Creating class instances stored in a list - java

So first I make an ArrayList. (? means that I don't know what should be there, keep reading)
ArrayList<?> arrayList = new ArrayList<?>();
So this will store class name of abstract class Class, so for example it might stores ExtendedClass1 or ClassExtended2.
Later I iterate through that ArrayList and create new objects with the name stored in arraylist
for (int i = 0; i < arrayList.size(); i++) {
new arrayList.get(i); // Takes the class name and makes new object out of it
}
How can I actually do it?

You need to store String class names, and then use reflection to create instances, assuming it's reflection that you're going to use:
List<String> arrayList = new ArrayList<>();
arrayList.add("fully.qualified.ExtendedClass1");
arrayList.add("fully.qualified.ClassExtended2");
And then, in your loop:
for(int i = 0; i < arrayList.size(); i++) {
Class<?> cls = Class.forName(arrayList.get(i)); //Get class for the name
Object instance = cls.newInstance();
...
}

Related

I'm trying to add ArrayList twice(with different content) to 2-D ArrayList, but 2-D ArrayList got same content? [duplicate]

I'm adding three different objects to an ArrayList, but the list contains three copies of the last object I added.
For example:
for (Foo f : list) {
System.out.println(f.getValue());
}
Expected:
0
1
2
Actual:
2
2
2
What mistake have I made?
Note: this is designed to be a canonical Q&A for the numerous similar issues that arise on this site.
This problem has two typical causes:
Static fields used by the objects you stored in the list
Accidentally adding the same object to the list
Static Fields
If the objects in your list store data in static fields, each object in your list will appear to be the same because they hold the same values. Consider the class below:
public class Foo {
private static int value;
// ^^^^^^------------ - Here's the problem!
public Foo(int value) {
this.value = value;
}
public int getValue() {
return value;
}
}
In that example, there is only one int value which is shared between all instances of Foo because it is declared static. (See "Understanding Class Members" tutorial.)
If you add multiple Foo objects to a list using the code below, each instance will return 3 from a call to getValue():
for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
list.add(new Foo(i));
}
The solution is simple - don't use the static keywords for fields in your class unless you actually want the values shared between every instance of that class.
Adding the Same Object
If you add a temporary variable to a list, you must create a new instance of the object you are adding, each time you loop. Consider the following erroneous code snippet:
List<Foo> list = new ArrayList<Foo>();
Foo tmp = new Foo();
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
tmp.setValue(i);
list.add(tmp);
}
Here, the tmp object was constructed outside the loop. As a result, the same object instance is being added to the list three times. The instance will hold the value 2, because that was the value passed during the last call to setValue().
To fix this, just move the object construction inside the loop:
List<Foo> list = new ArrayList<Foo>();
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
