GAMBAS BOOK 3.17.3

The List class implements a circular, double-linked list of elements. The classification as “double-linked” means that each item in the list is linked to a previous and next item in the list. In a “circular” list, the successor of the last element is again the first element and the predecessor of the first element is the last element.

So one can run through these kind of lists ring-shaped both forward and backward. The elements in a chained list are of type Variant. This allows you to save everything in a chained list - from integer to float and string to objects.

The properties of a concatenated list are manageable in number and are shown in the following table:

Table 7.3.1.1.1.1: Properties of the List class

• For example, a list can be used to iterate with' For Each'. All values are processed from the first to the last value. The value of. current does not change.
• For Each vElement In hList', for example, the variant variable' vElement' runs through all elements of the list' hList' one after the other from the first to the last.
• The List. Backwards property can be used to reverse the operation of' For Each':' For Each vElement In hList. Backwards' results in the reverse order of values that' vElement' assumes.

A concatenated list always has a virtual root element that has no value. When a list object is instantiated, only the root element exists. It is its own predecessor and successor. In this case, the list is also called “empty”.

The root element is logically always between the first and the last element. However, you do not have access to this root element. It is ignored in all operations because it has no value, but the root element helps explain some methods.

Table 7.3.1.2.1: Methods of the List class

• Like many classes in Gambas, List also has a current element - Current. The List. Current property returns or sets its value. Using the Move* () methods, you can determine another element for the current element.
• When a list object is instantiated, the current element is in an undefined state because there is no (real) element in the list. It is called “invalid”. If the value of an invalid element is queried, zero is returned. An error is triggered when an invalid element is to be removed.
• The current element becomes invalid if one of the Find* () methods does not find the value to be searched for.

Note that the Find* () methods do not work well with the CPU data caches. The list elements are allocated separately, individually, in the memory of the computer and are then loosely connected to each other. Modern computers profit greatly from their fast cache caches, which store values according to heuristics, the spatiality of accesses, for example, in order to be able to access them very quickly at a later date. Thus, when a program accesses a memory block, the computer assumes that it will access another memory block nearby shortly afterwards. However, this is not the case for lists, since their elements can be distributed anywhere in the main memory. The iteration over many list elements (as when searching for values in the list) renders all data in the CPU data caches unusable, which in turn slows down the execution of the entire program.

In this context, it is also possible to access the ith element in a list with' hList[i]'. However, this is a very time-consuming operation, since all elements from the first to the third element have to be run through. Similar to List. Take (), the index' i' can be negative to count elements backwards from the end of the list.

A list is not meant for arbitrary access to the elements as you are used to from an array, but for sequential access patterns (MoveNext () and MovePrev ()). A list can be much more efficient than an array if you don't use it too often to find values or move through all the elements. The advantage of saving the elements of the list separately is that a very low and above all constant effort must be used if a list element is to be added or removed. However, if an element is added or removed from an array, the entire array may have to be copied to a different location, which is very time-consuming for large arrays.

Whether a list or an array is used depends on the intended access pattern and must be carefully considered beforehand. In case of doubt, you should always use an array. For all stress tests carried out, the Variant[] class was superior to the List class.