Thread: How to access members of a struct

I have been trying to figure out how to access the members of a struct, but have been unsuccessful. The compiler is generating the error:

"request for member `Element' in something not a structure or union"

The code where this happens is:

Code:

if(  X < ( (T->Left)->Element )  )

The struct is defined in a header file as:

Code:

struct AvlNode;
typedef struct AvlNode *AvlTree;

and in the implementation of that header as:

Code:

struct AvlNode
{
 int Element;
 AvlTree*  Left;
 AvlTree*  Right;
 int Height;
};

I have declared an AvlTree object, as a global variable in main() and use extern in the implemenation of another of my header files.

Code:

AvlTree T;

I would greatly appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction. Thanks.

Thanks hk_mp5kpdw, I changed

Code:

if(  X < ( (T->Left)->Element )  )

to

Code:

if(  X < ( (*T->Left)->Element )  )

I am now having two problems that I cannot fix:

Code:

*T->Right = Insert( X, *T->Right );

Crashes the program. When I change it to

Code:

T->Right = Insert( X, T->Right );

Program works correctly but:

1. Compiler generates warning:
"passing argument 2 of insert from incompatible pointer type" and
"assignment from incompatible pointer type"


2. Program crashes in this part of the code:

Code:

if( Height( T->Right ) - Height( T->Left ) == 2 ) //Compiler gives above warning
 {  
    printf("Performing Right Rebalancing\n");

    if( X > ( (*T->Right)->Element) ) //Program crashes here.
         T = SingleRotateWithRight( T );
             
 ...

If I change that line to

Code:

if (X  > (T->Right)->Element);

I am back at square one with the original problem I had.


Is there a better way to structure this as to avoid the problems with the pointers?, or can this be fixed to work properly? Thanks.

Your use of typedef may be confusing matters here. What you are trying to do is make use of a binary tree structure. There should be no need for pointers to pointers that I see. If you really need this you will have something like **(T)->Right perhaps.


Binary trees

http://cslibrary.stanford.edu/110/BinaryTrees.html

Not seeing the need to typedef your binary tree structure, simply use

Code:

struct AvlNode
{
 int Element;
 int Height;
 AvlNode*  Left;
 AvlNode*  Right;
 int Height;
};

Pointer to pointers

http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/cclass/int/sx8.html

Originally Posted by slingerland3g

Your use of typedef may be confusing matters here.

Indeed. A tree is a recursive structure, which means that a "tree" is identical to a "node." There is no need for a separate Tree type. All it is is a pointer to a Node.

Constructs like (a->b)->c are poor. It implies that there is some other valid option, like a->(b->c). But the latter is not even syntactically correct. The parentheses are redundant. Just say a->b->c.

Stole from another thread by matsp. This helps break down the use of pointer to pointer and its equivalent.

a->b is short form of (*a).b. Since you have (*a)->b, we can rewrite that as (*(*a)).b, and remove the now unnecessary parenthesis: (**a).b.

This is still all messed up because it's using a pointer to a pointer. Sure, you have a pointer-pointer, but who allocated the memory to store the pointer to which the pointer-pointer points?

Originally Posted by brewbuck

This is still all messed up because it's using a pointer to a pointer. Sure, you have a pointer-pointer, but who allocated the memory to store the pointer to which the pointer-pointer points?

Can you say that 3 times really really fast!

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I went ahead and changed things to have a pointer to an avlNode struct and everything is working as it should. The code is also clearer and easier to understand. Thanks again.