How does the next object work in Linked List? How is it able to make another class objects point to the next address? - class

Question

class Node
{
public int data;
public Node next;
public Node(int idata) {
data = idata;
next = null;
}
}
Node newnode = new Node(val);
newnode.next = null;
Like if I'm creating a new object newnode of the class Node , how is it able to use .next to find the next address of the list?

Answer 1

In your example code next is just null. Actually, it was not necessary to explicitly do newnode.next = null;, as it already was initialised to null in the Node constructor.
It becomes more interesting when you assign another new node to the next property of the node you have created:
Node newnode = new Node(1);
newnode.next = new Node(2);
In Java objects are accessed with references. newnode is such a reference, and newnode.next is also such a reference. Both are references to Node instances (if not null).
We could extend the linked list further:
newnode.next.next = new Node(3);
newnode.next.next.next = new Node(4);
When you realise that next is a property that can hold a value like any variable, then there is really no magic to it.
You could for instance also first create Node instances that are disconnected, and only after their creation link them together:
Node a = new Node(1);
Node b = new Node(2);
Node c = new Node(3);
Node d = new Node(4);
a.next = b;
b.next = c;
c.next = d;