Java List
• In Java, the List interface is an ordered collection that allows us to
store and access elements sequentially.
• It extends the Collection interface.
Classes that Implement List
• Since List is an interface, we cannot create objects from it.
• In order to use functionalities of the List interface, we can use these
classes:
• ArrayList
• LinkedList
• Vector
• Stack
These classes are defined in the Collections framework and implement
the List interface.
How to use List?
In Java, we must import java.util.List package in order to use List.
// ArrayList implementation of List
List<String> list1 = new ArrayList<>();
// LinkedList implementation of List
List<String> list2 = new LinkedList<>();
Here, we have created objects list1 and list2 of
classes ArrayList and LinkedList. These objects can use the
functionalities of the List interface.
Methods of List
• The List interface includes all the methods of the Collection interface.
• Its because Collection is a super interface of List.
• Some of the commonly used methods of the Collection interface
that's also available in the List interface are:
• add() - adds an element to a list
• addAll() - adds all elements of one list to another
• get() - helps to randomly access elements from lists
• iterator() - returns iterator object that can be used to sequentially
access elements of lists
• set() - changes elements of lists
• remove() - removes an element from the list
• removeAll() - removes all the elements from the list
• clear() - removes all the elements from the list (more efficient
than removeAll())
• size() - returns the length of lists
• toArray() - converts a list into an array
• contains() - returns true if a list contains specified element
Implementation of the List Interface
1. Implementing the ArrayList Class
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Creating list using the ArrayList class
List<Integer> numbers = new ArrayList<>();
// Add elements to the list
numbers.add(1);
numbers.add(2);
numbers.add(3);
System.out.println("List: " + numbers);
// Access element from the list
int number = numbers.get(2);
System.out.println("Accessed Element: " + number);
// Remove element from the list
int removedNumber = numbers.remove(1);
System.out.println("Removed Element: " + removedNumber);
}
}
Run Code
Output
List: [1, 2, 3]
Accessed Element: 3
Removed Element: 2
2. Implementing the LinkedList Class
import java.util.List;
import java.util.LinkedList;
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Creating list using the LinkedList class
List<Integer> numbers = new LinkedList<>();
// Add elements to the list
numbers.add(1);
numbers.add(2);
numbers.add(3);
System.out.println("List: " + numbers);
// Access element from the list
int number = numbers.get(2);
System.out.println("Accessed Element: " + number);
// Using the indexOf() method
int index = numbers.indexOf(2);
System.out.println("Position of 3 is " + index);
// Remove element from the list
int removedNumber = numbers.remove(1);
System.out.println("Removed Element: " + removedNumber);
}
}
Run Code
Output
List: [1, 2, 3]
Accessed Element: 3
Position of 3 is 1
Removed Element: 2
