Interactive System for Visualization of Linked List Operations in C++

Students in data structure classes often have difficulties visualizing what each C++ statement does to a data structure they are creating. This is especially true of data structures with pointers. In this paper we present a system that helps students to visualize what effects various C++ statements have on a linked list data structure. We provide what we believe to be the first system of this type that offers the capability to represent the effects of individual C++ statements on a linked list, instead of only “large scale” operations such as adding or removing a node. Furthermore, we provide a design that would allow this system to modified to allow it to be used for diagnosing and helping to correct misconceptions students may have about linked lists. This project forms the basis for creating similar systems to help students visualize other data structures.