Flatten a binary tree into linked list | Set-3

Given a binary tree, flatten it into linked list in-place. Usage of auxiliary data structure is not allowed. After flattening, left of each node should point to NULL and right should contain next node in level order.

Examples:

Input: 
          1
        /   \
       2     5
      / \     \
     3   4     6

Output:
    1
     \
      2
       \
        3
         \
          4
           \
            5
             \
              6

Input:
        1
       / \
      3   4
         /
        2
         \
          5
Output:
     1
      \
       3
        \
         4
          \
           2
            \ 
             5

Approach: Recurse the binary tree in Inorder Format, at every stage of function call pass on the address of last node in the flattened linked list so that current node can make itself a right node of the last node. 

For left child, it’s parent node is the last node in the flattened list 
For the right child there are two conditions: 

• If there is no left child to the parent, parent node is the last node in the flattened list.
• If left child is not null then leaf node from left sub-tree is the last node in the flattened list.

Below is the implementation of the above approach: 

C++

// C++ program to flatten the binary tree
// using previous node approach
using namespace std;
#include <iostream>
#include <stdlib.h>

// Structure to represent a node of the tree
struct Node {
    int data;
    struct Node* left;
    struct Node* right;
};

Node* AllocNode(int data)
{
    Node* temp = new Node;
    temp->left = NULL;
    temp->right = NULL;
    temp->data = data;
    return temp;
}

// Utility function to print the inorder
// traversal of the tree
void PrintInorderBinaryTree(Node* root)
{
    if (root == NULL)
        return;
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root->left);
    std::cout << root->data << " ";
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root->right);
}

// Function to make current node right of
// the last node in the list
void FlattenBinaryTree(Node* root, Node** last)
{
    if (root == NULL)
        return;

    Node* left = root->left;
    Node* right = root->right;

    // Avoid first iteration where root is
    // the only node in the list
    if (root != *last) {
        (*last)->right = root;
        (*last)->left = NULL;
        *last = root;
    }

    FlattenBinaryTree(left, last);
    FlattenBinaryTree(right, last);
    if (left == NULL && right == NULL)
        *last = root;
}

// Driver Code
int main()
{

    // Build the tree
    Node* root = AllocNode(1);
    root->left = AllocNode(2);
    root->left->left = AllocNode(3);
    root->left->right = AllocNode(4);
    root->right = AllocNode(5);
    root->right->right = AllocNode(6);

    // Print the inorder traversal of the
    // original tree
    std::cout << "Original inorder traversal : ";
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root);
    std::cout << std::endl;

    // Flatten a binary tree, at the beginning
    // root node is the only and last in the list
    Node* last = root;
    FlattenBinaryTree(root, &last);

    // Print the inorder traversal of the flattened
    // binary tree
    std::cout << "Flattened inorder traversal : ";
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root);
    std::cout << std::endl;

    return 0;
}

Java

// Java program to flatten the binary tree
// using previous node approach
class GFG
{

// Structure to represent a node of the tree
static class Node
{
    int data;
    Node left;
    Node right;
};

static Node AllocNode(int data)
{
    Node temp = new Node();
    temp.left = null;
    temp.right = null;
    temp.data = data;
    return temp;
}

// Utility function to print the inorder
// traversal of the tree
static void PrintInorderBinaryTree(Node root)
{
    if (root == null)
        return;
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root.left);
    System.out.print( root.data + " ");
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root.right);
}

static Node last =null;

// Function to make current node right of
// the last node in the list
static void FlattenBinaryTree(Node root)
{
    if (root == null)
        return;

    Node left = root.left;
    Node right = root.right;

    // Avoid first iteration where root is
    // the only node in the list
    if (root != last) {
        (last).right = root;
        (last).left = null;
        last = root;
    }

    FlattenBinaryTree(left);
    FlattenBinaryTree(right);
    if (left == null && right == null)
        last = root;
}

// Driver Code
public static void main(String args[])
{

    // Build the tree
    Node root = AllocNode(1);
    root.left = AllocNode(2);
    root.left.left = AllocNode(3);
    root.left.right = AllocNode(4);
    root.right = AllocNode(5);
    root.right.right = AllocNode(6);

    // Print the inorder traversal of the
    // original tree
    System.out.print("Original inorder traversal : ");
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root);
    System.out.println();

    // Flatten a binary tree, at the beginning
    // root node is the only and last in the list
    last = root;
    FlattenBinaryTree(root);

    // Print the inorder traversal of the flattened
    // binary tree
    System.out.print("Flattened inorder traversal : ");
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root);
    System.out.println();

}
}

// This code is contributed by Arnab Kundu

Python

# Python program to flatten binary tree
# using previous node approach

# Node class to represent a node of the tree
class Node:
    def __init__(self, data):
        self.data = data
        self.right = None
        self.left = None

# Utility function to print the inorder
# traversal of the tree
def PrintInorderBinaryTree(root):
    if(root == None):
        return
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root.left)
    print(str(root.data), end = " ")
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root.right)

