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Java arraylist of objects how to search for elements error

I am trying to Implement a class named Parade using an ArrayList, which will manage instances of class Clown. Each Clown needs to be identified by all object data String for their name, int id and double size. I join a new Clown to the end of the Parade. Only the Clown at the head of the Parade (i.e., the first one) can leave the Parade. In addition, I write a method called isFront that takes a Clown as parameter and returns true if the passed clown is at the front of the parade otherwise returns false. Create a test application to demonstrate building a parade of three or four clowns and include your own name. Then, remove one or two, and add another one or two. Also, test the isFront method by passing different clowns to the method.
I have a code but it is not returning true for the isFront method, I am trying to use contains method I also tried to use Comparable interface Clown but it did not work that well. Not sure what to do.
import java.util.ArrayList;
public class Main
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
Parade circus = new Parade();
circus.addClown(new Clown("Bobby",9,12.0));
circus.addClown(new Clown("Clair", 2, 11.0));
circus.addClown(new Clown("Tony",6,10.0));
circus.addClown(new Clown("Sarah",3,5.0));
circus.display();
System.out.println(circus.isFront(new Clown("Bobby", 9, 12.0)));
}
}
import java.util.ArrayList;
public class Parade
{
private static ArrayList<Clown> parade;
private int top;
public Parade()
{
top=0;
parade= new ArrayList<Clown>();
System.out.println(parade);
}
public void addClown(Clown c)
{
parade.add(c);
top++;
}
public void removeClown() //(Clown c)
{
parade.remove(0);
top--;
}
public void display()
{
System.out.println(parade);
}
public void getData()
{
parade.get(0);
}
public void setData()
{
parade.set(1,new Clown("Claire",2,5.0));
System.out.println(parade);
}
public int getTop()
{
return top;
}
public boolean isFront(Clown c)
{
return !parade.isEmpty() && c.equals(parade.get(0));
}
//exceptions
}
public class Clown
{
private String name;
private int id;
private double size;
public Clown(String name, int id, double size)
{
this.name=name;
this.id=id;
this.size=size;
}
public String getName()
{
return name;
}
public int getId()
{
return id;
}
public double getSize()
{
return size;
}
public String toString()
{
return name.toString() + id + size;
}
public boolean equals(Object o) {
if (o instanceof Clown c) {
return this.getName().equals(c.getName()) && this.getId() == c.getId() && this.getSize() == c.getSize();
}
return false;
}
}
their is not much info in our textbook about this stuff Java FOundations 5th e Lewis like working with objects and arraylists it skips it and assumes you already know it lol..

Firstly, objects in Java are, by default, compared by reference. So, even if you create two Clown objects with the exact same properties, Java sees them as different objects because both those object references are not the same, they are both referring to different memory locations. You can override this behavior and ask Java to compare it as you want by overriding the equals() method of the Object class:
public class Clown {
private String name;
private int id;
private double size;
public Clown(String name, int id, double size) {
this.name=name;
this.id=id;
this.size=size;
}
public String getName() {
return name;
}
public int getId() {
return id;
}
public double getSize() {
return size;
}
#Override
public boolean equals(Object o) {
if (o instanceof Clown) {
Clown c = (Clown) o;
return this.getName().equals(c.getName());
}
return false;
}
#Override
public int hashCode() {
return this.getId();
}
#Override
public String toString() {
return name.toString() + id + size;
}
}
This will help with contains()(it internally uses equals()).
Secondly, you can just compare your clown with the first clown to see if it is the one at the front:
public boolean isFront(Clown c) {
return !parade.isEmpty() && c.equals(parade.get(0));
}
The isFront() method will return true if the parade is not empty and the clown c is equal to to the first clown in the parade. get(0) retrieves the first clown in the parade.
As per your comment, if you want that two clowns be equal only if all their properties are equal, change your equals method to:
#Override
public boolean equals(Object o) {
if (o instanceof Clown) {
Clown c = (Clown) o;
return this.getName().equals(c.getName()) &&
this.getId() == c.getId() &&
this.getSize() == c.getSize();
}
return false;
}
The equals() method is of the Object class which is the parent class of all Java classes. It defines how to compare two objects.
Its signature is as follows:
public boolean equals(Object obj)
As we're overriding, its signature must be the same in the derived class, in our case in class Clown. Its parameter is of type Object not Clown. Any type can be converted to Object, if I compare an object of Clown to another type, like:
Clown c = new Clown("X", 1, 10);
if ( c.equals(objectOfAnotherType) ) {..}
it will still work.
So we use the instanceof operator to check if that another object is also a Clown. If it is not an instance of Clown, we return false but if it is, we convert/cast that object to Clown, only then we can call getName() and other getter methods:
if (o instanceof Clown) {
Clown c = (Clown) o; //Casting happens here
return this.getName().equals(c.getName()) &&
this.getId() == c.getId() &&
this.getSize() == c.getSize();
}
return false;
Java 14 introduced a shortcut for this, instead of these steps:
if (o instanceof Clown) {
Clown c = (Clown) o;
we can simply write:
if (o instance of Clown c)
which does the casting for us and stores it in c.
Lastly, I have also overriden Object.hashCode() because you have to when you override equals(), here's why.

