NULL caseses

Hi guys, here I'm not asking what's NULL pointer, otherwise I'm asking why I need to consider NULL case once I solve a problem?

lets assume I have tree and I want to traverse through it, so why in my code I should consider the case that the "root" == "NULL" which mean in the case that I don't have a tree .. but we logically assume that we have tree, otherwise I wouldn't write a code ...

so any help to understand why I need to take care and consider the case of NULL in my cases to solve the problem?

another question, when they said to solve question, is it means to solve it with all its cases? or can I assume assumption while solving?!

thanks alot

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Originally Posted by RyanC

lets assume I have tree and I want to traverse through it, so why in my code I should consider the case that the "root" == "NULL" which mean in the case that I don't have a tree .. but we logically assume that we have tree, otherwise I wouldn't write a code ...

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You do have a tree: the empty tree.

As for why: it tends to be convenient and elegant to consider the empty tree as the base case in recursion. You don't have to do it that way if you really don't want to (and if the requirements don't insist on it), but then you'll have to consider the empty tree as an error, which can be rather unnecessary, and also have to write a somewhat more complex condition to check for the tree consisting of just a root node (in addition to the error check for an empty tree).

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Originally Posted by RyanC

another question, when they said to solve question, is it means to solve it with all its cases? or can I assume assumption while solving?!

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You should ask "them".

allocated roots, all I'm saying

Having an empty tree, say tree == NULL
Should be no more strange or unusual than having an empty string, say strlen(str) == 0

Once you recognise that data structures with zero content are useful things, then things flow naturally.

an example a friend told me about as a reason why you should always check something is null .... there was a banking system that dealt with high frequency trading i a message came in it had to stop what it was doing and deal with the message and decide what to do. unfortunately though the designers hadn't thought about testing if there was actually a message ie it wasn't a zero length message if it was it crashed the whole system

The same reason that you should check to see if a chair is there before sitting down.

The same reason you check to see if your glass has drink in it before you take a sip

The same reason that you check that your shoe is not a watermelon before putting it on...

Should I go on?

i was waiting for one about a hot poker...

@Click_here LMAO :)

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Originally Posted by Click_here

The same reason that you check that your shoe is not a watermelon before putting it on...

Should I go on?

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One more, and I think we'll be good ;)

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Originally Posted by catacombs

One more, and I think we'll be good ;)

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Here's it is:
Same reason you check your clothes are on before you leave the house :)

Same reason you check if your foot isn't on the gas before shifting into reverse.

Making sure that your hat isn't full of spaghetti before putting it on.

We've all been there...