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Why are there two add methods in LinkedList?

In lines 39 through 49 of the Java code below, I can understand why there is an add method with a void return type, but why is there another add method with a boolean return type? The first add method seems to be accessing the second add method, which simply adds a node before a specified index, right? Why doesn't this class just have one add method to keep things simple?
public class MyLinkedList<AnyType> implements Iterable<AnyType> {

	private int theSize;
	private int modCount = 0;
	private Node<AnyType> beginMarker;
	private Node<AnyType> endMarker;

	private static class Node<AnyType> 
	{
		public Node( AnyType d, Node<AnyType> p, Node<AnyType> n ) {
			data = d; prev = p; next = n;}

		public AnyType data; 
		public Node<AnyType>  prev;
		public Node<AnyType>  next;
	}

	public MyLinkedList( ) {
		clear( );}

	public void clear( ) // Change the size of this collection to zero.
	{	
		beginMarker = new Node<AnyType>( null, null, null ); 
		endMarker = new Node<AnyType>( null, beginMarker, null ); 
		beginMarker.next = endMarker;

		theSize = 0;
		modCount++;
	}

	public int size( ) { //Returns the number of items in this collection.
		return theSize; 
	}

	public boolean isEmpty( ) { 
		return size( ) == 0;} // test to see if this is true


	public boolean add( AnyType x ) { //Adds an item to this collection, at the end
		add( size( ), x );
		return true;
	}


	/* the add method adds an item to this collection, at specified position. 
         Items at or after that 	position are slid one position higher */

	public void add( int idx, AnyType x ) {
		addBefore( getNode( idx), x );}

	
	public AnyType get( int idx ) { // Returns the item at position idx
		return getNode( idx ).data;}


	public AnyType set( int idx, AnyType newVal ) { //Changes the item at position idx
		Node<AnyType> p = getNode( idx );
		AnyType oldVal = p.data;
		p.data = newVal; 
		return oldVal;
	}

	public AnyType remove( int idx ) { //Removes an item from this collection
		return	remove(getNode( idx ));}


	/* this addBefore method adds an item to this collection, at specified position p. 
	Items at or after that position are slid one position higher */

	private void addBefore( Node<AnyType> p, AnyType x ) {
		Node<AnyType> newNode = new Node<AnyType>( x, p.prev, p ); 
		newNode.prev.next = newNode; 
		p.prev = newNode; 
		theSize++;
		modCount++;
	}

	private AnyType remove( Node<AnyType> p ) {  // Removes the object contained in Node p.
		p.next.prev = p.prev; 
		p.prev.next = p.next; 
		theSize--;
		modCount++;
		return p.data;
	}


	private Node<AnyType> getNode( int idx)
	{
		Node<AnyType> p;
        
		if( idx < 0 || idx > size() )
            throw new IndexOutOfBoundsException();
            
        if( idx < size( ) / 2 ) {
            p = beginMarker.next;
            for( int i = 0; i < idx; i++ )
                p = p.next;            
        }
        else
        {
            p = endMarker;
            for( int i = size( ); i > idx; i-- )
                p = p.prev;
        } 
        
		return p;
    }

	public java.util.Iterator<AnyType> iterator( ) {
        return new LinkedListIterator( );
	}


	private class LinkedListIterator implements java.util.Iterator<AnyType>
	{
		private Node<AnyType> current = beginMarker.next;
       private int expectedModCount = modCount; 
		private boolean okToRemove = false;
        
		public boolean hasNext( ) {
			return current != endMarker;
       }
        
        public AnyType next( )
        {
            if( modCount != expectedModCount )
                throw new java.util.ConcurrentModificationException( ); 
            if( !hasNext( ) )
                throw new java.util.NoSuchElementException( ); 
                   
            AnyType nextItem = current.data;
            current = current.next;
            okToRemove = true;
            return nextItem;
        }
        
        public void remove( )
        {
            if( modCount != expectedModCount )
                throw new java.util.ConcurrentModificationException( ); 
            if( !okToRemove )
                throw new IllegalStateException( );
                
            MyLinkedList.this.remove( current.prev );
            okToRemove = false;  
		   expectedModCount++;     
        }
    }
}

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ozo
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Avatar of HooKooDooKu
HooKooDooKu

In the case of the one that adds to the end, no return code is needed... the list always has an end.  But if you request to add at a specific position, the position might not exist, therefore the function needs to be able to report back the failure.
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sorry TommySzalapski, i repeated some of your remarks cause i tooks me some time to submit.

Sara
Avatar of shampouya

ASKER

thanks everybody