Linked list problem

[lio]

Hi ,I am trying to understand linked list ,and I have hard time with the red part of the code ,is this a pointer to the first record

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
typedef
struct listNode {            
   char data; /* each listNode contains a character */
   struct listNode *nextPtr; /* pointer to next node*/ 
                 }ListNode; /* end structure listNode */
typedef ListNode *ListNodePtr; /* synonym for ListNode* */
void insert( ListNodePtr *sPtr, char value );
void printList( ListNodePtr currentPtr );
int main( void )
{ 
   ListNodePtr startPtr = NULL; /* initially there are no nodes */
   insert( &startPtr, 'a' ); 
   insert( &startPtr, 'b' );
   insert( &startPtr, 'c' );
   printList( startPtr );
   getch();
   return 0; 
} /* end main */
void insert( ListNodePtr *sPtr, char value )
{ 
   ListNodePtr newPtr;      /* pointer to new node */
   ListNodePtr previousPtr; /* pointer to previous node in list */
   ListNodePtr currentPtr;  /* pointer to current node in list */
   newPtr = malloc( sizeof( ListNode ) ); /* create node */
   if ( newPtr != NULL ) { /* is space available */
      newPtr->data = value; /* place value in node */
      newPtr->nextPtr = NULL; /* node does not link to another node */
      previousPtr = NULL;
      currentPtr = *sPtr;
      /* loop to find the correct location in the list */
      while ( currentPtr != NULL && value > currentPtr->data ) { 
         previousPtr = currentPtr;          /* walk to ...   */
         currentPtr = currentPtr->nextPtr;  /* ... next node */
      } /* end while */
     /* insert new node at beginning of list */
      if ( previousPtr == NULL ) { 
         newPtr->nextPtr = *sPtr;
         *sPtr = newPtr;
      } /* end if */
      else { /* insert new node between previousPtr and currentPtr */
         previousPtr->nextPtr = newPtr;
         newPtr->nextPtr = currentPtr;
      } /* end else */
   } /* end if */
   else {
      printf( "%c not inserted. No memory available.\n", value );
   } /* end else */
} /* end function insert */
void printList( ListNodePtr currentPtr )
{ 
   /* if list is empty */
   if ( currentPtr == NULL ) {
      printf( "List is empty.\n\n" );
   } /* end if */
   else { 
      printf( "The list is:\n" );
     /* while not the end of the list */
      while ( currentPtr != NULL ) { 
         printf( "%c --> ", currentPtr->data );
         currentPtr = currentPtr->nextPtr;   
      } /* end while */
      printf( "NULL\n\n" );
   } /* end else */
}

[rags_to_riches]

No, it's a typedef (a type definition). It simply creates a new type called ListNodePtr which is a ListNode *. It allows you to hide the * (which in my opinion is a bad thing).

So this

ListNodePtr newPtr;      /* pointer to new node */

is actually the same as

ListNode* newPtr;      /* pointer to new node */

[lio]

Thanks,how shall i represent to be more understndable