What is the usage of collections in Java?
In Java, Collection is an interface used to represent a group of objects. It is one of the foundations of the Java collection framework and defines common operations and behaviors.
The Collection interface includes the following commonly used methods and behaviors:
- Add Element: The add(Object obj) method is used to add an element to the collection.
- Delete Elements: The remove(Object obj) method is used to remove a specific element from the collection.
- Check if the set contains a certain element: The contains(Object obj) method is used to determine if the set contains a specified element.
- Check if a set is empty: the isEmpty() method is used to determine if a set is empty.
- Obtain the size of the collection: The size() method is used to return the number of elements in the collection.
- Empty the collection: The clear() method is used to remove all elements from the collection.
- Iterate through a collection: You can use an iterator or an enhanced for loop to iterate through the elements in the collection.
- Convert to an array: The toArray() method is used to convert a collection into an array.
- Batch operations: The addAll(Collection c) method is used to add all elements from a collection to the current collection, the removeAll(Collection c) method is used to remove elements from the current collection that are also in the specified collection, and the retainAll(Collection> c) method is used to retain only elements from the current collection that are also in the specified collection.
In addition to the Collection interface, Java also offers various concrete collection classes such as List, Set, and Queue, which implement the Collection interface and provide specific functionality and behavior. Different collection classes are suitable for different scenarios and needs, so it is important to choose the appropriate one based on the specific situation.