Project 2: Stack and Queue

Note: This assignment is used to assess the required outcomes for the course, as outlined in the course syllabus. These outcomes are:

  1. use of arrays and pointers in the solution of programming problems using C++
  2. create and use classes within the C++ programming language
  3. create, compile, and execute C++ programs within the Unix environment, using the Object-Oriented design model
  4. program using C++ techniques: composition of objects, operator overloads, dynamic memory allocation, inheritance and polymorphism, and file I/O
  5. program using C++ techniques: composition of objects, templates, preprocessor directives, and basic data structures.

These will be assessed using the following rubric:

Rubric for Outcome v. I E H  
Key:
  I = ineffective
  E = effective
  H = highly effective
v. Templates, Basic Data Structures, Preprocessor Directives, and Composition - - -

In order to earn a course grade of C- or better, the assessment must result in Effective or Highly Effective for each outcome.

Educational Objectives: After completing this assignment the student should have the following knowledge, ability, and skills:

Operational Objectives: Create two generic container classes fsu::Stack<T,N> and fsu::Queue<T> that satisfy the interface requirements given below, along with appropriate test harnesses for these classes.

Deliverables: Five files stack.t, queue.t, fstack.cpp, fqueue.cpp, and log.txt.

Assessment Rubric

=====================================================================
item/category                       points range
-------------                       ------------
build                                      0..30
assess 01: fstack.x  batch < com.1         0..10
assess 02: fqueue.x  batch < com.2         0..10
assess 03: in2post.x batch < com.3         0..10
assess 04: fstack.x  batch < com.4         0..10
assess 05: fqueue.x  batch < com.5         0..10
code quality                             -20..20
late fees                                 0..25%
------------------------------------------------
total                                     0..100

Note: input files may vary over time and from those distributed.

Code quality includes: 
  - conformance to assignment requirements and specifications
  - conformance to coding standards [see course organizer]
  - engineering and design, including appropriateness of name choices
  - readability
=====================================================================

Application: Converting Infix to Postfix Notation

As one example of the use of stacks and queues in computing, consider the following function that illustrates an algorithm for converting arithmetic expressions from infix to postfix notation:

...
#include <queue.t>
#include <stack.t>
...
typedef fsu::Queue < Token > TokenQueue;
typedef fsu::Stack < Token > TokenStack;
// a Token is either an operand, an operator, or a left or right parenthesis
...
bool i2p (TokenQueue & Q1, TokenQueue & Q2)
// converts infix expression in Q1 to postfix expression in Q2
// returns true on success, false if syntax error is encountered
{
   ...
   TokenStack S;              // algorithm control stack
   Q2.Clear();                // make sure ouput queue is empty
   while (!Q1.Empty())
   {
     // take tokens off Q1 and use them to build Q2
     // if syntax error is detected return false 
  }
   return true;
}  // end i2p()

This is a complex algorithm, but not beyond your capability to understand. The main points to displaying it here are: (1) to illustrate how stacks and queues may be used in implementing applications, and (2) to let you know that your code must be compatible with such apps. in2post.cpp is one of our tests!

Stack Implementation Plan

We will implement the stack abstraction as a C++ class template

template < typename T , size_t N >
Stack;

with the following public methods:

// Stack < T , N > API
void     Push     (const T& t); // push t onto stack; error if full
T        Pop      ();           // pop stack and return removed element; error if stack is empty
T&       Top      ();           // return top element of stack; error if stack is empty
const T& Top      () const;     // const version
size_t   Size     () const;     // return number of elements in stack
size_t   Capacity () const;     // return storage capacity [maximum size] of stack
bool     Empty    () const;     // return 1/true if stack is empty, 0/false if not empty
void     Clear    ();           // make the stack empty
void     Display  (std::ostream& os, char ofc = '\0') const; // output stack contents through os, top to bottom
void     Dump     (std::ostream& os); // output all private data (for development use only)

There should be a full complement of self-management features:

