Python Program to Find the First Common Element in Two Linked Lists

This is a Python program to find the first element of the first linked list that is common to both the lists.

The program creates two linked lists using data items input from the user and determines the first element in the first linked list that is in both the lists.

1. Create a class Node with instance variables data and next.
2. Create a class LinkedList with instance variables head and last_node.
3. The variable head points to the first element in the linked list while last_node points to the last.
4. Define methods append and display inside the class LinkedList to append data and display the linked list respectively.
5. Define a function first_common which takes two linked lists as arguments.
6. The function first_common returns the first element in the first linked list that is common to both the linked lists using two nested loops.
7. Create two instances of LinkedList and append data to it.
8. Find the common element and display the result.

Here is the source code of a Python program to find the first common element in two linked lists.

class Node:
    def __init__(self, data):
       self.data = data
       self.next = None
 
 
class LinkedList:
    def __init__(self):
        self.head = None
        self.last_node = None
 
    def append(self, data):
        if self.last_node is None:
            self.head = Node(data)
            self.last_node = self.head
        else:
            self.last_node.next = Node(data)
            self.last_node = self.last_node.next
 
 
def first_common(llist1, llist2):
    current1 = llist1.head
    while current1:
        data = current1.data
        current2 = llist2.head
        while current2:
            if data == current2.data:
                return data
            current2 = current2.next
        current1 = current1.next
    return None
 
 
llist1 = LinkedList()
llist2 = LinkedList()
 
data_list = input('Please enter the elements in the first linked list: ').split()
for data in data_list:
    llist1.append(int(data))
 
data_list = input('Please enter the elements in the second linked list: ').split()
for data in data_list:
    llist2.append(int(data))
 
common = first_common(llist1, llist2)
 
if common:
    print('The element that appears first in the first linked list that'
          ' is common to both is {}.'.format(common))
else:
    print('The two lists have no common elements.')

1. Two instances of LinkedList are created.
2. The user is prompted to enter the data items for the two lists.
3. The function first_common is called to find the common element.
4. The result is then displayed.

Case 1:
Please enter the elements in the first linked list: 4 5 1 3 10
Please enter the elements in the second linked list: 8 3 40 1
The element that appears first in the first linked list that is common to both is 1.
 
Case 2:
Please enter the elements in the first linked list: 1 4 5
Please enter the elements in the second linked list: 3 10
The two lists have no common elements.
 
Case 3:
Please enter the elements in the first linked list: 6 8 9
Please enter the elements in the second linked list: 7 10 6 4 9 8
The element that appears first in the first linked list that is common to both is 6.

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