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Convert List To Map In Java 8

Written by Ben Javu Sep 22, 2022 ยท 4 min read
Convert List To Map In Java 8

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Java Convert List to Map
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Introduction

Java 8 introduced a lot of new features and enhancements, including the ability to convert a list to a map using stream API. This feature can be very useful in many scenarios, especially when you have a list of objects and you want to group them by a specific property. In this article, we will explore how to convert a list to a map in Java 8.

What is a List in Java?

In Java, a list is an ordered collection of elements that can contain duplicates. You can add or remove elements from a list, and you can also access elements by their index. The most commonly used implementation of the List interface is ArrayList.

What is a Map in Java?

A map is a collection of key-value pairs, where each key is unique and maps to a specific value. You can add or remove entries from a map, and you can also access the value associated with a specific key. The most commonly used implementation of the Map interface is HashMap.

Converting List to Map using Java 8 Stream API

To convert a list to a map using Java 8 Stream API, you can use the Collectors.toMap() method. This method takes two functions as arguments: one to extract the key from each element in the list, and another to extract the value from each element in the list. Here's an example: ```java List people = new ArrayList<>(); people.add(new Person("John", 20)); people.add(new Person("Mary", 25)); people.add(new Person("Tom", 30)); Map ageMap = people.stream() .collect(Collectors.toMap(Person::getName, Person::getAge)); ``` In this example, we have a list of Person objects, and we want to create a map where the key is the person's name and the value is the person's age. We use the Collectors.toMap() method to create the map, and we pass in two functions: Person::getName to extract the name as the key, and Person::getAge to extract the age as the value.

Handling Duplicates

If the list contains duplicate keys, the Collectors.toMap() method will throw an IllegalStateException. To handle duplicates, you can provide a third function as an argument to the Collectors.toMap() method that specifies how to resolve the conflict. Here's an example: ```java List people = new ArrayList<>(); people.add(new Person("John", 20)); people.add(new Person("Mary", 25)); people.add(new Person("Tom", 30)); people.add(new Person("John", 35)); Map ageMap = people.stream() .collect(Collectors.toMap(Person::getName, Person::getAge, (age1, age2) -> age1)); ``` In this example, we have a list of Person objects that contains a duplicate key ("John"). We provide a third function that specifies that we want to keep the first value (age1) and discard the second value (age2) in case of a conflict.

Conclusion

Converting a list to a map in Java 8 using Stream API is a powerful feature that can simplify your code and make it more readable. It can be especially useful when you want to group objects by a specific property. By using the Collectors.toMap() method, you can easily create a map from a list, handle duplicates, and specify how to resolve conflicts.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is a List in Java?

A: In Java, a list is an ordered collection of elements that can contain duplicates. You can add or remove elements from a list, and you can also access elements by their index.

Q: What is a Map in Java?

A: A map is a collection of key-value pairs, where each key is unique and maps to a specific value. You can add or remove entries from a map, and you can also access the value associated with a specific key.

Q: How do you convert a list to a map in Java 8?

A: To convert a list to a map using Java 8 Stream API, you can use the Collectors.toMap() method. This method takes two functions as arguments: one to extract the key from each element in the list, and another to extract the value from each element in the list.
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