How to Convert a Binary Search Tree to an Array in C Programming
Converting a Binary search tree to an array using the C programming language is a process that depends on the algorithm you are using. Converting Binary trees into an array has several benefits, but the primary purpose is to get access to any tree node instead of going through several pointers. Arrays are also supported in not only C but almost all programming languages. To begin with, know that the conversion must be done in such way that the structure of a Binary tree stays the same.
First Step: Array Object Creation
First, you must create an object called array arr[] that stores in the tree search.
• This is the library to use for the binary-array conversion, and you can add them to the code like this:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
The first library defines several macros, variable types, and different functions for performing input and output. The second one defines one macro one and many functions for manipulating arrays of characters. The third library is used for performing general functions.
• An example of the Binary tree structure:
int data;
struct tree *left;
struct tree *right;}tree;
• An example of adding an array:
int AddToArray(tree *node, int arr[], int i);
tree *CreateNode(int data);
tree *Insert(tree *node, int data);
void PrintPreorder(tree *node);
int count(tree *node);
int compare(const void * a, const void * b);
Second Step: Sort the Array Object
Now, it is time to sort the array object. The time needed for this converting part depends on how you want to apply your algorithm. When doing so, you can use Quick Sort (Merge Sort).
An example:
qsort(arr, n, sizeof(arr[0]), compare);
For quick selection, you can use this library function (qsort) to sort the array.
Third Step: Copy the Array to Tree Nodes
Once more, do an in-order tree search and copy the array objects to tree nodes one at a time to the Binary tree. Now you would need to write code based on the previously created function which copies the array to tree nodes.
In short – Traverse the tree in preorder fashion and add each element in the array.
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