# Function to make current node right of
# the last node in the list
def FlattenBinaryTree(root):

    # A global variable which maintains the last node
    # that was added to the linked list
    global last
    if(root == None):
        return

    left = root.left
    right = root.right

    # Avoid first iteration where root is
    # the only node in the list
    if(root != last):
        last.right = root
        last.left = None
        last = root
    FlattenBinaryTree(left)
    FlattenBinaryTree(right)
    if(left == None and right == None):
        last = root

# Build the tree
root = Node(1)
root.left = Node(2)
root.left.left = Node(3)
root.left.right = Node(4)
root.right = Node(5)
root.right.right = Node(6)

# Print the inorder traversal of the
# original tree
print("Original inorder traversal : ", end = "")
PrintInorderBinaryTree(root)
print("")

# Global variable to maintain the
# last node added to the linked list
last = root

# Flatten the binary tree, at the beginning
# root node is the only node in the list
FlattenBinaryTree(root)

# Print the inorder traversal of the flattened
# binary tree
print("Flattened inorder traversal : ", end = "")
PrintInorderBinaryTree(root)

# This code is contributed by Pranav Devarakonda

C#

// C# program to flatten the binary tree
// using previous node approach
using System;

class GFG
{

// Structure to represent a node of the tree
public class Node
{
    public int data;
    public Node left;
    public Node right;
};

static Node AllocNode(int data)
{
    Node temp = new Node();
    temp.left = null;
    temp.right = null;
    temp.data = data;
    return temp;
}

// Utility function to print the inorder
// traversal of the tree
static void PrintInorderBinaryTree(Node root)
{
    if (root == null)
        return;
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root.left);
    Console.Write(root.data + " ");
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root.right);
}

static Node last =null;

// Function to make current node right of
// the last node in the list
static void FlattenBinaryTree(Node root)
{
    if (root == null)
        return;

    Node left = root.left;
    Node right = root.right;

    // Avoid first iteration where root is
    // the only node in the list
    if (root != last)
    {
        (last).right = root;
        (last).left = null;
        last = root;
    }

    FlattenBinaryTree(left);
    FlattenBinaryTree(right);
    if (left == null && right == null)
        last = root;
}

// Driver Code
public static void Main(String []args)
{

    // Build the tree
    Node root = AllocNode(1);
    root.left = AllocNode(2);
    root.left.left = AllocNode(3);
    root.left.right = AllocNode(4);
    root.right = AllocNode(5);
    root.right.right = AllocNode(6);

    // Print the inorder traversal of the
    // original tree
    Console.Write("Original inorder traversal : ");
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root);
    Console.WriteLine();

    // Flatten a binary tree, at the beginning
    // root node is the only and last in the list
    last = root;
    FlattenBinaryTree(root);

    // Print the inorder traversal of the flattened
    // binary tree
    Console.Write("Flattened inorder traversal : ");
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root);
    Console.WriteLine();
}
}

// This code is contributed by 29AjayKumar

Javascript

<script>

// Javascript program to flatten the binary tree
// using previous node approach

// Structure to represent a node of the tree
class Node {
        constructor() {
                this.data = 0;
                this.left = null;
                this.right = null;
             }
        }

function AllocNode( data)
{
    var temp = new Node();
    temp.left = null;
    temp.right = null;
    temp.data = data;
    return temp;
}

// Utility function to print the inorder
// traversal of the tree
function PrintInorderBinaryTree( root)
{
    if (root == null)
        return;
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root.left);
    document.write( root.data + " ");
    PrintInorderBinaryTree(root.right);
}

var last =null;

// Function to make current node right of
// the last node in the list
function FlattenBinaryTree( root)
{
    if (root == null)
        return;

    var left = root.left;
    var right = root.right;

    // Avoid first iteration where root is
    // the only node in the list
    if (root != last) {
        (last).right = root;
        (last).left = null;
        last = root;
    }

    FlattenBinaryTree(left);
    FlattenBinaryTree(right);
    if (left == null && right == null)
        last = root;
}


// Driver Code

// Build the tree
var root = AllocNode(1);
root.left = AllocNode(2);
root.left.left = AllocNode(3);
root.left.right = AllocNode(4);
root.right = AllocNode(5);
root.right.right = AllocNode(6);

// Print the inorder traversal of the
// original tree
document.write("Original inorder traversal : ");
PrintInorderBinaryTree(root);
document.write("</br>");

// Flatten a binary tree, at the beginning
// root node is the only and last in the list
last = root;
FlattenBinaryTree(root);

// Print the inorder traversal of the flattened
// binary tree
document.write("Flattened inorder traversal : ");
PrintInorderBinaryTree(root);
document.write("</br>");

// This code is contributed by JANA_SAYANTAN.
</script>

Output

Original inorder traversal : 3 2 4 1 5 6 
Flattened inorder traversal : 1 2 3 4 5 6 

Time Complexity: O(N) where N is the number of nodes in the binary tree.
Auxiliary Space: O(h) where h is the height of binary tree due to recursion call stack.