ADTS, Data Structures, Java Collections
and Generic Data Structures
"Get your data structures correct
first, and the rest of the program will
write itself."
- David Jones
CS 307 Fundamentals of ADTS and Generic Data Structures 1
Computer Science
Abstract Data Types
Abstract Data Types (aka ADTs) are
descriptions of how a data type will work
without implementation details
Description can be a formal, mathematical
description
Java interfaces are a form of ADTs
– some implementation details start to creep in
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Computer Science
Data Structures
A Data Structure is:
– an implementation of an abstract data type and
– "An organization of information, usually in
computer memory", for better algorithm
efficiency."
List Object
aList
size 5
myElements
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
A C E B A
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Computer Science ADTs and Data Structures
Data Structure Concepts
Data Structures are containers:
– they hold other data
– arrays are a data structure
– ... so are lists
Other types of data structures:
– stack, queue, tree,
binary search tree, hash table,
dictionary or map, set, and on and on
Different types of data structures are optimized for
certain types of operations
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Computer Science ADTs and Data Structures
Core Operations
Data Structures will have 3 core operations
– a way to add things
– a way to remove things
– a way to access things
Details of these operations depend on the
data structure
– Example: List, add at the end, access by
location, remove by location
More operations added depending on what
data structure is designed to do
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Computer Science ADTs and Data Structures
ADTs and Data Structures in
Programming Languages
Modern programming languages usually
have a library of data structures
– Java collections framework
– C++ standard template library
– .Net framework (small portion of VERY large
library)
– Python lists and tuples
– Lisp lists
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Computer Science ADTs and Data Structures
Data Structures in Java
Part of the Java Standard Library is the
Collections Framework
– In class we will create our own data structures
and discuss the data structures that exist in Java
A library of data structures
Built on two interfaces
– Collection
– Iterator
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/guide/
collections/index.html
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Computer Science ADTs and Data Structures
The Java Collection interface
A generic collection
Can hold any object data type
Which type a particular collection will hold is
specified when declaring an instance of a
class that implements the Collection interface
Helps guarantee type safety at compile time
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Computer Science ADTs and Data Structures
Methods in the Collection interface
public interface Collection<E>
{ public boolean add(E o)
public boolean addAll(Collection<? extends E> c)
public void clear()
public boolean contains(Object o)
public boolean containsAll(Collection<?> c)
public boolean equals(Object o)
public int hashCode()
public boolean isEmpty()
public Iterator<E> iterator()
public boolean remove(Object o)
public boolean removeAll(Collection<?> c)
public boolean retainAll(Collection<?> c)
public int size()
public Object[] toArray()
public <T> T[] toArray(T[] a)
}
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Computer Science ADTs and Data Structures
The Java ArrayList Class
Implements the List interface and uses an
array as its internal storage container
It is a list, not an array
The array that actual stores the elements of
the list is hidden, not visible outside of the
ArrayList class
all actions on ArrayList objects are via the
methods
ArrayLists are generic.
– They can hold objects of any type!
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Computer Science ADTs and Data Structures
Attendance Question 1
What is output by the following code?
ArrayList list = new ArrayList();
String name = "Olivia";
list.add(name);
System.out.print( list.get(0).charAt(2) );
A. i
B. O
C. l
D. No output due to syntax error.
E. No output due to runtime error.
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Computer Science
Using Generic Types
Back to Java's ArrayList
ArrayList list1 = new ArrayList();
– still allowed, a "raw" ArrayList
– works just like our first pass at GenericList
– casting, lack of type safety
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Computer Science
Generic Types and Subclasses
ArrayList<ClosedShape> list5 =
new ArrayList<ClosedShape>();
list5.add( new Rectangle() );
list5.add( new Square() );
list5.add( new Circle() );
// all okay
list5 can store ClosedShapes and any
descendants of ClosedShape
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Computer Science