Foo tmp = new Foo(); // <-- fresh instance!
tmp.setValue(i);
list.add(tmp);
}
Your problem is with the type static which requires a new initialization every time a loop is iterated. If you are in a loop it is better to keep the concrete initialization inside the loop.
List<Object> objects = new ArrayList<>();
for (int i = 0; i < length_you_want; i++) {
SomeStaticClass myStaticObject = new SomeStaticClass();
myStaticObject.tag = i;
// Do stuff with myStaticObject
objects.add(myStaticClass);
}
Instead of:
List<Object> objects = new ArrayList<>();
SomeStaticClass myStaticObject = new SomeStaticClass();
for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
myStaticObject.tag = i;
// Do stuff with myStaticObject
objects.add(myStaticClass);
// This will duplicate the last item "length" times
}
Here tag is a variable in SomeStaticClass to check the validity of the above snippet; you can have some other implementation based on your use case.
Had the same trouble with the calendar instance.
Wrong code:
Calendar myCalendar = Calendar.getInstance();
for (int days = 0; days < daysPerWeek; days++) {
myCalendar.add(Calendar.DAY_OF_YEAR, 1);
// In the next line lies the error
Calendar newCal = myCalendar;
calendarList.add(newCal);
}
You have to create a NEW object of the calendar, which can be done with calendar.clone();
Calendar myCalendar = Calendar.getInstance();
for (int days = 0; days < daysPerWeek; days++) {
myCalendar.add(Calendar.DAY_OF_YEAR, 1);
// RIGHT WAY
Calendar newCal = (Calendar) myCalendar.clone();
calendarList.add(newCal);
}
Every time you add an object to an ArrayList, make sure you add a new object and not already used object. What is happening is that when you add the same 1 copy of object, that same object is added to different positions in an ArrayList. And when you make change to one, because the same copy is added over and over again, all the copies get affected.
For example,
Say you have an ArrayList like this:
ArrayList<Card> list = new ArrayList<Card>();
Card c = new Card();
Now if you add this Card c to list, it will be added no problem. It will be saved at location 0. But, when you save the same Card c in the list, it will be saved at location 1. So remember that you added same 1 object to two different locations in a list. Now if you make a change that Card object c, the objects in a list at location 0 and 1 will also reflect that change, because they are the same object.
One solution would be to make a constructor in Card class, that accepts another Card object. Then in that constructor, you can set the properties like this:
public Card(Card c){
this.property1 = c.getProperty1();
this.property2 = c.getProperty2();
... //add all the properties that you have in this class Card this way
}
And lets say you have the same 1 copy of Card, so at the time of adding a new object, you can do this:
list.add(new Card(nameOfTheCardObjectThatYouWantADifferentCopyOf));
It can also consequence of using the same reference instead of using a new one.
List<Foo> list = new ArrayList<Foo>();
setdata();
......
public void setdata(int i) {
Foo temp = new Foo();
tmp.setValue(i);
list.add(tmp);
}
Instead of:
List<Foo> list = new ArrayList<Foo>();
Foo temp = new Foo();
setdata();
......
public void setdata(int i) {
tmp.setValue(i);
list.add(tmp);
}

