Iterative Binary Tree Preorder in C

Algorithms: Tree Algorithms November 15, 2026 C

Preorder traversal visits each binary-tree node once without recursion..

c
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#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdint.h>
#include <limits.h>
#include <errno.h>
// Iterative Binary Tree Preorder in C
//
// PURPOSE
// Preorder traversal visits each binary-tree node once without recursion.
//
// METHOD
// Keep a stack of nodes and visit states. State zero descends left, state one descends
// right, and state two exits. Emit the node at the traversal-specific state.
//
// COMPLEXITY
// O(n) time and O(n) allocated stack space; live stack usage is O(tree height).
//
// CONTRACT
// Parallel left_child and right_child arrays contain -1 or node IDs. root=-1 means empty.
// The structure must be a valid tree, not cyclic or shared. output has n entries; writes
// node IDs and returns visited count.
// Public APIs infer array lengths except in C, which accepts pointer/length pairs. Vertex
// counts and matrix dimensions remain explicit. Arrays must contain signed 32-bit integers.
// Sorted order, correct tree topology, and caller-owned data-structure invariants are
// preconditions; checking them on every query would change query complexity.
// Scalar and shape checks are included. Value-range checks are included where needed to
// prevent invalid indexing or nontermination. Allocation sizes are capped at 4,000,000
// workspace entries. Arithmetic outside Python raises an error on 32-bit overflow; Python
// uses arbitrary precision. Native allocation failures propagate. In-place outputs may be
// partly updated after arithmetic failure. These are single-threaded, in-memory
// implementations.
//
// LANGUAGE DETAILS
// C99: checked calloc/free workspace, const input pointers, explicit size_t lengths. Errors
// return INT_MIN with errno=EINVAL, ERANGE, or ENOMEM. Check errno before using a result.
// Input/output arrays must not alias. No variable-length stack arrays.
//
// EXAMPLE
// Expected return: 3.
// Expected output after call: [0, 1, 2].
// Run: gcc -std=c99 -O2 example.c -o example && ./example
// Tests for this exact source artifact run before publication. The accompanying source
// archive includes unit cases, runtime results, and source hashes.

static int alg_min(int a, int b) { return a < b ? a : b; }
static int alg_max(int a, int b) { return a > b ? a : b; }
static int alg_checked(int64_t v, int *error) {
    if (v < INT_MIN || v > INT_MAX) { *error = 1; return 0; }
    return (int)v;
}
static int alg_add(int a, int b, int *e) { return alg_checked((int64_t)a+b,e); }
static int alg_sub(int a, int b, int *e) { return alg_checked((int64_t)a-b,e); }
static int alg_mul(int a, int b, int *e) { return alg_checked((int64_t)a*b,e); }

int tree_preorder(const int *left_child, size_t left_child_length, const int *right_child, size_t right_child_length, int root, int *output, size_t output_length) {
    int alg_error = 0;
    int alg_result = INT_MIN;
    errno = 0;
    int *stack = NULL;
    int *state = NULL;
    if (left_child_length > 1000000 || (left_child_length && !left_child)) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (right_child_length > 1000000 || (right_child_length && !right_child)) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (output_length > 1000000 || (output_length && !output)) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    int n = (int)left_child_length;
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (!(((n >= 0) && (n <= 1000000)))) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (!(((int)left_child_length == n))) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (!(((int)right_child_length == n))) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (!(((int)output_length == n))) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (!(((root >= alg_sub(0, 1, &alg_error)) && (root < n)))) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    for (int alg_i = 0; alg_i < (int)left_child_length; alg_i++) {
        int alg_value = left_child[alg_i];
        if (!(((alg_value >= alg_sub(0, 1, &alg_error)) && (alg_value < n)))) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    }
    for (int alg_i = 0; alg_i < (int)right_child_length; alg_i++) {
        int alg_value = right_child[alg_i];
        if (!(((alg_value >= alg_sub(0, 1, &alg_error)) && (alg_value < n)))) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    }
    {
        int alg_length = alg_add(n, 1, &alg_error);
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        if (alg_length < 0 || alg_length > 4000000) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        stack = calloc((size_t)(alg_length ? alg_length : 1), sizeof(*stack));
        if (!stack) { errno = ENOMEM; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    }
    {
        int alg_length = alg_add(n, 1, &alg_error);
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        if (alg_length < 0 || alg_length > 4000000) { errno = EINVAL; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        state = calloc((size_t)(alg_length ? alg_length : 1), sizeof(*state));
        if (!state) { errno = ENOMEM; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    }
    int top = 0;
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    int u = 0;
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    int phase = 0;
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    int count = 0;
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    int alg_condition_1 = (root == alg_sub(0, 1, &alg_error));
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    if (alg_condition_1) {
        alg_result = 0;
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        goto alg_cleanup;
    }
    stack[0] = root;
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    top = 1;
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    while (1) {
        int alg_condition = (top > 0);
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        if (!alg_condition) break;
        u = stack[alg_sub(top, 1, &alg_error)];
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        phase = state[alg_sub(top, 1, &alg_error)];
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        int alg_condition_2 = (phase == 0);
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        if (alg_condition_2) {
            output[count] = u;
            if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
            count = alg_add(count, 1, &alg_error);
            if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        }
        int alg_condition_3 = (phase == 0);
        if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
        if (alg_condition_3) {
            state[alg_sub(top, 1, &alg_error)] = 1;
            if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
            int alg_condition_4 = (left_child[u] != alg_sub(0, 1, &alg_error));
            if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
            if (alg_condition_4) {
                stack[top] = left_child[u];
                if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
                state[top] = 0;
                if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
                top = alg_add(top, 1, &alg_error);
                if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
            }
        } else {
            int alg_condition_5 = (phase == 1);
            if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
            if (alg_condition_5) {
                state[alg_sub(top, 1, &alg_error)] = 2;
                if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
                int alg_condition_6 = (right_child[u] != alg_sub(0, 1, &alg_error));
                if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
                if (alg_condition_6) {
                    stack[top] = right_child[u];
                    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
                    state[top] = 0;
                    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
                    top = alg_add(top, 1, &alg_error);
                    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
                }
            } else {
                top = alg_sub(top, 1, &alg_error);
                if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
            }
        }
    }
    alg_result = count;
    if (alg_error) { errno = ERANGE; alg_result = INT_MIN; goto alg_cleanup; }
    goto alg_cleanup;
alg_cleanup:
    free(stack);
    free(state);
    return alg_result;
}

int main(void) {
    int left_child[] = {1, -1, -1};
    int right_child[] = {2, -1, -1};
    int root = 0;
    int output[] = {0, 0, 0};
    int result = tree_preorder(left_child, 3, right_child, 3, root, output, 3);
    printf("%d\n", result);
    // Expected output: [0, 1, 2]
    for (int alg_print = 0; alg_print < 3; alg_print++) printf("%d ", output[alg_print]);
    printf("\n");
    if (errno) { perror("algorithm"); return 1; }
    return 0;
}