SerializeDeserializeBinaryTree.java

public class SerializeDeserializeBinaryTree {
 
  public static void main(String args[]){
        TreeNode root = new TreeNode(3);
        root.left = new TreeNode(5);
        root.left.left = new TreeNode(6);
        root.left.right = new TreeNode(2);
        root.left.right.left = new TreeNode(7);
        root.left.right.right = new TreeNode(4);

        root.right = new TreeNode(1);
        root.right.left = new TreeNode(0);
        root.right.right = new TreeNode(8);

        String out = serializeIterative(root);
        //remove the final comma from the string so that we can split this str into a list eventually
        out = out.substring(0, out.length()-1);

        TreeNode deserialTree = deSerializeIterative(out);
        System.out.println("hi");
    }


    public static String serializeIterative(TreeNode root) {
        Queue<TreeNode> q = new LinkedList<>();
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();

        q.add(root);

        while(!q.isEmpty()){
            TreeNode n = q.poll();
            if(n==null){
                //use the "#" character as the sentinel
                sb.append("#,");
            }else{
                sb.append(n.val + ",");

                q.add(n.left);
                q.add(n.right);
            }
        }
        return sb.toString();
    }

    public static TreeNode deSerializeIterative(String data) {
        List<String> list = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(data.split(",")));

        TreeNode root = new TreeNode(Integer.valueOf(list.get(0)));
        Queue<TreeNode> q = new LinkedList<>();
        q.add(root);
        int index = 1;
        while(!q.isEmpty() && index < list.size()){
            TreeNode curr = q.poll();
            if(!list.get(index).equals("#")){
                curr.left = new TreeNode(Integer.valueOf(list.get(index)));
                q.add(curr.left);
            }
            index++;
            if(!list.get(index).equals("#")){
                curr.right = new TreeNode(Integer.valueOf(list.get(index)));
                q.add(curr.right);
            }
            index++;
        }

        return root;

    }
  
}