CMSC 202

ArrayList

Aug 9, 2007 1
Whats an Array List
ArrayList is
a class in the standard Java libraries that can hold
any type of object
an object that can grow and shrink while your
program is running (unlike arrays, which have a
fixed length once they have been created)
In general, an ArrayList serves the same
purpose as an array, except that an
ArrayList can change length while the
program is running

Aug 9, 2007 2
The ArrayList Class
The class ArrayList is implemented using
an array as a private instance variable
When this hidden array is full, a new larger hidden
array is created and the data is transferred to this
new array

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Using the ArrayList Class
In order to make use of the ArrayList class, it
must first be imported
import java.util.ArrayList;
An ArrayList is created and named in the same
way as object of any class, except that you specify
the base type as follows:
ArrayList<BaseType> aList =
new ArrayList<BaseType>();

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Creating an ArrayList
An initial capacity can be specified when creating an
ArrayList as well
The following code creates an ArrayList that stores objects of
the base type String with an initial capacity of 20 items
ArrayList<String> list = new ArrayList<String>(20);
Specifying an initial capacity does not limit the size to which
an ArrayList can eventually grow
Note that the base type of an ArrayList is specified
as a type parameter

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Adding elements to an
ArrayList
The add method is used to add an element at
the end of an ArrayList
list.add("something");
The method name add is overloaded
There is also a two argument version that allows
an item to be added at any currently used index
position or at the first unused position

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How many elements?
The size method is used to find out how many indices already
have elements in the ArrayList
int howMany = list.size();
The set method is used to replace any existing element, and the
get method is used to access the value of any existing element
list.set(index, "something else");
String thing = list.get(index);
size is NOT capacity
size is the number of elements currently stored in the ArrayList

Capacity is the maximum number of elements which can be

stored. Capacity will automatically increase as needed

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 ArrayList code Example
// Note the use of Integer, rather than int
public static void main( String[ ] args)
{
ArrayList<Integer> myInts = new ArrayList<Integer>(25);
System.out.println( Size of myInts = + myInts.size());
for (int k = 0; k < 10; k++)
myInts.add( 3 * k );
myInts.set( 6, 44 );
System.out.println( Size of myInts = + myInts.size());
for (int k = 0; k < myInts.size(); k++)
System.out.print( myInts.get( k ) + , );
}
// output
Size of myInts = 0
Size of myInts = 10
0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 44, 21, 24, 27

Aug 9, 2007 8
Methods in the Class
ArrayList
The tools for manipulating arrays consist only
of the square brackets and the instance
variable length
ArrayLists, however, come with a
selection of powerful methods that can do
many of the things for which code would have
to be written in order to do them using arrays

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 1 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 2 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 3 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 4 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 5 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 6 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 7 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 8 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 9 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 10 of 11)

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Some Methods in the Class
ArrayList (Part 11 of 11)

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More example code
// Note the use of Integer instead of int
public static void main( String[ ] args)
{
ArrayList<Integer> myInts = new ArrayList<Integer>(25);
System.out.println( Size of myInts = + myInts.size());
for (int k = 0; k < 10; k++)
myInts.add( 3 * k );
myInts.set( 6, 44 );
myInts.add( 4, 42 );
myInts.remove( new Integer(99) );
System.out.println( Size of myInts = + myInts.size());
for (int k = 0; k < myInts.size(); k++)
System.out.print( myInts.get( k ) + , );
if (myInts.contains( 57 ) ) System.out.println(57 found);
System.out.println (44 found at index + myInts.indexOf(44));
}

Aug 9, 2007 21
Why are Some Parameters of Type
Base_Type and Others of type Object
When looking at the methods available in the ArrayList class,
there appears to be some inconsistency
In some cases, when a parameter is naturally an object of the

base type, the parameter type is the base type

However, in other cases, it is the type Object

This is because the ArrayList class implements a number of

interfaces, and inherits methods from various ancestor classes
These interfaces and ancestor classes specify that certain

parameters have type Object

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The "For Each" Loop
The ArrayList class is an example of a
collection class
Starting with version 5.0, Java has added a
new kind of for loop called a for-each or
enhanced for loop
This kind of loop has been designed to cycle
through all the elements in a collection (like an
ArrayList)

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for-each example
public class ForEach
{
public static void main(String[ ] args)
{
ArrayList<Integer> list = new ArrayList<Integer>;
list.add( 42 );
list.add( 57 );
list.add( 86 );

// for each Integer, i, in list

for( Integer i : list )
System.out.println( i );
}
}
//-- Output ---
42
57
86

Aug 9, 2007 24
Copying an ArrayList
// create an ArrayList of Integers
ArrayList<Integer> a = new ArrayList<Integer>( );
a.add(42); a.add(57); a.add(86);
Assignment doesnt work
As weve seen with any object, using assignment
just makes two variables refer to the same ArrayList.
ArrayList<Integer> b = a;

b 42 57 86
Stack Heap

Aug 9, 2007 25
Copying an ArrayList

ArrayLists clone( ) method makes a shallow copy

ArrayList<Integer> b = a.clone( );

42 57 86
a

Stack Heap

Aug 9, 2007 26
Copying an ArrayList
We need to manually make a deep copy
ArrayList<Integer> b = a.clone( );
for( int k = 0; k < b.size( ); k++)
b.set(k, a.get(k));

42 57 86

42 57 86
a

Stack Heap

Aug 9, 2007 27
ArrayList vs Array
Why use an array instead of an ArrayList

1. An ArrayList is less efficient than an array

2. ArrayList does not have the convenient square

bracket notation

3. The base type of an ArrayList must be a class type

(or other reference type). It cannot be a primitive type.
(Although wrappers, auto boxing, and auto unboxing
make this a non-issue with Java 5)

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ArrayList vs Array
Why use an ArrayList instead of an array?
1. Arrays cant grow. Their size is fixed at compile time.
ArrayList grows and shrinks as needed while your
program is running
2. You need to keep track of the actual number of elements
in your array (recall partially filled arrays).
ArrayList will do that for you.
3. Arrays have no methods (just length instance variable)
ArrayList has powerful methods for manipulating the
objects within it

Aug 9, 2007 29
The Vector Class
The Java standard libraries have a class
named Vector that behaves almost exactly
the same as the class ArrayList
In most situations, either class could be used,
however the ArrayList class is newer
(Java 5), and is becoming the preferred class

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