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Section 14.2 Writing-ArrayLists-WE1-P1

Subgoals for Writing ArrayLists.

  1. Importing the ArrayList class
    1. Before using ArrayList, import it from the java.util package:
      import java.util.ArrayList;
  2. Declaring an ArrayList variable
    1. Determine the type of objects to be stored (use wrapper classes for primitives, e.g., Integer instead of int)
    2. Determine the name of the ArrayList variable
    3. Use syntax: ArrayList<DataType> name;
  3. Instantiating an ArrayList object
    1. Use the new keyword with the constructor to create a new ArrayList object (When ArrayLists are instantiated, they are empty and have a size of 0.)
  4. Adding elements to an ArrayList
    1. To add to the end of an ArrayList, use: listName.add(valueToBeAdded)
    2. To add an element at a specific location in an ArrayList, use: listName.add(index, valueToBeAdded) where index is within the bounds 0 to listName.size()
  5. Accessing an element in an ArrayList
    1. Determine the index of the element to be accessed
    2. Use: listName.get(index) to retrieve the element
    3. Ensure the index is within bounds: 0 to listName.size() - 1, otherwise an IndexOutOfBoundsException occurs
  6. Changing a value in an ArrayList
    1. Determine the index of the element to be changed
    2. Determine the new value or expression to assign
    3. Use: listName.set(index, newValue) to update the value
    4. Ensure the index is within bounds: 0 to listName.size() - 1, otherwise an IndexOutOfBoundsException occurs
  7. Traversing an ArrayList
    1. Decide whether accessing all elements, updating, or accessing a subset
    2. If only accessing elements, use an enhanced for (for-each) loop:
      1. for (DataType item : listName) - iterates from first to last, storing a copy of each element in item
    3. If updating or using indices, use a traditional for loop:
      1. Initialize loop control variable to 0 (or listName.size() - 1 for reverse)
      2. Set condition: i < listName.size() (or i >= 0 for reverse)
      3. Increment or decrement loop control variable appropriately
    4. Use Subgoals 5 or 6 to access or change values as appropriate
  8. Whole list actions
    1. Passing an ArrayList as an argument
      1. Check if the method expects an ArrayList argument (check documentation or method signature)
      2. When calling a method, pass a reference to an ArrayList (usually variable name) as an argument in the method call.
      3. Note: changes to elements in the ArrayList that are done inside the method will persist

Subsection 14.2.1

Exercises Exercises

1.
Q1: Put the code in the appropriate order so that an ArrayList of integers will store multiples of 5 (from 100 down to 0) in reverse order.
2.
Q2: Which of the following should use an ArrayList rather than an array? (Select all that are appropriate)
  • Store numbers from 100 to 1000
  • Incorrect
  • Store a list of favorite authors
  • Correct
  • Store the top ten fastest times for your school’s track team in the 100 meter race
  • Incorrect
  • Store the incoming fast food restaurant orders
  • Correct
3.
Q3. Suppose you are writing a method that adds one to all of the elements of an ArrayList named numbers. Which of the following code snippets would be best for this task?
  • public void addOne(ArrayList<Integer> numbers) {
        for (int i = 0; i < numbers.size(); i++) {
            numbers.set(i, numbers.get(i) + 1);
        }
    }
    
  • Correct
  • public void addOne(ArrayList<Integer> numbers) {
        for (int num : numbers) {
            num++;
        }
    }
    
  • Incorrect
  • public void addOne(ArrayList<Integer> numbers) {
        for (int num : numbers) {
            numbers.set(num, num + 1);
        }
    }
    
  • Incorrect
  • public void addOne(ArrayList<Integer> numbers) {
        for (int i = 0; i < numbers.size(); i++) {
            numbers.set(i, i + 1);
        }
    }
    
  • Incorrect
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