Practice: Build a Generic Data Structure

1. Welcome and Icebreaker:

• If you could invent a new data structure, what would it do?

2. Outline the Session:

• We’ll practice building a generic data structure in TypeScript (e.g., a stack or queue).
• Learning Outcomes: Apply generics to create reusable and type-safe data structures.
• Let’s get practical!

3. Concept Explanation:

• Building your own data structures helps you understand how generics work in real-world scenarios.
• We’ll use a stack (LIFO) as an example, but you can try a queue (FIFO) or another structure.
• The key is to use generics so your structure works with any type.

4. Live Coding Demonstration:

class Stack<T> {
  private items: T[] = [];
  push(item: T) {
    this.items.push(item);
  }
  pop(): T | undefined {
    return this.items.pop();
  }
  peek(): T | undefined {
    return this.items[this.items.length - 1];
  }
  size(): number {
    return this.items.length;
  }
}

const numberStack = new Stack<number>();
numberStack.push(1);
numberStack.push(2);
console.log(numberStack.pop()); // 2
console.log(numberStack.peek()); // 1
console.log(numberStack.size()); // 1

const stringStack = new Stack<string>();
stringStack.push("a");
stringStack.push("b");
console.log(stringStack.pop()); // "b"

5. Tasks:

• Short Exercise:
  1. Implement a generic Queue<T> class with enqueue, dequeue, and size methods.
  2. Test your queue with both numbers and strings.
  3. Try building another generic data structure of your choice (e.g., a linked list or set).