insertNode

The insertNode function in C is used to insert a new node into a linked list. Here are the steps involved in the process:

1. Check if the linked list is empty: This is done by checking if the head pointer is NULL. If it is, then the linked list is empty and the new node can be inserted as the first node.

2. Create a new node: Allocate memory for a new node using the malloc function. Assign the data value to the new node and set its next pointer to NULL.

3. Inserting as the first node: If the linked list is empty, assign the head pointer to the new node.

4. Inserting at a specific position: If the linked list is not empty, traverse through the list until the desired position is reached. To do this, start at the head and move to the next node until the desired position is reached or the end of the list is reached.

5. Inserting at the end of the list: If the desired position is beyond the length of the list, the new node can be inserted at the end. To do this, assign the next pointer of the previous node to the new node and set the next pointer of the new node to NULL.

6. Inserting at a specific position: If the desired position is within the length of the list, insert the new node by assigning the next pointer of the previous node to the new node and the next pointer of the new node to the next node.

7. Update the pointers: Ensure that the pointers of the previous and new nodes are correctly updated to maintain the integrity of the linked list.

8. Return the updated linked list: Finally, return the head pointer of the updated linked list.

These steps outline the process of inserting a new node into a linked list using the insertNode function in C.