org.apache.pivot.collections
Interface Dictionary<K,V>

All Known Subinterfaces:

Map<K,V>

All Known Implementing Classes:

BeanAdapter, Element.ElementDictionary, Element.NamespaceDictionary, EnumMap, HashMap, ImmutableMap, MapAdapter, MIMEType, Resources, SynchronizedMap

public interface Dictionary<K,V>

Interface representing a set of key/value pairs.

Nested Class Summary

static class

Dictionary.Pair<K,V> Class representing a key/value pair.

Method Summary

boolean	containsKey(K key) Tests the existence of a key in the dictionary.
V	get(K key) Retrieves the value for the given key.
V	put(K key, V value) Sets the value of the given key, creating a new entry or replacing the existing value.
V	remove(K key) Removes a key/value pair from the map.

Method Detail

get

V get(K key)

Retrieves the value for the given key.

Parameters:

key - The key whose value is to be returned.

Returns:

The value corresponding to key, or null if the key does not exist. Will also return null if the key refers to a null value. Use containsKey() to distinguish between these two cases.

put

V put(K key,
      V value)

Sets the value of the given key, creating a new entry or replacing the existing value.

Parameters:

key - The key whose value is to be set.

value - The value to be associated with the given key.

Returns:

The value previously associated with the key.

remove

V remove(K key)

Removes a key/value pair from the map.

Parameters:

key - The key whose mapping is to be removed.

Returns:

The value that was removed.

containsKey

boolean containsKey(K key)

Tests the existence of a key in the dictionary.

Parameters:

key - The key whose presence in the dictionary is to be tested.

Returns:

true if the key exists in the dictionary; false, otherwise.