C-data-structures

This is a repository containing declarations and definitions of different data structures in C. Multiple definitions are proposed for each data structure, such as alternatives using arrays and/or linked lists. It is designed for learning, practice, and use in larger projects. Each data structure is implemented with comments and example usage.

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TODO

Documents are not updated

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The library is designed to be:

• Generic (void-pointer based, user-defined element size)
• Portable across Linux, macOS, WSL, and Windows (via MSYS2)
• Usable with static or shared linking
• Friendly to pkg-config

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Features

• Stack (array-based and linked-list–based)
• Queue (array-based and linked-list–based)
• Priority Queue (binary heap)
• Opaque data structures (implementation hidden from users)
• Custom comparator support
• Static and shared library builds

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Requirements

• C compiler (gcc or compatible)
• make
• pkg-config
• POSIX-like environment:
  • Linux / BSD
  • macOS
  • Windows via MSYS2 (MinGW64) or WSL

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Build

Clone the repository and build the library:

git clone https://github.com/TiagoRodrigues1111/C-data-structures.git
cd cdatastructures
make

This will generate:

• Static library: libcdatastructures.a
• Shared library:
  • Linux: libcdatastructures.so
  • macOS: libcdatastructures.dylib
  • Windows (MSYS2): cdatastructures.dll and libcdatastructures.dll.a

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Install

System-wide install

Linux / macOS / WSL

sudo make install

Installs to:

• Headers: /usr/local/include/cdatastructures
• Libraries: /usr/local/lib
• pkg-config file: /usr/local/lib/pkgconfig/cdatastructures.pc

Windows (MSYS2 MinGW64)

From the MinGW64 shell:

make install

Installs to:

• Headers: /mingw64/include/cdatastructures
• Libraries: /mingw64/lib
• pkg-config file: /mingw64/lib/pkgconfig/cdatastructures.pc

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Custom install prefix (recommended)

You can install the library into a custom directory:

make install PREFIX=/path/to/install

Example:

make install PREFIX=$HOME/.local

This installs to:

• $PREFIX/include/cdatastructures
• $PREFIX/lib
• $PREFIX/lib/pkgconfig

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Using the Library

Using pkg-config (recommended)

gcc main.c $(pkg-config --cflags --libs cdatastructures)

Manual include and link

gcc main.c -I/usr/local/include -L/usr/local/lib -lcdatastructures

Adjust include and library paths if you used a custom prefix.

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Runtime Shared Library Path

Linux / WSL

If the shared library is installed into a non-standard directory (for example /usr/local/lib or a custom prefix):

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

For a permanent system-wide solution:

sudo sh -c 'echo "/usr/local/lib" > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/cdatastructures.conf'
sudo ldconfig

Windows (MSYS2)

Ensure the directory containing cdatastructures.dll is in your PATH at runtime.

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Uninstall

sudo make uninstall

Or for a custom prefix:

make uninstall PREFIX=/path/to/install

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Notes

• All data structures are opaque: users interact only through the public API.
• Element size and comparison logic are provided by the user.
• The API avoids C99-only features when possible to maintain broad compatibility.

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License

MIT License (or update this section with your chosen license).