Queue-Tee Pie

🔖 Background Information

A queue is a data structure that follows a first-in first-out (FIFO) principle. Similar to the stack you can add elements to the queue (enqueue), remove elements from the queue (dequeue), and check if the queue is full.

🎯 Problem Statement

Write a queue data structure that stores “cute” objects. A cute object is an object that conforms to the Cutie interface / abstract base class (as outlined in the Dev Notes). You can use an array “under the hood”, meaning that your queue will have a maximum size.

✅ Acceptance Criteria

• The queue data structure should be an object.
• The queue should use an array list “under the hood” to store Cutie objects. You do not need to create a queue that resizes itself with new inputs.
• I should be able to enqueue(...) and dequeue(...) a Cutie object to the queue data structure.
• If I try to enqueue an object onto the queue while it is full, I should see a message telling me the queue is full. The queue should remain unchanged.
• I should be able to get the current size of the queue via a size(...) method (i.e. how many elements are in the queue).

📋 Dev Notes

• You cannot use the built-in queue in this solution.
• You do not have to implement the Cutie interface / abstract base class from scratch. I have provided it here:

C++

class Cutie {
  private:
    string description;
    int cuteness_rating
 
  public:
    Cutie(string description, int cuteness_rating) {
      this->description = description;
      this->cuteness_rating = cuteness_rating;
    }
 
    virtual string get_description() = 0;
    virtual int get_cuteness_rating() = 0;
}

Java

interface Cutie {
  public String description();     // All cuties need to > have a description of what makes them cute.
  public Integer cutenessRating(); // All cuties get a cuteness rating out of ten.
}

🖥️ Example Output

Suppose you wrote a queue data structure called QueueTees. You then created Puppy, Kitty, and PygmyMarmoset which all conform to that interface / abstract base class. Your driver program might look something like this:

C++

int main() {
  // Create a bunch of objects that implement the Cutie base class
  Puppy puppy;
  Kitty kitty;
  PygmyMarmoset marmoset;
 
  // Create a queue data structure
  QueueTees queue;
 
  // The size of the queue should equal zero since there are no objects in it
  cout << queue.size();
 
  // Add the cuties to the queue
  queue.enqueue(puppy);
  queue.enqueue(kitty);
  queue.enqueue(marmoset);
 
  // The size of the queue should equal three since there are three objects in it
  cout << queue.size();
 
  // The first dequeue should return the puppy
  queue.dequeue();
 
  // The second dequeue should return the kitty
  queue.dequeue();
 
  // The third dequeue should return the pygmy marmoset
  queue.dequeue();
}

Java

// Create a bunch of objects that conform to the Cutie interface
Puppy puppy = new Puppy();
Kitty kitty = new Kitty();
PygmyMarmoset marmoset = new PygmyMarmoset();
 
// Create a queue data structure
QueueTees queue = new QueueTees();
 
// The size of the queue should equal zero since there are no objects in it
System.out.println(queue.size());
 
// Add the cuties to the queue
queue.enqueue(puppy);
queue.enqueue(kitty);
queue.enqueue(marmoset);
 
// The size of the queue should equal three since there are three objects in it
System.out.println(queue.size());
 
// The first dequeue should return the puppy
queue.dequeue();
 
// The second dequeue should return the kitty
queue.dequeue();
 
// The third dequeue should return the pygmy marmoset
queue.dequeue();

📝 Thought Provoking Questions

1. How might you create a queue with no theoretical maximum size?
2. Right now, your queue is restricted to store Cutie objects only. How might you change your queue class to store a variety of different types of objects?

💼 Add-Ons For the Portfolio

(One Credit) Clear Method

Create a method that clears all elements in the queue.

(Three Credits) Generic Type for Queue

Update your queue class to allow the user to specify what type of object will be stored in the queue. You can use a class template to specify the type of object. The behavior of your queue should not change otherwise.

🔗 Useful Links

• C++ Project Template
• Java Project Template

📘 Works Cited

N/A