 Step 6 - If it is FALSE. Then, set 'temp2 = temp1 ' and move temp1 to its next node.
Repeat the same until temp1 reaches to the last node in the list. (until temp1 →
next == start)Step 7 - Set temp2 → next = start and delete temp1.
Deleting a Specific Node from the list
We can use the following steps to delete a specific node from the circular linked list...

 Step 1 - Check whether list is Empty (start == NULL)

 Step 2 - If it is Empty then, display 'List is Empty!!! Deletion is not possible' and
terminate the function.
 Step 3 - If it is Not Empty then, define two Node pointers 'temp1' and 'temp2' and
initialize 'temp1' with start.
 Step 4 - Keep moving the temp1 until it reaches to the exact node to be deleted or to the
last node. And every time set 'temp2 = temp1' before moving the 'temp1' to its next
node.
 Step 5 - If it is reached to the last node then display 'Given node not found in the list!
Deletion not possible!!!'. And terminate the function.
 Step 6 - If it is reached to the exact node which we want to delete, then check whether
list is having only one node (temp1 → next == start)
 Step 7 - If list has only one node and that is the node to be deleted then
set start = NULL and delete temp1 (free(temp1)).
 Step 8 - If list contains multiple nodes then check whether temp1 is the first node in the
list (temp1 == start).
 Step 9 - If temp1 is the first node then set temp2 = start and keep moving temp2 to its
next node until temp2 reaches to the last node. Then set start = start → next, temp2 →
next = start and delete temp1.
  Step 10 - If temp1 is not first node then check whether it is last node in the list (temp1 →
next == start).
 Step 1 1- If temp1 is last node then set temp2 → next = start and
delete temp1 (free(temp1)).
 Step 12 - If temp1 is not first node and not last node then set temp2 → next = temp1 →
next and delete temp1 (free(temp1)).

Deleting node 25 from position 2

Displaying a circular Linked List

We can use the following steps to
display the elements of a circular
linked list...
 Step 1 - Check whether list
is Empty (start == NULL)
 Step 2 - If it is Empty, then
display 'List is Empty!!!' and
terminate the function.
 Step 3 - If it is Not Empty then,
define a Node pointer 'temp' and
initialize with start.
 Step 4 - Keep displaying temp
→ data with an arrow (--->)
until temp reaches to the last
node
 Step 5 - Finally display temp →
data with arrow pointing to start
→ data.