Package org.apache.commons.collections.comparators

Class FixedOrderComparator

java.lang.Object
org.apache.commons.collections.comparators.FixedOrderComparator
All Implemented Interfaces:
Comparator
public class FixedOrderComparator extends Object implements Comparator
A Comparator which imposes a specific order on a specific set of Objects. Objects are presented to the FixedOrderComparator in a specified order and subsequent calls to compare yield that order. For example: 
 String[] planets = {"Mercury", "Venus", "Earth", "Mars"};
 FixedOrderComparator distanceFromSun = new FixedOrderComparator(planets);
 Arrays.sort(planets);                     // Sort to alphabetical order
 Arrays.sort(planets, distanceFromSun);    // Back to original order

Once compare has been called, the FixedOrderComparator is locked and attempts to modify it yield an UnsupportedOperationException.

Instances of FixedOrderComparator are not synchronized. The class is not thread-safe at construction time, but it is thread-safe to perform multiple comparisons after all the setup operations are complete.

Since:
Commons Collections 3.0
Version:
$Revision: 646777 $ $Date: 2008-04-10 14:33:15 +0200 (Thu, 10 Apr 2008) $
Author:
David Leppik, Stephen Colebourne, Janek Bogucki

  • Field Details

    • UNKNOWN_BEFORE

      public static final int UNKNOWN_BEFORE
      Behavior when comparing unknown Objects: unknown objects compare as before known Objects.
      See Also:

    • UNKNOWN_AFTER

      public static final int UNKNOWN_AFTER
      Behavior when comparing unknown Objects: unknown objects compare as after known Objects.
      See Also:

    • UNKNOWN_THROW_EXCEPTION

      public static final int UNKNOWN_THROW_EXCEPTION
      Behavior when comparing unknown Objects: unknown objects cause a IllegalArgumentException to be thrown. This is the default behavior.
      See Also:

  • Constructor Details

    • FixedOrderComparator

      public FixedOrderComparator()
      Constructs an empty FixedOrderComparator.

    • FixedOrderComparator

      public FixedOrderComparator(Object[] items)
      Constructs a FixedOrderComparator which uses the order of the given array to compare the objects.

      The array is copied, so later changes will not affect the comparator.

      Parameters:
      items - the items that the comparator can compare in order
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the array is null

    • FixedOrderComparator

      public FixedOrderComparator(List items)
      Constructs a FixedOrderComparator which uses the order of the given list to compare the objects.

      The list is copied, so later changes will not affect the comparator.

      Parameters:
      items - the items that the comparator can compare in order
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the list is null

  • Method Details

    • isLocked

      public boolean isLocked()
      Returns true if modifications cannot be made to the FixedOrderComparator. FixedOrderComparators cannot be modified once they have performed a comparison.
      Returns:
      true if attempts to change the FixedOrderComparator yield an UnsupportedOperationException, false if it can be changed.

    • checkLocked

      protected void checkLocked()
      Checks to see whether the comparator is now locked against further changes.
      Throws:
      UnsupportedOperationException - if the comparator is locked

    • getUnknownObjectBehavior

      public int getUnknownObjectBehavior()
      Gets the behavior for comparing unknown objects.
      Returns:
      the flag for unknown behaviour - UNKNOWN_AFTER, UNKNOWN_BEFORE or UNKNOWN_THROW_EXCEPTION

    • setUnknownObjectBehavior

      public void setUnknownObjectBehavior(int unknownObjectBehavior)
      Sets the behavior for comparing unknown objects.
      Parameters:
      unknownObjectBehavior - the flag for unknown behaviour - UNKNOWN_AFTER, UNKNOWN_BEFORE or UNKNOWN_THROW_EXCEPTION
      Throws:
      UnsupportedOperationException - if a comparison has been performed
      IllegalArgumentException - if the unknown flag is not valid

    • add

      public boolean add(Object obj)
      Adds an item, which compares as after all items known to the Comparator. If the item is already known to the Comparator, its old position is replaced with the new position.
      Parameters:
      obj - the item to be added to the Comparator.
      Returns:
      true if obj has been added for the first time, false if it was already known to the Comparator.
      Throws:
      UnsupportedOperationException - if a comparison has already been made

    • addAsEqual

      public boolean addAsEqual(Object existingObj, Object newObj)
      Adds a new item, which compares as equal to the given existing item.
      Parameters:
      existingObj - an item already in the Comparator's set of known objects
      newObj - an item to be added to the Comparator's set of known objects
      Returns:
      true if newObj has been added for the first time, false if it was already known to the Comparator.
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if existingObject is not in the Comparator's set of known objects.
      UnsupportedOperationException - if a comparison has already been made

    • compare

      public int compare(Object obj1, Object obj2)
      Compares two objects according to the order of this Comparator.

      It is important to note that this class will throw an IllegalArgumentException in the case of an unrecognised object. This is not specified in the Comparator interface, but is the most appropriate exception.

      Specified by:
      compare in interface Comparator
      Parameters:
      obj1 - the first object to compare
      obj2 - the second object to compare
      Returns:
      negative if obj1 is less, positive if greater, zero if equal
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if obj1 or obj2 are not known to this Comparator and an alternative behavior has not been set via setUnknownObjectBehavior(int).