Want to become a Java Developer but don’t know what Java Collection Framework is? Don’t worry reading this article will make you familiar with the topic helping you in becoming a master of Java.
Key Takeaways
- Learning about the concept of Java Collection Framework.
- Understanding the basic interfaces and various methods used in Java Collection Framework
- Understanding the uses and benefits of Java Collection Framework in today’s world.
Java Collection Framework
The Java Collection Framework is basically a comprehensive set of classes and interfaces provided by Java for managing and manipulating groups of objects.
Java Collection Framework offers a standardized way to store, retrieve, and process the collection of Data efficiently. Some key components of the Java Collection Framework include lists, sets, maps, queues, and several algorithms for sorting, and searching. The framework promotes code reusability, enhances performance, and simplifies data-handling tasks in Java applications.
Interfaces Of Java Collection Framework
The Java Collection Framework provides various interfaces, which are used to provide several methods to perform different tasks on the collection of Data.
Let us discuss each interface and its use in the Java Collection Framework.
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Java Collection Interface
The Java Collection Interface is basically a root interface of the Java Collection Framework.
Java Collection Interface does not have any direct implementation in Java Framework instead, it provides an implementation of various sub-interfaces like List, Queue, Set, etc.
Sub-Interface of the Collection Interface
As we have discussed above that the Java Collection Interface includes some sub-interfaces like – Lists, Queues, Sets, etc. Here we will be discussing those sub-interfaces in detail for your better understanding.
- List Interface
The list interface is an ordered collection of Data that allows us to add or remove different elements. Some commonly used list classes include Stack, Array, linked list, Vector, etc.
- Set Interface
The Set Interface in the Collection Interface helps us to arrange different elements in the form of sets. Each element in a set interface is a unique element hence it cannot store duplicate elements in it.
- Queue Interface
The queue interface represents a collection that stores all the elements in a specific order. It follows the principle of First-In-First-Out (FIFO) which means the elements are processed in the same order as they were added.
Methods of Collection Interface
The Collection Interface in Java Collection includes various methods that are basically used to perform different operations on the Data. List of all these methods is given below for your reference.
| Methods | Why they are Used |
| Add() | Used to insert the specific element into the collection. |
| AddAll() | Used to insert all the elements into the specific collection. |
| Remove() | It is used to delete a specific element into the collection. |
| RemoveAll() | It is used to delete all the elements of a specific collection. |
| Clear() | Removes all the elements from the collection |
| Iterator() | It is used to return an iterator which is used to access the element of the collection. |
| Size() | It is used to see the size of a collection. |
- Java Map Interface
The Java Map interface is a key-value structure that allows storing and manipulating pairs of elements, where each key is associated with a unique value.
Java Map Interface provides several methods for different key-value operations. Like- for adding key-value pairs (put(key, value)) is used, For retrieving values by key (get(key)), and for removing key entries (remove(key)).
Classes That Implement Map
Since a map is just an interface of Java, we cannot use map to create an object in Java Programming.
So in order to create an object in map interface we use several classes of these classes include:
- Hash Map
- Enum Map
- LinkedHash Map
- WeakHash Map
- Tree Map
Methods of Map Interface
| Methods | Their Uses |
| put(K, V) | It is used to insert the association of the Key (K) and the value (V) into the map. |
| putAll() | It is used to insert all the entries from one specified map to another |
| PutIfAbsent(K, V) | It is used to insert the association if the key (K) is not associated with the value (V) |
| get(K) | It is used to give a specified value associated with key (K), if there is no value it will return null. |
| ContainsKey(K) | It is used to check if the specified key is present i the map or not. |
| ContainsValue(V) | It is used to check if the specified value is present in the map or not. |
| remove(K,V) | It is used to delete the entry from the map that has key (K) and value (V) associated with it. |
| Keyset() | It is used to return the set of all the keys present in the map |
| Values() | It is used to return the set of all the values associate with the map. |
- Java Iterator Interface
The Java Iterator interface in the Java collection Framework is used to iterate over elements in a Sequential manner. Java Iterators typically support one-way iteration from the beginning to the end. This means once an element is retrieved it moves forward to the next.
Why To Use Java Collection Framework
The Java Collection Framework offers various advantages which makes it a fundamental component of Java programming language. Below are some important advantages explaining why we should use Java Collection Framework.
- The Java Collection Framework allows us to organize and manage data efficiently by providing a wide range of Data structures such as lists, Queues, Maps, etc.
- We can write reusable and efficient code using Java Interfaces provided by the Java Collection Framework.
- Java Collection Framework provides a set of methods through which we can manipulate data efficiently.
- Java collection Framework also helps in Concurrency control, like if we want unique data we can use the Set interface.
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Java Collection Framework FAQs
What is the Java Collection Framework?
The Java Collection Framework is a set of interfaces and classes in Java that provide a standardized way to store, manipulate, and access data. It uses various interfaces like List, Set, Map, Queue, etc to perform actions on data.
What are the main interfaces in the Java Collection Framework?
The main interfaces in the Java Collection Framework include:
Java Collection Interface: The root interface that defines general collection behaviors.
Java List Interface: Ordered collection supporting duplicate elements.
Java Set Interface: Unordered collection that does not allow duplicate elements.
Java Map Interface: Key-value pair collection that maps keys to values.
Java Queue Interface: Collection designed for holding elements prior to processing.
What are the key benefits of using the Java Collection Framework?
The Java Collection Framework offers benefits such as code reusability, performance optimization, standardized API, data organization, concurrency support, and convenience in data manipulation, making it an essential tool for Java developers.
