For Each: Set Interface Bulk Operations

Using the foreach Construct:
import java.util.*;
public class FindDups {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Set<String> s = new HashSet<String>();
for (String a : args)
s.add(a);
System.out.println(s.size() + " distinct words: " + s);
}
}
Now run either version of the program.
java FindDups i came i saw i left

The following output is produced:
4 distinct words: [left, came, saw, i]

Note that the code always refers to the Collection by its interface type (Set) rather than by its
implementation type. This is a strongly recommended programming practice because it gives you the
flexibility to change implementations merely by changing the constructor. If either of the variables used to
store a collection or the parameters used to pass it around are declared to be of the Collection's
implementation type rather than its interface type, all such variables and parameters must be changed in
order to change its implementation type.
Furthermore, there's no guarantee that the resulting program will work. If the program uses any
nonstandard operations present in the original implementation type but not in the new one, the program will
fail. Referring to collections only by their interface prevents you from using any nonstandard operations.
The implementation type of the Set in the preceding example is HashSet, which makes no guarantees as
to the order of the elements in the Set. If you want the program to print the word list in alphabetical order,
merely change the Set's implementation type from HashSet to TreeSet. Making this trivial one-line
change causes the command line in the previous example to generate the following output.
java FindDups i came i saw i left

4 distinct words: [came, i, left, saw]
Set Interface Bulk Operations

Bulk operations are particularly well suited to Sets; when applied, they perform standard set-algebraic
operations. Suppose s1 and s2 are sets. Here's what bulk operations do:
s1.containsAll(s2) returns true if s2 is a subset of s1. (s2 is a subset of s1 if

set s1 contains all of the elements in s2.)
s1.addAll(s2) transforms s1 into the union of s1 and s2. (The union of two sets is the set
containing all of the elements contained in either set.)
s1.retainAll(s2) transforms s1 into the intersection of s1 and s2. (The intersection of

two sets is the set containing only the elements common to both sets.)
s1.removeAll(s2) transforms s1 into the (asymmetric) set difference of s1 and s2. (For
example, the set difference of s1 minus s2 is the set containing all of the elements found in s1 but
not in s2.)
To calculate the union, intersection, or set difference of two sets nondestructively (without modifying either
set), the caller must copy one set before calling the appropriate bulk operation. The following are the
resulting idioms.
Set<Type> union = new HashSet<Type>(s1);

union.addAll(s2);
Set<Type> intersection = new HashSet<Type>(s1);
intersection.retainAll(s2);
Set<Type> difference = new HashSet<Type>(s1);
difference.removeAll(s2);
The implementation type of the result Set in the preceding idioms is HashSet, which is, as already
mentioned, the best all-around Set implementation in the Java platform. However, any generalpurpose Set implementation could be substituted.
Let's revisit the FindDups program. Suppose you want to know which words in the argument list occur
only once and which occur more than once, but you do not want any duplicates printed out repeatedly. This
effect can be achieved by generating two sets one containing every word in the argument list and the
other containing only the duplicates. The words that occur only once are the set difference of these two
sets, which we know how to compute. Here's how theresultingprogram looks.
import java.util.*;
public class FindDups2 {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Set<String> uniques = new HashSet<String>();
Set<String> dups
= new HashSet<String>();
for (String a : args)
if (!uniques.add(a))
dups.add(a);
// Destructive set-difference
uniques.removeAll(dups);
}
}
System.out.println("Unique words:
" + uniques);
System.out.println("Duplicate words: " + dups);
When run with the same argument list used earlier ( icameisawileft), the program yields the
following output.
Unique words:
[left, saw, came]
Duplicate words: [i]
A less common set-algebraic operation is the sym

For Each: Set Interface Bulk Operations

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Using the foreach Construct:

Now run either version of the program.

java FindDups i came i saw i left

4 distinct words: [left, came, saw, i]

java FindDups i came i saw i left

Set Interface Bulk Operations

s1.containsAll(s2) returns true if s2 is a subset of s1. (s2 is a subset of s1 if

s1.retainAll(s2) transforms s1 into the intersection of s1 and s2. (The intersection of

Set<Type> union = new HashSet<Type>(s1);

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