Java ArrayList `clear()` method different than new initializing ArrayList object [duplicate]

I'm adding three different objects to an ArrayList, but the list contains three copies of the last object I added.
For example:
for (Foo f : list) {
System.out.println(f.getValue());
}
Expected:
0
1
2
Actual:
2
2
2
What mistake have I made?
Note: this is designed to be a canonical Q&A for the numerous similar issues that arise on this site.
This problem has two typical causes:
Static fields used by the objects you stored in the list
Accidentally adding the same object to the list
Static Fields
If the objects in your list store data in static fields, each object in your list will appear to be the same because they hold the same values. Consider the class below:
public class Foo {
private static int value;
// ^^^^^^------------ - Here's the problem!
public Foo(int value) {
this.value = value;
}
public int getValue() {
return value;
}
}
In that example, there is only one int value which is shared between all instances of Foo because it is declared static. (See "Understanding Class Members" tutorial.)
If you add multiple Foo objects to a list using the code below, each instance will return 3 from a call to getValue():
for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
list.add(new Foo(i));
}
The solution is simple - don't use the static keywords for fields in your class unless you actually want the values shared between every instance of that class.
Adding the Same Object
If you add a temporary variable to a list, you must create a new instance of the object you are adding, each time you loop. Consider the following erroneous code snippet:
List<Foo> list = new ArrayList<Foo>();
Foo tmp = new Foo();
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
tmp.setValue(i);
list.add(tmp);
}
Here, the tmp object was constructed outside the loop. As a result, the same object instance is being added to the list three times. The instance will hold the value 2, because that was the value passed during the last call to setValue().
To fix this, just move the object construction inside the loop:
List<Foo> list = new ArrayList<Foo>();
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
Foo tmp = new Foo(); // <-- fresh instance!
tmp.setValue(i);
list.add(tmp);
}
Your problem is with the type static which requires a new initialization every time a loop is iterated. If you are in a loop it is better to keep the concrete initialization inside the loop.
List<Object> objects = new ArrayList<>();
for (int i = 0; i < length_you_want; i++) {
SomeStaticClass myStaticObject = new SomeStaticClass();
myStaticObject.tag = i;
// Do stuff with myStaticObject
objects.add(myStaticClass);
}
Instead of:
List<Object> objects = new ArrayList<>();
SomeStaticClass myStaticObject = new SomeStaticClass();
for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
myStaticObject.tag = i;
// Do stuff with myStaticObject
objects.add(myStaticClass);
// This will duplicate the last item "length" times
}
Here tag is a variable in SomeStaticClass to check the validity of the above snippet; you can have some other implementation based on your use case.
Had the same trouble with the calendar instance.
Wrong code:
Calendar myCalendar = Calendar.getInstance();
for (int days = 0; days < daysPerWeek; days++) {
myCalendar.add(Calendar.DAY_OF_YEAR, 1);
// In the next line lies the error
Calendar newCal = myCalendar;
calendarList.add(newCal);
}
You have to create a NEW object of the calendar, which can be done with calendar.clone();
Calendar myCalendar = Calendar.getInstance();
for (int days = 0; days < daysPerWeek; days++) {
myCalendar.add(Calendar.DAY_OF_YEAR, 1);
// RIGHT WAY
Calendar newCal = (Calendar) myCalendar.clone();
calendarList.add(newCal);
}
Every time you add an object to an ArrayList, make sure you add a new object and not already used object. What is happening is that when you add the same 1 copy of object, that same object is added to different positions in an ArrayList. And when you make change to one, because the same copy is added over and over again, all the copies get affected.
For example,
Say you have an ArrayList like this:
ArrayList<Card> list = new ArrayList<Card>();
Card c = new Card();
Now if you add this Card c to list, it will be added no problem. It will be saved at location 0. But, when you save the same Card c in the list, it will be saved at location 1. So remember that you added same 1 object to two different locations in a list. Now if you make a change that Card object c, the objects in a list at location 0 and 1 will also reflect that change, because they are the same object.
One solution would be to make a constructor in Card class, that accepts another Card object. Then in that constructor, you can set the properties like this:
public Card(Card c){
this.property1 = c.getProperty1();
this.property2 = c.getProperty2();
... //add all the properties that you have in this class Card this way
}
And lets say you have the same 1 copy of Card, so at the time of adding a new object, you can do this:
list.add(new Card(nameOfTheCardObjectThatYouWantADifferentCopyOf));
It can also consequence of using the same reference instead of using a new one.
List<Foo> list = new ArrayList<Foo>();
setdata();
......
public void setdata(int i) {
Foo temp = new Foo();
tmp.setValue(i);
list.add(tmp);
}
Instead of:
List<Foo> list = new ArrayList<Foo>();
Foo temp = new Foo();
setdata();
......
public void setdata(int i) {
tmp.setValue(i);
list.add(tmp);
}

