Overview

Comparison of Array and ArrayList

ArrayLists are like arrays, but the main advantage is that they can increase (and decrease) in size.

You can specify a capacity, but the ArrayList class automatically increases the list's capacity whenever necessary.

Making an ArrayList

You can make an ArrayList of any type of object, but you need to specify the object when you make it.

ArrayList is a parameterized type (also known as a generic collection).

A parameterized type can take a type parameter, so that from the single class ArrayList, we get a multitude of types including ArrayList<String>, ArrayList<JButton>, and in fact ArrayList<T> for any object type T.
The type parameter T must be an object type such as a class name or an interface name. It cannot be a primitive type. This means that, unfortunately, you can not have an ArrayList of int or an ArrayList of char.

In generic collection, we specify the type in angular braces. Now ArrayList is forced to have only specified type of objects in it. If you try to add another type of object, it gives compile time error.

Syntax:

ArrayList<Person> people = new ArrayList<Person>();

Most important methods

How to add elements to an arraylist

Depending on what you want to do, you can
(i) add existing objects [not shown here],
(ii) create the object separately and then add it to the array list, or
(iii) create the object in the array list method

	ArrayList<Book> bookshelf = new ArrayList<Book>();
	
	//(ii) here we make the bk object, then add it to the arraylist
	Book bk = new Book("West Side Story", 1950);
	bookshelf.add(bk);
	
	//since we don't need to keep the bk object we can reuse it
	bk = new Book("East of Eden", 1939);
	bookshelf.add(bk);
	
	//(iii) here the Book object never is named, so there is no way to reference it (but we don't need to)
	bookshelf.add(new Book("Life of Pi", 1950));
	bookshelf.add(new Book("Tintin", 1955));

How to list or iterate through an array list

There are three methods. You should be familiar with each. The third one is a bit complicated

I. For Loop

void print1(ArrayList<Book> bs) {
	System.out.printf("%-25s %s%n", "Title", "Pubdate");
	
	for (int i = 0; i < bs.size(); i++) {
		Book b = bs.get(i);
		System.out.printf(" %-25s %d%n", b.title, b.pubdate);	
	}
}

OUTPUT:
=======
Title                     Pubdate
 West Side Story           1950
 East of Eden              1966
 Life of Pi                1950
 Tintin                    1955

II. For each loop

void print2(ArrayList<Book> bs) {
	System.out.printf("%-25s %s%n", "Title", "Pubdate");
	for (Book b : bs) {
		System.out.printf(" %-25s %d%n", b.title, b.pubdate);
		
	}
}

OUTPUT: ... same as above ...

III. using Iterator

void print3(ArrayList<Book> bs) {
	System.out.printf("%-25s %s%n", "Title", "Pubdate");
	
	Iterator<Book> it = bs.iterator();
	
	while ( it.hasNext() ) {
		Book b = it.next();
		System.out.printf(" %-25s %d%n", b.title, b.pubdate);
	}	
}

OUTPUT: ... same as above ...

How to remove an item

This is complicated because when you delete something in the list everything else has to move backwards. ...

Again, we can do it using any of the three ways of looping over the list

1. FOR LOOP:

for (int i = 0; i < bs.size(); i++) {
	Book b = bs.get(i);	
	if (b.pubdate == 1950) {
		bs.remove(i);
		i--;	//  Important! Add this in.
	}
}

This works and it deletes the item, BUT it will then skip over the next item. So you can never delete two consecutive entries! If you are deleting and printing the list at the same time, it will skip over the item after the one you delete and not print it.
Solution:
1. add the line i--; see above
2. Go through the arraylist backwards. Each item can be checked (and printed).

for (int i = bs.size()-1; i >= 0; i--) {
	Book b = bs.get(i);	
	if (b.pubdate == 1950) bs.remove(i);
}

2. FOR-EACH LOOP:

for (Book b : bs) {
	if (b.pubdate == 1950) bs.remove(b);	 //ERROR: java.util.ConcurrentModificationException
}

Look, a for-each loop is really the nicest and simplest way of going through a list. HOWEVER, it dies when you try and delete something! (Actually, only when you try and read the next item.) You are trying to modify the list while you are reading it (perhaps it is copied to memory? I don't know the guts of it.)
Solution: You have to BREAK immediately to avoid this error, which means that you can only ever delete one item at a time.

3. ITERATORS:

Iterator<Book> it = bs.iterator();
while ( it.hasNext() ) {
	Book b = it.next();
	if (b.pubdate == 1950) it.remove();
}

This works!!! No problems at all. Except ... you have to remember the syntax for iterators.

Converting arraylists to arrays and vice versa

I haven't ever had the need to do this (and I haven't actually tested this either)

// converting an array to an ArrayList, with Generics
String[] animals = { "bear", "cougar", "wolverine"};
ArrayList<String> al = new ArrayList<String>( Arrays.asList( animals ) );

// converting an ArrayList to an array with generics.
String[] predators = al.toArray( new String[ al.size() ] );