java.lang.Object
edu.internet2.middleware.grouperClient.collections.MultiKey
All Implemented Interfaces:
Serializable

public class MultiKey extends Object implements Serializable
A MultiKey allows multiple map keys to be merged together.

The purpose of this class is to avoid the need to write code to handle maps of maps. An example might be the need to lookup a filename by key and locale. The typical solution might be nested maps. This class can be used instead by creating an instance passing in the key and locale.

Example usage:

 // populate map with data mapping key+locale to localizedText
 Map map = new HashMap();
 MultiKey multiKey = new MultiKey(key, locale);
 map.put(multiKey, localizedText);

 // later retireve the localized text
 MultiKey multiKey = new MultiKey(key, locale);
 String localizedText = (String) map.get(multiKey);
 
Since:
Commons Collections 3.0
Version:
$Revision: 1.1 $ $Date: 2009-12-19 21:38:26 $
See Also:
  • Constructor Details

    • MultiKey

      public MultiKey(Object key1, Object key2)
      Constructor taking two keys.

      The keys should be immutable If they are not then they must not be changed after adding to the MultiKey.

      Parameters:
      key1 - the first key
      key2 - the second key
    • MultiKey

      public MultiKey(Object key1, Object key2, Object key3)
      Constructor taking three keys.

      The keys should be immutable If they are not then they must not be changed after adding to the MultiKey.

      Parameters:
      key1 - the first key
      key2 - the second key
      key3 - the third key
    • MultiKey

      public MultiKey(Object key1, Object key2, Object key3, Object key4)
      Constructor taking four keys.

      The keys should be immutable If they are not then they must not be changed after adding to the MultiKey.

      Parameters:
      key1 - the first key
      key2 - the second key
      key3 - the third key
      key4 - the fourth key
    • MultiKey

      public MultiKey(Object key1, Object key2, Object key3, Object key4, Object key5)
      Constructor taking five keys.

      The keys should be immutable If they are not then they must not be changed after adding to the MultiKey.

      Parameters:
      key1 - the first key
      key2 - the second key
      key3 - the third key
      key4 - the fourth key
      key5 - the fifth key
    • MultiKey

      public MultiKey(Object[] keys)
      Constructor taking an array of keys which is cloned.

      The keys should be immutable If they are not then they must not be changed after adding to the MultiKey.

      This is equivalent to new MultiKey(keys, true).

      Parameters:
      keys - the array of keys, not null
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the key array is null
    • MultiKey

      public MultiKey(Object[] keys, boolean makeClone)
      Constructor taking an array of keys, optionally choosing whether to clone.

      If the array is not cloned, then it must not be modified.

      This method is public for performance reasons only, to avoid a clone. The hashcode is calculated once here in this method. Therefore, changing the array passed in would not change the hashcode but would change the equals method, which is a bug.

      This is the only fully safe usage of this constructor, as the object array is never made available in a variable:

       new MultiKey(new Object[] {...}, false);
       

      The keys should be immutable If they are not then they must not be changed after adding to the MultiKey.

      Parameters:
      keys - the array of keys, not null
      makeClone - true to clone the array, false to assign it
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the key array is null
      Since:
      Commons Collections 3.1
  • Method Details

    • getKeys

      public Object[] getKeys()
      Gets a clone of the array of keys.

      The keys should be immutable If they are not then they must not be changed.

      Returns:
      the individual keys
    • getKey

      public Object getKey(int index)
      Gets the key at the specified index.

      The key should be immutable. If it is not then it must not be changed.

      Parameters:
      index - the index to retrieve
      Returns:
      the key at the index
      Throws:
      IndexOutOfBoundsException - if the index is invalid
      Since:
      Commons Collections 3.1
    • size

      public int size()
      Gets the size of the list of keys.
      Returns:
      the size of the list of keys
      Since:
      Commons Collections 3.1
    • equals

      public boolean equals(Object other)
      Compares this object to another.

      To be equal, the other object must be a MultiKey with the same number of keys which are also equal.

      Overrides:
      equals in class Object
      Parameters:
      other - the other object to compare to
      Returns:
      true if equal
    • hashCode

      public int hashCode()
      Gets the combined hash code that is computed from all the keys.

      This value is computed once and then cached, so elements should not change their hash codes once created (note that this is the same constraint that would be used if the individual keys elements were themselves Map keys.

      Overrides:
      hashCode in class Object
      Returns:
      the hash code
    • toString

      public String toString()
      Gets a debugging string version of the key.
      Overrides:
      toString in class Object
      Returns:
      a debugging string