JAVA Get each value of arraylist

I have one arraylist that contain two list
like this
[[asd, asswwde, efef rgg], [asd2223, asswwd2323e, efef343 rgg]]
My Code is
ArrayList<String> create = new ArrayList<String>();
ArrayList<String> inner = new ArrayList<String>();
ArrayList<String> inner1 = new ArrayList<String>();
inner.add("asd");
inner.add("asswwde");
inner.add("efef rgg");
inner1.add("asd2223");
inner1.add("asswwd2323e");
inner1.add("efef343 rgg");
create.add(inner.toString());
create.add(inner1.toString());
i have to get all value one by one of every index of that arraylist
So what is the best way to get these all value one by one.
I am using JAVA with Eclipse Mars.
Just use two nested loops:
List<List<Object>> list = ...;
for (List<Object> subList : list) {
for (Object o : subList) {
//work with o here
}
}
You may also want to consider replacing the inner lists by proper objects.
You want to loop through the outside ArrayList and then loop through each ArrayList within this ArrayList, you can do this by using the following:
for (int i = 0; i < outerArrayList.size(); i++)
{
for (int j = 0; j < outerArrayList.get(i).size(); j++)
{
String element = outerArrayList.get(i).get(j);
}
}
Here is another verison you may find easier to understand, but is essentially the same:
for (int i = 0; i < outerArrayList.size(); i++)
{
ArrayList<String>() innerArrayList = outerArrayList.get(i)
for (int j = 0; j < innerArrayList.size(); j++)
{
String element = innerArrayList.get(j);
}
}
or alternatively again using a foreach loop:
for (ArrayList<String> innerArrayList : outerArrayList)
{
for (String element : innerArrayList)
{
String theElement = element;
}
}
It might be worth noting that your ArrayList appears to contain different types of elements - is this definitely what you wanted to do? Also, make sure you surround your strings with "" unless they are variable names - which it doesn't appear so.
EDIT: Updated elements to type String as per your update.
I would also recommend you change the type of your create ArrayList, like below, as you know it will be storing multiple elements of type ArrayList:
ArrayList<ArrayList> create = new ArrayList<ArrayList>();
Try to use for loop nested in foreach loop like this:
for(List list : arrayListOfList)
{
for(int i= 0; i < list.size();i++){
System.out.println(list.get(i));
}
}
I'm not sure if the data structures are part of the requirements, but it would be better constructed if your outer ArrayList used ArrayList as the generic type.
ArrayList<ArrayList<String>> create = new ArrayList<ArrayList<String>>();
ArrayList<String> inner = new ArrayList<String>();
ArrayList<String> inner1 = new ArrayList<String>();
...
create.add(inner);
create.add(inner1);
Then you could print them out like this:
for(List list : create) {
for (String val : list) {
System.out.println(val);
}
}
Othewise, if you stick with your original code, when you add to the outer list you are using the toString() method on an ArrayList. This will produce a comma delimited string of values surrounded by brackets (ex. [val1, val2]). If you want to actually print out the individual values without the brackets, etc, you will have to convert the string back to an array (or list) doing something like this:
for (String valList : create) {
String[] vals = valList.substring(1, val.length() - 1).split(",");
for (String val : vals) {
System.out.println(val.trim());
}
}

Java Creating Objects at Runtime in a For Loop

I'm trying to create objects within a for loop at runtime. Here is the (incorrect) code:
for(int i=1;i<max;i++){
Object object(i);
}
I'd like it to create max number of Object objects with names object1, object2, etc. Is there any way to do this? I have been unable to find anything elsewhere online. Thanks for your help!
You want to use a data structure to store a sequence of objects. For example, an array could do this:
Fruit banana[] = new Fruit[10];
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++){
banana[i] = new Fruit();
}
This creates 10 objects of type Fruit in the banana array, I can access them by calling banana[0] through banana[9]
You could use an array to create multiple objects.
public void method(int max) {
Object[] object = new Object[max];
for (int i = 0; i < max; i++) {
object[i] = new Object();
}
}

Defining Objects in loops

im stuck with the dilemma of defining multiple objects with different names, i would like to define an amount of objects according to an amount i need taken from another part of the program
the part object(i) isnt correct, i just put it there to illustrate my problem
for(int i = 1; i <= amountOfObjectsNeeded; i++){
someclass object(i) = new someclass();
}
does anyone know how to get around this?
You should use an array in this case:
Someclass[] array = new Someclass[amountOfObjectsNeeded];
for (int i = 0; i < amountOfObjectsNeeded; i++) {
array[i] = new Someclass();
}
Note how the loop starts from 0 rather than 1--arrays in Java are indexed starting at 0.
Consider using a map, if you want to assign names/ids to your objects and access them later on by those names:
Map<String, SomeClass> map = new HashMap<String, SomeClass>();
for (int i = 0; i < numberOfObjects; i++) {
String name = getNameForObjectNr(i);
map.put(name, new SomeClass());
}
// later on
SomeClass someClass = map.get(someName); // to read an instance from the map

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