To organize this data efficiently we'll use a concept taken from structured programming languages called linked lists. I should clarify that we're actually going to discuss a simple form of linked lists called single linked lists. This concept allows us to build a single code base that manages all of our list data in one data model. First we'll define a linked list, then move on to discuss storage options. Finally, we'll explore the basic operations used to manage these lists.
Linked lists are a collection of data ordered sequentially.
I define them as an abstract data type, which means the items in the list are more basic than the list itself. The list is made up of multiple data items called nodes. However, the list is still addressable as a single entity. The type of data stored in the list is irrelevant. What's important is the structure of the linked list itself.