javacollectionsconstructorinitializationhashset

How to initialize HashSet values by construction?


I need to create a Set with initial values.

Set<String> h = new HashSet<String>();
h.add("a");
h.add("b");

Is there a way to do this in one line of code? For instance, it's useful for a final static field.


Solution

  • There is a shorthand that I use that is not very time efficient, but fits on a single line:

    Set<String> h = new HashSet<>(Arrays.asList("a", "b"));
    

    Again, this is not time efficient since you are constructing an array, converting to a list and using that list to create a set.

    When initializing static final sets I usually write it like this:

    public static final String[] SET_VALUES = new String[] { "a", "b" };
    public static final Set<String> MY_SET = new HashSet<>(Arrays.asList(SET_VALUES));
    

    Slightly less ugly and efficiency does not matter for the static initialization.