4. Collections, Lists and Java's Built-In APIs

Overview

This chapter introduces you to the powerful Java collections framework, which is used to store, sort, and filter data. It will first take you through the structure of the built-in Collections Application Programming Interface (API), the Java collections framework, which will simplify your dealings with complex data structures and allow you to use and create APIs with minimal effort. Through this framework, you will examine the relationship between lists and arrays, and learn to populate lists from arrays. Finally, in this chapter's final activity, you will create and complete a program in which you will be asked to perform standard operations on data stored in sets, lists, and maps in preparation for future chapters.