Strictly binary tree

Question

A binary search tree is strictly binary if all tree nodes have 2 children or none. Implement a function that checks whether a binary search tree is strictly binary.

// Estrutura de dados
typedef struct {
    int chave;
}tipo_elemento;

typedef struct nodo{
    struct nodo *dir, *esq;
    tipo_elemento e;
}tipo_nodo;

typedef tipo_nodo *apontador;

// Implementação
int estritamente_bin(apontador a){
    if(!a->dir && !a->esq)
        return 1;

    if(a->dir && a->esq)
        return estritamente_bin(a->esq) && estritamente_bin(a->dir);

    return 0;
}

Any suggestions and/or criticism to improve the above implementation?

Answer 1

Your code is fine, I just have a few suggestions.

The first is about this:

typedef tipo_nodo *apontador;

That, I think, does not contribute much to the readability of the code. I think it is important that pointers are clearly treated as such, especially when using the operator ->, and therefore I suggest using tipo_nodo * in function estritamente_bin.

The function estritamente_bin can be reduced to that:

int estritamente_bin(tipo_nodo *a) {
    return (!a->dir && !a->esq)
            || (a->dir && a->esq && estritamente_bin(a->esq) && estritamente_bin(a->dir));
}