Features

• 9 data structures with live ASCII visualization
• C++23 backend binaries via subprocess bridge
• Real-time operation log with color-coded responses
• DS info screen for summary, Big O, pros/cons, usage
• Search and filter modules from the menu
• Min/Max heap toggle
• Cross-platform support (Linux, Windows, macOS)
• Zero-config install via pipx

What is it

TraceDSA is a terminal user interface that wraps custom C++23 data structure implementations in an interactive Python TUI. It lets you explore how stacks, queues, trees, and heaps behave with live ASCII art, operation logging, and instant feedback after every command.

Install & Run

pip install tracedsa
tdsa

Or for Modern Linux distros:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install tracedsa
tdsa

Press s or click START on the splash screen.

Data Structures

How it works

TraceDSA spawns standalone C++23 binaries and communicates via a simple stdin/stdout protocol. The Python Textual TUI sends commands (PUSH 10, ENQUEUE 5, etc.) and updates visualizations instantly. No STL containers everything built from scratch.

Project Architecture

TraceDSA/
├── C++ Core (no STL containers)
│   ├── ArrayList/          (header-only dynamic array)
│   ├── Stack/, Queue/, LinkedList/, BST/, PriorityQueue/
│   └── *_interactive.cpp   (stdin/stdout bridge)
│
├── tracedsa/ (Python TUI)
│   ├── __main__.py
│   ├── bridge.py
│   ├── screens/
│   ├── widgets/ (ascii_array, ascii_tree, ascii_heap, etc.)
│   └── bins/{linux,windows,macos}/   ← compiled binaries
|
└── makefiles/
|    ├── Makefile         (Running the TestingModules.cpp file)
|    ├── makefile.windows (build Windows binaries with MinGW)
|    ├── makefile.inter   (build C++ interactive binaries for Linux)
|    └── makefile.macos   (build macOS binaries with clang)
|
└── pyproject.toml  (package config for pipx installation)
└── docs/  (screenshots, architecture diagrams, design docs)

Development

Prerequisites

• C++23 compiler (g++)
• Python 3.10+
• make

Build & Run

# 1. Build C++ interactive binaries
make -f makefile.inter

# 2. Run the TUI
cd tracedsa && python -m tracedsa

For Windows builds:

make -f makefile.windows

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• C++23 compliant compiler for development (g++ recommended)

Built With

• Python — Textual framework for the TUI
• C++23 — All data structures implemented from scratch (no STL containers)

Roadmap

• Sorting & Searching algorithms
• Keyboard shortcuts for all operations
• Session export / snapshots
• Comprehensive test suite

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! New data structures, bug fixes, docs, UI improvements please read CONTRIBUTING.md first.

Author

HA - GitHub · LinkedIn

License

MIT LICENSE

Made with ❤️ for learning and teaching Data Structures & Algorithms.