Python Program Find the Length of Linked List using Recursion

This is a Python program to find the length of a linked list using recursion.

The program prompts the user to enter the elements of the linked list to create and then displays its length.

1. Create a class Node.
2. Create a class LinkedList.
3. Define method append inside the class LinkedList to append data to the linked list.
4. Define methods length and length_helper.
5. length calls length_helper to find the length of the linked list recursively.
6. Create an instance of LinkedList and prompt the user for its elements.
7. Display the length of the list by calling the method length.

Here is the source code of a Python program to find the length of a linked list using recursion. The program output is shown below.

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 length(self):
        return self.length_helper(self.head)
 
    def length_helper(self, current):
        if current is None:
            return 0
        return 1 + self.length_helper(current.next)
 
a_llist = LinkedList()
data_list = input('Please enter the elements in the linked list: ').split()
for data in data_list:
    a_llist.append(int(data))
 
print('The length of the linked list is ' + str(a_llist.length()) + '.', end = '')

1. An instance of LinkedList is created.
2. The user is prompted for the elements of the list.
3. The elements are then appended to the linked list.
4. The method length calculates the length of the list.
5. The length is then displayed.

Case 1:
Please enter the elements in the linked list: 3 4 10
The length of the linked list is 3.
 
Case 2:
Please enter the elements in the linked list: 7
The length of the linked list is 1.
 
Case 3:
Please enter the elements in the linked list: 3 4 1 -1 3 9
The length of the linked list is 6.

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