Stack             ();             // default constructor
Stack             (T fill);       // puts "fill" in each slot of the underlying array (keeps size = 0)
Stack             (const Stack&); // copy constructor
~Stack            ();             // destructor
Stack& operator = (const Stack&); // assignment operator

The element and size data will be maintained in private variables:

const size_t capacity_;  // = N = size of array   - fixed during life of stack
T            data_[N];   // array of T objects    - where T objects are stored
size_t       size_;      // current size of stack - dynamic during life of stack

The class constructors will have responsibility for initializing variables. Note that capacity_ is a constant, so it must be initialized by the constructor in the initialization list and it cannot be changed during the life of a stack object; capacity_ should be given the value passed in as the second template argument N. Because all class variables are declared at compile time, the destructor will have no responsibilities. Values stored in the data_ array and the size_ variable will be correctly maintained by the push and pop operations, using the "upper index" end of the data as the top of the stack. The data in the stack should always be the array elements in the range [0..size_), and the element data_[size_ - 1] is the top of the stack (assuming size_ > 0).

Please note that the data_ array is automatically allocated at compile time and remains allocated during the lifetime of the object. It is implicitly de-allocated just like any statically declared array, when it goes out of scope. Thus the underlying "footprint" of the stack object remains fixed as the size changes, even when the size is changed to zero. There should be no calls to operators new or delete in this implementation.

This implementation will have the requirement on clients that the maximum size required for the stack is known in advance and determined by the second template argument - see requirements below.

Queue Implementation Plan

We will implement the queue abstraction as a C++ class template Queue with the following public methods:

// Queue < T > API
void      Push    (const T& t); // push t onto queue
T         Pop     ();           // pop queue and return removed element; error if queue is empty
T&        Front   ();           // return front element of queue; error if queue is empty
const T&  Front   () const;     // const version
size_t    Size    () const;     // return number of elements in queue
bool      Empty   () const;     // return 1 if queue is empty, 0 if not empty
void      Clear   ();           // make the queue empty
void      Display (std::ostream& os, char ofc = '\0') const; // output contents through os

There should be a full complement of self-management features:

Queue             ();              // default constructor
Queue             (const Queue&); // copy constructor
~Queue            ();              // destructor
Queue& operator = (const Queue&); // assignment operator

Unlike Stack, Queue requires access to data at both the front and back, which makes an array implementation impractical. We will use a linked list implementation using a link class defined as follows:

class Link
{
  Link ( const T& t );  // 1-parameter constructor
  T      element_;
  Link * nextLink_;
  friend class Queue<T>;
};

Note that all members of class Link are private, which means a Link object can be created or accessed only inside an implementation of its friend class Queue<T>. The only method for class Link is its constructor, whose implementation should just initialize the two variables. (This can be done inside the class definition, as shown below.)

The private Queue variables for this implementation will be exactly two pointers to links, the first and last links created. Including the definition of the helper class Link, the private section of the class definition should be like the following (with implementor-chosen private variable names):

template < typename T >
class Queue
{
  public:
  ...

  private:
    class Link
    {
      Link ( const T& t ) : element_(t), nextLink_(0) {}
      T      element_;
      Link * nextLink_;
      friend class Queue<T>;
    };
  Link * firstLink_;
  Link * lastLink_;
};

The class constructor will have responsibility for initializing the two variables to zero. These two pointers will be zero exactly when there is no data in the queue (the queue is empty). Links for data will be allocated as needed by Push() and de-allocated by Pop(). These operations will also need to re-direct appropriate link pointers in the dynamically allocated links, and maintain the class variables firstLink_ and lastLink_ correctly pointing to the links containing the first and last elements of the queue. The destructor should de-allocate all remaining dynamically allocated links in the queue. The Size() method will have to loop through the links to count them, whereas the Empty() method can do a simple check for emptiness of the queue.

Because this implementation relies on dynamically allocated memory, the container makes no restrictions on the client program as to anticipated maximum size of the queue.

Procedural Requirements

  1. Create and work within a separate subdirectory cop3330/proj2. Review the COP 3330 rules found in Introduction/Work Rules.

