Java Collections Framework - Interfaces, Classes and Algorithms

Learning Outcome
• To understand the need and definitions,
hierarchy of collection framework
• Various interfaces
– Iterable
– Collection
– List
– Set
– Queue
– Deque

Collections Framework
• The Collection in Java is a framework that provides an architecture to
store and manipulate the group of objects.
• Java Collections can achieve all the operations that you perform on a
data such as searching, sorting, insertion, manipulation, and deletion.
• Java Collection means a single unit of objects. Java Collection framework
provides many interfaces (Set, List, Queue, Deque) and classes (ArrayList,
Vector, LinkedList, PriorityQueue, HashSet, LinkedHashSet, TreeSet).

Class implements various interfaces

java.util
• classes that generate pseudorandom numbers,
manage date and time, observe events, manipulate
sets of bits, tokenize strings, and handle formatted
data
• The java.util package also contains one of Java’s most
powerful subsystems: the Collections Framework.
• The Collections Framework is a sophisticated
hierarchy of interfaces and classes that provide state-
of-the-art technology for managing groups of objects

Collections Framework
• The framework should provide high-performance.
• The framework allow different types of collections to work in
a similar manner and with a high degree of interoperability.
• Extending and/or adapting a collection had to be easy.
• Entire Collections Framework is built upon a set of standard
interfaces
• Integration of standard arrays into the Collections Framework.
• Algorithms operate on collections and are defined as static
methods within the Collections class.
• All collections are now generic, and many of the methods that
operate on collections take generic type parameters. Ensure
Type Safety

Iterator Interface
• An iterator offers a general-purpose,
standardized way of accessing the elements
within a collection, one at a time.
• An iterator provides a means of enumerating
the contents of a collection.
• Maps store key/value pairs.

Lists and Sets
A list is a collection that maintains the
order of its elements.
• Ordered Lists
– ArrayList  List
• Stores a list of items in a dynamically sized array
– LinkedList  List, Queue
• Allows speedy insertion and removal of items from the list
Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons.
All rights reserved.

Lists and Sets
A set is an unordered collection of
unique elements.
• Unordered Sets
– HashSet  Set
• Uses hash tables to speed up finding, adding, and
removing elements
– TreeSet  SortedSet
• Uses a binary tree to speed up finding, adding, and
removing elements

Set Vs List
import java.util.*;
public class MyClass {
public static void main(String args[]) {
Set<String> s=new HashSet<String>();
s.add("fggg");
s.add("Wewe");
s.add("EREW");
s.add("Wewer");
s.add("rtrer");
System.out.println("Set of elements " + s);
List<String> l=new ArrayList<String>();
l.add("fggg");
l.add("Wewe");
l.add("EREW");
l.add("Wewer");
l.add("rtrer");
System.out.println("List of elements " + l);
}}
Output:
Set of elements [rtrer, Wewe, fggg, EREW, Wewer]
List of elements [fggg, Wewe, EREW, Wewer, rtrer]

Stacks and Queues
• Another way of gaining efficiency in a collection is to
reduce the number of operations
available
• Two examples are:
– Stack
• Remembers the order of its elements, but it does not allow
you to insert elements in every position
• You can only add and remove elements at the
top
– Queue
• Add items to one end (the tail)
• Remove them from the other end (the head)
• Example: A line of people waiting for a bank teller

Maps
• A map stores keys, values, and the associations between
them
– Example:
– Barcode keys and books
• Keys
– Provides an easy way to represent an object (such as a numeric bar
code)
• Values
– The actual object that is associated with the key
A map keeps associations
between key and value objects.

Collection Interfaces
Interface Description
Collection Enables you to work with groups of objects; it is at the top of the
collections hierarchy.
List Extends Collection to handle sequences (lists of objects).
Set Extends Collection to handle sets, which must contain unique
elements.
Queue Extends Collection to handle special types of lists in which elements
are removed only from the head.
SortedSet Extends Set to handle sorted sets.
NavigableSet Extends SortedSet to handle retrieval of elements based on closest-
match searches.
Deque Extends Queue to handle a double-ended queue.

Other Interfaces mainly used
• Collections also use the Comparator,
RandomAccess, Iterator, and ListIterator interfaces.
• Comparator defines how two objects are
compared;
• Iterator and ListIterator enumerate the objects
within a collection.
• By implementing RandomAccess, a list indicates
that it supports efficient, random access to its
elements.

Collection Interface – Extends Iterable interface
• public interface Collection<E> extends Iterable<E>

Exceptions in Collection
• Several of these methods can throw an
• UnsupportedOperationException - occurs if a collection cannot
be modified.
• ClassCastException – occurs when one object is incompatible
with another, such as when an attempt is made to add an
incompatible object to a collection.
• NullPointerException - occurs if an attempt is made to store a null
object and null elements are not allowed in the collection.
• IllegalArgumentException - occurs if an invalid argument is used.
• IllegalStateException - occurs if an attempt is made to add an
element to a fixed-length collection that is full.

List Interface
• public interface List<E> extends Collection<E>
• It stores a sequence of elements
• Elements are inserted or accessed based on
their position in list
• List can contain duplicate elements

Java Collections Framework - Interfaces, Classes and Algorithms

Set Interface
• Set interface defines a set
• It does not allow duplicate elements
• public interface Set<E> extends Collection<E>
• add() method returns false if an attempt is
made to add duplicate elements to a set
• Same methods as Collection interface

Queue Interface
• The Queue interface extends Collection and
declares the behavior of a queue, which is
often a first-in, first-out list
• public interface Queue<E> extends
Collection<E>

boolean add(E obj) --- add element else throw IllegalStateException

Deque Interface
• The Deque interface extends Queue and
declares the behavior of a double-ended
queue.
• Double-ended queues can function as
standard, first-in, first-out queues or as last-in,
firstout stacks.
• public interface Deque<E> extends Queue<E>

Deque methods
• addFirst, addLast, getFirst, getLast, offerFirst,
offerLast, peekFirst, peekLast, pollFirst,
pollLast, pop, push, removeFirst, removeLast,
removeFirstOccurrence,
removeLastOccurrence

References
• Herbert Schildt,“Java:The Complete
Reference”, 8th Edition,McGrawHill Education,
2011.
• https://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/jav
a/util/

Java Collections Framework - Interfaces, Classes and Algorithms

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