Java Data Structures — Heap, Queue & Sorting with GenderMag Evaluation

Course: CPS 2232 — Data Structures, Spring 2023 Team: Dahana Moz Ruiz & Roilan Iglesias Language: Java

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Overview

This project implements core data structures in Java — including a generic max-heap, queue API, and a song collection manager with file I/O and sorting — and evaluates the codebase using the GenderMag cognitive walkthrough method, a research-backed framework for identifying usability and inclusivity issues in software.

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What is GenderMag?

GenderMag (Gender-Inclusiveness Magnifier) is a software inspection method developed by researchers at Oregon State University. It uses fictional personas with different problem-solving styles to surface design decisions that may unintentionally exclude certain users. This project applies two personas:

• Pat — used to evaluate the Song collection and sorting implementation
• DAV — used to evaluate the heap and queue implementation

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Project Structure

Part 1 — Song Collection Manager

• Song.java — Generic Song class with 4 arbitrary metadata fields and auto-generated 7-digit IDs
• TestSong.java — File I/O utilities: read, search, and display songs from a plain-text table
• songs.txt / new_songs.txt — Sample song datasets

Key features:

• Search by name or by year + name
• Two Comparator<Song<?>> implementations for flexible sorting
• Fully encapsulated with constructors, getters/setters, and toString()

Part 2 — Heap & Queue Implementation

• DMQueue.java — Generic queue interface with: add, deleteAll, isEmpty, peek, push, remove, size
• DMHeap.java — Generic max-heap implementing the queue API, plus heapify and heapSort
• HeapSort.java — Heap sort demonstration on a 20-song subset
• exHeap.java — Manual heap construction and removal examples

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How to Run

# Compile all files
javac *.java

# Run the song collection demo
java TestSong

# Run the heap sort demo
java HeapSort

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Key Concepts Demonstrated

• Generic types in Java (Song<?>, DM<T>)
• Max-heap construction and heap sort
• File I/O with plain-text parsing
• Custom Comparator implementations
• GenderMag usability evaluation methodology