  2. After starting your log, copy the following files from the course directory [LIB] into your proj2 directory:

    proj2/in2post.cpp
    proj2/constTest.cpp
    proj2/deliverables.sh
    scripts/submit.sh
    area51/in2post_s.x
    area51/in2post_i.x
    area51/fstack_i.x
    area51/fstack_s.x
    area51/fqueue_i.x
    area51/fqueue_s.x
    

    The naming of these files uses the convention that _s are compiled for Sun/Solaris and _i are compiled for Intel/Linux. Use one of the sample client executables to experiment to get an understanding of how your program should behave.

  3. Define and implement the class template fsu::Stack<T,N> in the file stack.t. Be sure to make log entries for your work sessions.

  4. Devise a test client for Stack<T,N> that exercises the Stack interface for at least one native type and one user-defined type T. Repair your code as necessary. Put this test client in the file fstack.cpp. Be sure to make log entries for your work sessions.

  5. Define and implement the class template fsu::Queue<T> in the file queue.t. Be sure to make log entries for your work sessions.

  6. Devise a test client for Queue<T> that exercises the Queue interface for at least one native type and one user-defined type T. Put this test client in the file fqueue.cpp. Be sure to make log entries for your work sessions.

  7. Test Stack and Queue using the supplied application in2post.cpp. Again, make sure behavior is appropriate and make corrections if necessary. Log your activities.

  8. Turn in stack.t, queue.t, fstack.cpp, and fqueue.cpp using the submit.sh submit script.

    Warning: Submit scripts do not work on the program and linprog servers. Use shell.cs.fsu.edu to submit projects. If you do not receive the second confirmation with the contents of your project, there has been a malfunction.

Code Requirements and Specifications

  1. Both Stack and Queue should be a proper type, with full copy support. That is, they should have a public default constructor, destructor, copy constructor, and assignment operator. Be sure that you test the copy constructor and assignment operator.

  2. The Stack constructor should create a stack that is empty but has the capacity to hold N elements, where N is the second template parameter with type size_t. Note that this parameter should be given the default value of 100. This has the effect of making a declaration such as
     
    fsu::Stack<int> s;
     
    legal and create a stack with capacity 100.

  3. The Queue constructor should create an empty queue with no dynamic memory allocation.

  4. The Queue<T>::Push(t) operation must dynamically allocate memory required for storing t in the queue. Similarly, the Queue<T>::Pop() operation must de-allocate memory used to store the element being removed from the queue.

  5. As always, the class destructors should de-allocate all dynamic memory still owned by the object. The stack and queue implementations will be very different.

  6. Use the implementation plans discussed above. No methods or variables should be added to these classes, beyond those specified above and in the implementation plans.

  7. The Display(os, ofc) methods are intended to regurgitate the contents out through the std::ostream object os. The second parameter ofc is a single output formatting character that has the default value '\0'. (The other three popular choices for ofc are ' ', '\t' and '\n'.) The implementation of Display must recognize two cases:

    1. ofc == '\0': send the contents to output with nothing between them
    2. ofc != '\0': send the contents to output with ofc separating them
    Thus, for example, S.Display(std::cout) would send the contents of S to standard output.

  8. The output operator should be overloaded as follows:

    template < typename T , size_t N >
    std::ostream& operator << (std::ostream& os, const Stack<T,N>& S)
    {
      S.Display (os, '\0');
      return os;
    }
    
    template < typename T >
    std::ostream& operator << (std::ostream& os, const Queue<T>& S)
    {
      S.Display (os, '\0');
      return os;
    }
    

    The overload of operator <<() should be placed in your stack/queue header file immediately following the class definition.

  9. The classes Stack amd Queue should be in the fsu namespace.

  10. The files stack.t and queue.t should be protected against multiple reads using the #ifndef ... #define ... #endif mechanism.

  11. The test client programs fstack.cpp and fqueue.cpp should adequately test the functionality of stack and queue, respectively, including the output operator. It is your responsibility to create these test programs and to use them for actual testing of your stack and queue data structures.

Hints