Linked List question

[Karpaty]

I have a question about linked lists. I have this code below, which Im trying
to familirize myself with by carefully breaking down each statement...
But im having trouble with one line (see comments below).

struct list {
  int data;
  list *next;
};
int main() {
  list *first, *last, *current	// declare pointers to first, last, current elements in the linked list
  int value;			// this will store the value read from the user
  first = (list*)malloc(sizeof(list)); 	// assign memory to the first element
  first ->next=NULL;		// make the first element point to NULL (since there are no more...
				// ...elements at the moment)
  last = first; 		// for the same reason, make last equal to first

  printf("Enter a new value (-1 to exit): ");	// prompt the user for a value
  scanf("%d", &value);		// ...and store it in value
  while(value != -1) {		// loop until -1 is entered
    current = (list*)malloc(sizeof(list));	// allocate memory to the current element
    current->data = value;	// assign value entered to the current element
    current->next = NULL;	// make current element point to NULL
    last = current;		// make current element the last one in the list
    last->next = current;	// this part I don't quite understand. Why do we need the...
				// ...last point to the current? Would it just point to itself? What's...
				// ...the difference between the previous statement (last = current)
				// ...and this one?
    printf("Enter a new value (-1 to exit): ");	// prompt for a new value
    scanf("%d", &value); 	// store it
  }				// end of loop



/*
ignore these lines for the moment... I havent reached them yet... ^_^
    current = first; 	// Get the first element
    while(current->next != NULL) {	// loop until end of list
      current = current->next; 		// go to next element
      printf("%d ", current->data); 	// display data
  }
*/
}

[tabstop]

The line in blue and the line above it should be switched. (You need to set the next field of what had, up to now, been the last element first, and then set last to point to the new last element.)

[swoopy]

>    last = current;		// make current element the last one in the list
>    last->next = current;	// this part I don't quite understand. Why do we need the...
				// ...last point to the current? Would it just point to itself? What's...
				// ...the difference between the previous statement (last = current)
				// ...and this one?

Actually the second statement should be placed before the first one. Otherwise as you point out, the code makes no sense. The idea is link the new node to the end of the list (last->next = current), then update last to point to the new node.

[Karpaty]

Thanx guys