TreeStructures 1.4.0

Introduction

This is a C# library designed for effectively handling tree structures.
Emphasizing flexibility and extensibility, the library allows easy manipulation of various tree structures.

Features:

1. Rich extension methods for ITreeNode<TNode>
2. Achieving mutual references between parent and child nodes
3. Classes forming a tree structure and their Generality
4. Bidirectional Conversion between Different Data Structures and Tree Structures.

These are the four main features of the library.

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Namespaces Classification

TreeStructures;

　Abstract classes define generic tree nodes, peripheral objects, and event arguments.

Inheritance diagram of generic tree nodes

Inheritance diagram of NodePath and NodeIndex (peripheral objects)

TreeStructures.Linq;

　Extension methods for ITreeNode<TNode>, IMutableTreeNode<TNode>, IEnumerable<T>

TreeStructures.Utility;

　Definition of ResultWithValue<T> used as a return value for Try●● methods

TreeStructures.Collections;

　Collections used in internal implementations and processing of extension methods

TreeStructures.EventManagement;

　Objects used in event handling, implementing Observable tree nodes

TreeStructures.Xml.Serialization;

　Dictionary and others used in serialization and deserialization

TreeStrucutures.Tree;

　Purpose-specific trees

Usage

To be documented in the wiki.

Concept

This library does not aim to be standalone.
Various useful libraries are already available, so we aim to handle tree structure-related functions while coexisting with other libraries.

Let's elaborate on the four features mentioned at the beginning.

Rich Extension Methods

Over 60 extension methods for ITreeNode<TNode> are defined, including various overloads.
Examples include:

Enumeration: Preorder, Levelorder, all traversal methods, Leafs, Ancestors, DiscendArrivals, DescendTraces, etc.
Navigation: Root, NextSibling, LastSibling, etc.
Editing: Including TryAddChild, Try●●Child, Disassemble, RemoveAllDescendant, etc.
Parameter Retrieval: NodeIndex, NodePath, Height, Depth, etc.
Predicate Methods: IsDescendantOf, IsAncestorOf, IsRoot, etc.
Conversion: ToNodeMap, ToSerializableNodeMap, ToTreeDiagram, AsValuedTreeNode
Assembly Methods: Convert, AssembleTree, AssembleAsNAryTree

Mutual References Between Parent and Child Nodes

Mutual references between parent and child nodes are handled by base classes (TreeNodeBase<TNode> or HierarchyWrapper<TSrc,TWrpr>).

In the derived types of TreeNodeBase<TNode>, customization can be achieved through protected virtual methods such as RemoveChildProcess and InsertChildProcess, which are defined as ●●ChildProcess methods.

Classes Forming a Tree Structure and Their Generality

If you want to customize in detail, use TreeNodeBase<TNode>.
For a GeneralTree, if you want to use it as a data structure or container for data, use GeneralTreeNode<TNode> or ObservableTreeNode<TNode>.
If you want to use an N-Ary Tree with a fixed number of branches and empty nodes set to null, use NAryTreeNode<TNode>.
If you want to use it as a wrapper for objects or tree structure that forms the hierarchy, use (Hierarchy | TreeNode) Wrapper<TSrc,TWrpr>.
If you need to describe resource disposal in addition to its role as a wrapper, inherit and use Disposable(Hierarchy | TreeNode)Wrapper<TSrc,TWrpr>.

In TreeNodeBase<TNode> and its derived types, you can customize the collections used internally and those exposed externally by overriding the Setup(Inner | Public)ChildCollection methods.
HierarchyWrapper<TSrc,TWrpr> and its derived types allow customization only of the collection exposed externally.

Bidirectional Conversion between Different Data Structures and Tree Structures.

Support is provided for exte ITreeNode<TNode> methods to objects that do not implement ITreeNode<TNode>.
This is achieved by wrapping objects in a HierarchyWrapper<TSrc,TWrpr> or DisposableHierarchyWrapper<TSrc,TWrpr>, or by calling AsValuedTreeNode to provide the extension methods of ITreeNode<TNode>.

Furthermore, various methods for mutual conversion, such as Convert, AssembleTree, and ToNodeMap, are available through extension methods.