5.

Arrays and
ArrayList

Following slides are

borrowed from the
book’s free supplement
Presentation Slides,
[Link]
Arrays
• The values held in an array are called
array elements
• An array stores multiple values of the
same type – the element type
• The element type can be a primitive type
or an object reference
• Therefore, we can create an array of
integers, an array of characters, an array
of String objects, an array of Coin objects,
etc.
• In Java, the array itself is an object that
must be instantiated
© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-2
Declaring Arrays
• The scores array could be declared as
follows:
scores 79
int[] scores = new int[10]; 87
94
• The type of the variable scores is int[]
(an array of integers) 82
67
• Note that the array type does not specify
98
its size, but each object of that type has
a specific size 87
81
• The reference variable scores is set to a
74
new array object that can hold 10
integers 91

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-3

Using Arrays
• The iterator version of the for loop can be
used when processing array elements

for (int score : scores)

[Link] (score);

• This is only appropriate when processing all

array elements from top (lowest index) to
bottom (highest index)

• Each array object has a public constant called

length that stores the size of the array. Note
that length holds the number of elements, not
the largest index

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-4

Bounds Checking
• Once an array is created, it has a fixed size
• An index used in an array reference must
specify a valid element. That is, the index
value must be in range 0 to N-1
• The Java interpreter throws an
ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException if an
array index is out of bounds (called
automatic bounds checking)

• It’s common to introduce off-by-one errors

when using arrays problem
int[] scores = new int[10];
for (int index=0; index <= 100; index++)
codes[index] = index*50 + epsilon;
© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-5
Example: [Link]

double[] numbers = new double[10];

for (int index = 0; index < [Link]; index++) {
[Link] ("Enter number " + (index+1) + ": ");
numbers[index] = [Link]();
}
[Link] ("The numbers in reverse order:");
for (int index = [Link]-1; index >= 0; index--)
[Link] (numbers[index] + " ");
}

There is a shortcut link in

[Link]
© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-6
Example: [Link]
• Length of a String line is [Link](),
where array upper[] is [Link]. The
difference means ??

• What’s this upper[current-'A']++; and

lower[current-'a']++;

• Q: the # of appearance of letter ‘B’, ‘c’ are

stored in where? upper[x] or lower[y]?

• Q: what’s the result for string ‘aBcD’ ?

There is a shortcut link in

[Link]
© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-7
Initializer Lists
• An initializer list can be used to instantiate and fill
an array in one step. But it can be used only in the
array declaration
• The values are delimited by braces and separated
by commas
• Note that when an initializer list is used:
 the new operator is not used
 no size value is specified, (size is determined by the
number of items in the initializer list)

• Examples:
int[] units = {147, 323, 89, 933, 540};
char[] letterGrades = {'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', ’F'};

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-8

Arrays of Objects
• The elements of an array can be object references

• The following declaration reserves space to store 5

references to String objects

String[] words = new String[5];

• It does NOT create the String objects themselves

• Initially an array of objects holds null references

• Each object stored in an array must be instantiated

separately

• Another way to declare a string: String[] words =

{"friendship", "loyalty", "honor", null,null};

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-9

Arrays of Objects
• The words array words -
when initially -
declared: -
-
• After some String objects
-
are created and stored in
the array:
words[0]=“friendship”; …

words “friendship
”“loyalty”

“honor”
-
-

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-10

Arrays as Parameters
• An entire array can be passed as a
parameter to a method

• Like any other object, the reference to the

array is passed, making the formal and
actual parameters aliases of each other

• Therefore, changing an array element

within the method changes the original

• An individual array element can be passed

to a method as well, in which case the
type of the formal parameter is the same
as the element type
© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-11
Two-Dimensional Arrays
• A one-dimensional array stores a list of elements

• A two-dimensional array can be thought of as a

table of elements, with rows and columns

one two
dimension dimensions

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-12

Two-Dimensional Arrays
• A one-dimensional array stores a list of elements
• A two-dimensional array can be thought of as a
table of elements, with rows and columns

int [][] nums = new int[5][4];

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-13

Two-Dimensional Arrays
• A two-dimensional array can be thought of as a
table of elements, with rows and columns
int [][] nums = new int[5][];
int[] a0 = {2,8,1,6,3,1,5}; nums[0] = a0;
int[] a1 = {1,6,5}; nums[1] = a1;

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-14

Two-Dimensional Arrays
• To be precise, in Java a two-dimensional
array is an array of arrays
• A two-dimensional array is declared by
specifying the size of each dimension
separately:
int[][] scores = new int[12][50];
• A array element is referenced using two
index values:
value = scores[3][6]
• The array stored in one row can be
specified using one index: scores[3]
© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-15
Two-Dimensional Arrays
int[][] table = new int[5][12];

Expression Type Description

table int[][] 2D array of integers, or
array of integer arrays

table[5] int[] array of integers

table[5][12] int integer

• Example: [Link]

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-16

Multidimensional Arrays
• An array can have many dimensions – if it
has more than one dimension, it is called a
multidimensional array
• Each dimension subdivides the previous
one into the specified number of elements
• Each dimension has its own length
constant
• Because each dimension is an array of
array references, the arrays within one
dimension can be of different lengths
 these are sometimes called ragged arrays

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-17

ArrayList Class: [Link]
• An ArrayList object like an array, it can
store a list object references,
• Declaration: ArrayList<String> band = new
ArrayList<String>();
 An ArrayList that stores String objects.

• Get element by a index: [Link](1)

• However, you cannot use the bracket
syntax with an ArrayList object: band[1]
• An ArrayList object grows and shrinks as
needed, to check its size: [Link](),
[Link]()

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-18

ArrayList Class: [Link]
• Declaration: ArrayList<String> band = new
ArrayList<String>();

• Elements can be inserted or removed by

calling methods:
 [Link] ("Paul");
 int location = [Link] ("Paul");
[Link] (location);
 boolean success = [Link] ("Paul");

• Output all elements:

 for (String str : band)
[Link] (str);

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-19

ArrayList Efficiency
• The ArrayList class is implemented using an
underlying array

• When an element is inserted, the other elements

"move aside" to make room. Likewise, when an
element is removed, the list "collapses" to close
the gap

• The array is manipulated so that indexes remain

continuous as elements are added or removed

• If elements are added to and removed from the

end of the list, this processing is fairly efficient

• But as elements are inserted and removed from the

front or middle of the list, the remaining elements
are shifted

© 2004 Pearson Addison-Wesley. All rights reserved 1-20