A C++ application for visualizing fundamental data structures in real-time. Built with Raylib, this project makes it easier to understand how arrays, linked lists, stacks, and queues actually work under the hood.

Features

• Array Operations Insert, delete, and access elements with visual feedback
• Linked List Visualization Watch nodes connect and disconnect in real-time as you add/remove elements
• Stack (LIFO) Push and pop operations animated so you can actually see the "last in, first out" principle
• Queue (FIFO) Enqueue and dequeue visualized to make the "first in, first out" concept click
• Interactive UI Clean, responsive interface with buttons and input fields for controlling operations
• Scene-based Navigation Smooth transitions between different data structure visualizations

Screenshots

Main Menu

Array

Link List

Queue

Stack

Tech Stack

• C++20 Modern C++ with smart pointers, lambdas, and other goodies
• Raylib Simple and easy-to-use library for graphics and input handling
• MSVC (v145) Compiled with Visual Studio 2022 toolchain
• Custom Event System EventBus pattern for decoupled communication between components
• Scene Manager Stack-based scene management for navigation

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11 (this was built on Windows, but could be adapted)
• Visual Studio 2022 (or later) with C++ desktop development workload
• Raylib Download from raylib.com and set it up at C:\DevTools\raylib\

Setup

1. Clone or download this repo to your machine

2. Install Raylib if you haven't already:

   • Grab the latest release from GitHub
   • Extract it to C:\DevTools\raylib\ (or update the include/library paths in the .vcxproj file)
   • Make sure you have both the include and lib folders in place

3. Open the solution in Visual Studio:

   • Double-click DSA Visualization.slnx or open it from VS
   • Build the project (Ctrl+Shift+B)
   • Hit F5 to run

4. That's it! The main menu should pop up and you're ready to explore

How It Works

The app uses a scene manager to handle navigation between different visualizations. Each data structure has:

• A core implementation (the actual logic)
• A scene (handles user input and manages state)
• A visualizer (renders everything on screen)

UI components like buttons and text inputs are built from scratch with a simple layout system. The event bus handles communication between different parts of the app, keeping things loosely coupled.

Common Issues

• Raylib not found? Make sure the library is at C:\DevTools\raylib\ or update the paths in the project settings under Additional Include Directories and Additional Library Directories
• Window resolution looks off? The app targets 1920x1080. You can tweak this in main.cpp if needed
• Fonts not loading? Check that font files are in the correct relative path from the executable

Notes

• This project was built as part of a DSA course, so the focus was on clarity and correctness over optimization
• The event system might be overkill for a project this size, but it's a good pattern to know for larger apps
• Feel free to fork and add more data structures (trees, graphs, hash maps, etc.)

License

This project is open-source. Do whatever you want with it. Learn from it, modify it, break it, fix it.

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Built with C++ and Raylib.