The Queue Data Structure

Mugurel Ionuț Andreica

Spring 2012
 Operations
• enqueue(x)
– Adds the element x at the tail of the queue
• dequeue()
– Removes the element from the head of the queue and returns it
– Returns an error if the stack is empty
• peek()
– Returns (but does not remove) the element at the head of the
queue
• isEmpty()
– Returns 1 if the queue is empty and 0 otherwise
• The axioms are given implicitly – they determine the
expected behavior of the queue for a given sequence of
operations
– See the examples on the upcoming slides
 Queue - Example

enqueue(7) 7 enqueue(8) 7 8 enqueue(6) 7 8 6

dequeue() 8 6 peek() dequeue() 6 enqueue(4) 6 4

returns 7 returns 8 returns 8
 Queue – Array-based
Implementation (queue1.h)
#define NMAX 100 T peek() {
if (isEmpty()) {
template<typename T> class Queue {
private: fprintf(stderr, "Error 103 - The queue is empty!\n");
T queueArray[NMAX]; T x;
int head, tail; return x;
public: }
void enqueue(T x) { return queueArray[head];
if (tail >= NMAX) {
fprintf(stderr, "Error 101 - The queue is full!\n"); }
return;
} int isEmpty() {
queueArray[tail] = x; return (head == tail);
tail++; }
}

T dequeue() { Queue() {
if (isEmpty()) { head = tail = 0; // the queue is empty in the beginning
fprintf(stderr, "Error 102 - The queue is }
empty!\n");
T x; };
return x;
}
T x = queueArray[head];
head++;
return x;
}
 Using the Queue
#include <stdio.h> q.enqueue(2);
#include “queue1.h” printf("%d\n", q.dequeue());
int main() { printf("%d\n", q.isEmpty());
printf("%d\n", q.peek());
Queue<int> q; q.dequeue();
printf("%d\n", q.dequeue());
q.enqueue(7); printf("%d\n", q.isEmpty());
q.enqueue(8);
q.enqueue(6);
printf("%d\n", q.dequeue()); return 0;
printf("%d\n", q.dequeue()); }
printf("%d\n", q.peek());
q.enqueue(4);
 Disadvantages of the Array-based
Queue Implementation
• The head and tail variables are constantly
increasing
• As elements are removed from the queue, the
portion of the array which is effectively used
shifts to the right
• We may reach the end of the array and be
unable to enqueue any other elements, although
a large fraction of the array (its left part) is empty
(unused)
• Improved solution: circular array
 Circular Array-based Queue -
Example
• Circular array with
NMAX=3 entries

- - - enqueue(7) 7 - - enqueue(8) 7 8 -

dequeue() peek()
enqueue(6) 7 8 6 - 8 6
returns 7 returns 8

dequeue() - - 6 4 - 6
enqueue(4) enqueue(10)
returns 8

dequeue()
4 10 6 4 10 - enqueue(13) 4 10 13
returns 6
 Queue – Circular Array-based
Implementation (queue2.h)
#define NMAX 100 T peek() {
if (isEmpty()) {
template<typename T> class Queue {
private: fprintf(stderr, "Error 103 - The queue is empty!\n");
T queueArray[NMAX]; T x;
int head, tail, size; return x;
public: }
void enqueue(T x) { return queueArray[head];
if (size == NMAX) {
fprintf(stderr, "Error 101 - The queue is full!\n"); }
return;
} int isEmpty() {
queueArray[tail] = x; return (size == 0);
tail = (tail + 1) % NMAX; }
size++;
}
Queue() {
T dequeue() { head = tail = size = 0;
if (isEmpty()) { }
fprintf(stderr, "Error 102 - The queue is empty!\n"); };
T x;
return x;
}
T x = queueArray[head];
head = (head + 1) % NMAX;
size--;
return x;
}