Double pointer question

[newbie30]

if i have a struct define in main for example

struct node
{
  int key_value;
  struct node *left;
  struct node *right;
};

insert(int key, struct node **leaf)
{
    if( *leaf == 0 )
    {
        *leaf = (struct node*) malloc( sizeof( struct node ) );
        (*leaf)->key_value = key;
        /* initialize the children to null */
        (*leaf)->left->left = 0;    
        (*leaf)->left->right = 0;  
    }
    else if(key < (*leaf)->key_value)
    {
        insert( key, &(*leaf)->left );
    }
    else if(key > (*leaf)->key_value)
    {
        insert( key, &(*leaf)->right );
    }
}

Because i use the double pointer if i was to write a print or search function would i need to pass a double pointer? I know it works if i do but want to be sure is this the only way? Here is example of the rest of my code

void print(struct node **leaf)
{
	printf("here");
	printf("are we here %d\n", (*leaf)->key_value);
	if(leaf!=NULL)
	{
		
       	 	//printf("Value of leaf in print is %d", leaf->key_value);
        	//print(&(*leaf)->left);
        	//print(&(*leaf)->right);
        }
}

struct node *search(int key, struct node **leaf)
{
  if( leaf != 0 )
  {
      if(key==(*leaf)->key_value)
      {
          return (*leaf);
      }
      else if(key<(*leaf)->key_value)
      {
          return search(key, (*leaf)->left);
      }
      else
      {
          return search(key, (*leaf)->right);
      }
  }
  else return 0;
}

Thanks

[laserlight]

Because i use the double pointer if i was to write a print or search function would i need to pass a double pointer?

No. The reason for the pointer to a pointer parameter is so that the result of malloc could be reflected in the caller (i.e., if you just passed a pointer to a struct node, the result of malloc would just be assigned to the local struct node pointer rather than the struct node pointer from the caller). If you do not need such a call by reference parameter (which is the case for a print or a search function), then just passing a pointer to a struct node will do.

[newbie30]

When i pass jsut the pointer to the function, i get rubbish printed out.


What would be the print command:


printf("%d", leaf->key_value);


Is that right?


Thanks

[laserlight]

Show the relevant code of the print function, along with the relevant code that calls the function.

EDIT:
That said, if the caller code is correct, and your "print command" as given is an obviously modified version of what you posted earlier, I see no problem.

[tabstop]

I'm also not convinced that the Insert function is completely kosher (the code

        /* initialize the children to null */
        (*leaf)->left->left = 0;    
        (*leaf)->left->right = 0;

looks pretty wrong from here).

[newbie30]

here ya go:

void print(struct node *leaf)
{
	printf("here");
	printf("are we here in print  %d\n", leaf->key_value);

}


int main()
{
struct node *root;
	struct node *s;
	insert(2,root);
	print(root);
}

thanks

[laserlight]

tabstop is correct, but your main function also has two problems: it did not initialise root to be a null pointer and it passed root instead of the address of root to the insert function. You probably should be compiling with a higher warning level than you do at the moment.