Build a Binary Tree

Create a fixed seven-node binary tree and render its shape.

Algorithm

The canonical tree is 4(2(1,3),6(5,7)), so this PHP DSA implementation can be compared directly with the rest of the DSA track.

Basic Implementation

basic.php

<?php
class Node {
    public int $value;
    public ?Node $left;
    public ?Node $right;
    public function __construct(int $value, ?Node $left = null, ?Node $right = null) {
        $this->value = $value; $this->left = $left; $this->right = $right;
    }
}
function render_tree(?Node $node): string {
    if ($node === null) return "_";
    if ($node->left === null && $node->right === null) return (string)$node->value;
    return $node->value . "(" . render_tree($node->left) . "," . render_tree($node->right) . ")";
}
function sample_tree(): Node {
    return new Node(4, new Node(2, new Node(1), new Node(3)), new Node(6, new Node(5), new Node(7)));
}
function list_string(array $values): string { return "[" . implode(", ", $values) . "]"; }
echo render_tree(sample_tree()) . PHP_EOL;
?>

Complexity

Time: O(n)
Space: O(n)

Implementation notes

Render tree structure explicitly instead of printing node objects.
The replay highlights the node, traversal state, queue, path, or search cursor that changes at each step.

node links A node stores one value plus references to its left and right children.