Collection

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1. Overview of Java Collections Framework

Java Collections Framework (JCF): A unified architecture for representing
and manipulating collections of objects.

Core Interfaces:

Collection: The root interface for all collections (e.g., List , Set , Queue ).

Map: A separate interface for key-value pair collections.

2. Key Interfaces and Their Implementations

List Interface:

Characteristics: Ordered, allows duplicates.

Implementations:

ArrayList: Dynamic array, fast random access, not synchronized.

LinkedList: Doubly linked list, efficient for insertions/deletions,

allows null elements.

Vector: Synchronized version of ArrayList , slower due to thread

safety.

Set Interface:

Characteristics: Unordered, no duplicates.

Implementations:

HashSet: Backed by a HashMap , unordered, allows one null element.

LinkedHashSet: Maintains insertion order.

TreeSet: Implements NavigableSet , ordered according to Comparable

or Comparator , no null elements.

Queue Interface:

Characteristics: Follows FIFO (First-In-First-Out) principle.

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 Implementations:

PriorityQueue: Elements are ordered according to their natural

ordering or a specified Comparator , allows null.

LinkedList: Can be used as both a List and Queue .

Map Interface:

Characteristics: Key-value pairs, keys must be unique.

Implementations:

HashMap: Unordered, allows one null key and multiple null

values.

LinkedHashMap: Maintains insertion order, allows null

keys/values.

TreeMap: Implements NavigableMap , ordered by natural ordering or a

Comparator , no null keys.

Hashtable: Synchronized, no null keys/values, slower than HashMap .

3. Important Methods in Collection Interface

add(E e) : Adds an element to the collection.

remove(Object o) : Removes the first occurrence of the specified element.

contains(Object o) : Returns true if the collection contains the specified

element.

size() : Returns the number of elements in the collection.

isEmpty() : Checks if the collection is empty.

iterator() : Returns an iterator over the elements.

4. Iteration Techniques
Using Iterator :

Iterator<String> it = list.iterator();
while (it.hasNext()) {
System.out.println(it.next());
}

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 Using Enhanced For-Loop:

for (String item : list) {

System.out.println(item);
}

Using forEach and Lambda:

list.forEach(item -> System.out.println(item));

5. Comparison of List Implementations

ArrayList :

Best for: Random access, fewer insertions/deletions.

Internal structure: Dynamic array.

LinkedList :

Best for: Frequent insertions and deletions.

Internal structure: Doubly linked list.

Vector :

Best for: Thread-safe list operations.

Internal structure: Synchronized version of ArrayList .

6. Comparison of Set Implementations

HashSet :

Performance: O(1) for add, remove, and contains.

Uses: When unique elements without order are needed.

LinkedHashSet :

Performance: Similar to HashSet , but maintains insertion order.

TreeSet :

Performance: O(log n) for add, remove, and contains.

Uses: When elements need to be sorted.

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 7. Comparison of Map Implementations
HashMap :

Performance: O(1) for get and put.

Uses: General-purpose map with no ordering.

LinkedHashMap :

Performance: Slightly slower than HashMap due to maintaining order.

Uses: Maintains insertion order, useful for caching.

TreeMap :

Performance: O(log n) for get and put.

Uses: Sorted map, useful for range-based queries.

Hashtable :

Performance: Slower due to synchronization.

Uses: Thread-safe map, no null keys/values.

8. Thread-Safe Collections
Synchronized Collections:

Use Collections.synchronizedList() , synchronizedSet() , etc., for

synchronized versions.

Example:

List<String> syncList = Collections.synchronizedList

(new ArrayList<>());

Concurrent Collections:

ConcurrentHashMap : High-concurrency map, thread-safe, better

performance than Hashtable .

: Thread-safe variant of
CopyOnWriteArrayList ArrayList , suitable for use
cases with more reads than writes.

9. Common Methods in Map Interface

put(K key, V value) : Inserts a key-value pair into the map.

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 get(Object key) : Returns the value associated with the key.

remove(Object key) : Removes the key-value pair.

containsKey(Object key) : Checks if the map contains the key.

entrySet() : Returns a set view of the map's entries.

10. Sorting Collections

Using Collections.sort() :

List<String> list = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList("Banan

a", "Apple", "Cherry"));
Collections.sort(list); // Natural ordering

Using Custom Comparator:

Collections.sort(list, (s1, s2) -> s1.length() - s2.leng

th());

11. Generics in Collections

Benefits:

Type safety.

Avoids ClassCastException .

Example:

List<String> list = new ArrayList<>();

list.add("Hello");
// list.add(123); // Compile-time error

12. Iterable Interface

Methods:

iterator() : Returns an iterator.

For-Each Loop Compatibility:

Classes that implement Iterable can be iterated using the for-each

loop.

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 13. Immutable Collections
Use Collections.unmodifiableList() , unmodifiableSet() , unmodifiableMap() for
creating read-only collections.

Example:

List<String> immutableList = Collections.unmodifiableLis

t(new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList("A", "B", "C")));

14. Stream API with Collections

Example: Filtering a list using streams.

List<String> filteredList = list.stream()

.filter(s -> s.startsWit
h("A"))
.collect(Collectors.toLi
st());

15. Best Practices for Using Collections

Use the right collection: Choose List , Set , Queue , or Map based on the
specific needs.

Initial Capacity: When using ArrayList or HashMap , specify an initial capacity

if the size is known to avoid resizing.

Null Handling: Be cautious with null values, especially in collections like

TreeSet and TreeMap that do not allow null keys.

Thread Safety: For concurrent access, use synchronized or concurrent

collections as appropriate.

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