Comparing Object object and Class object by overriding equals() in Java [duplicate]

This question already has answers here:
How to override equals method in Java
(11 answers)
Closed 2 years ago.
I'm trying to override the equals() method that takes an Object as input.
I have the following classes in the same package
public class Herd{
int count;
boolean exists;
In the class that is overriding the method, I am trying to compare whether the Object matches the variable in position, rank, and if they are the same Class
public class Animal{
private Herd lot;
private int rank;
public boolean equals(Object animl) {
if(this.getClass() == animl.getClass() && this.rank == animl.rank && this.lot == animl.**lot**) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
I know that to compare I will use an object that has all these parameters, however, in the Animal class itself it says
for animl.rank "rank cannot be resolved or is not a field"
for animl.lot "lot cannot be resolved or is not a field"
I tried downcasting i.e. (... == (Animal) animl.rank) but it gives me an incompatible operand types error. I also try casting the rank into an int, but it gives me the above problem.
Any help appreciated.

You need to correctly cast your animl object:
public boolean equals(Object animl) {
if(this.getClass() == ((Animal) animl).getClass() && this.rank == ((Animal) animl).rank && this.lot == ((Animal) animl).lot) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
I think it would be better if you use equals instead of =:
public boolean equals(Object animl) {
if(this.getClass() == ((Animal) animl).getClass() && this.rank.equals( ((Animal) animl).rank) && this.lot.equals( ((Animal) animl).lot)) {
return true;
}
return false;
}

Try this :
private Herd lot;
private int rank;
public boolean equals(Object animl) {
if(!(animl instanceof Animal))) {
return false;
}
Animal an = (Animal)animl;
return this.rank == an.rank && this.lot == an.lot;
}
You might need getters for those attributes. I didn't compile or test any of this.

Comparison will not work this way.
The messages:
for animl.rank "rank cannot be resolved or is not a field"
for animl.lot "lot cannot be resolved or is not a field"
are correct because there are no such properties in Object class. They only exist in your Animal class.
That said, you will need to explicitly cast the Object to Animal before doing the actual comparison. Try this:
public class Animal{
private Herd lot;
private int rank;
public boolean equals(Object animl) {
Animal animal = (Animal) animl;
if(this.getClass() == animal.getClass() && this.rank == animal.rank && this.lot == animal.lot) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
On a side note, you may need to do nested comparison for this.lot == animal.lot

Method equals in class Animal should be overridden like this:
Check for null and class equality
Cast the object to compare to Animal
Compare fields of Animal class, paying attention to using equals for the Herd
public class Animal {
// ...
#Override
public boolean equals(Object o) {
if (o == null || this.getClass() != o.getClass()) {
return false;
}
if (this == o) return true;
Animal animal = (Animal) o;
return this.rank == animal.rank &&
this.lot != null && this.lot.equals(animal.lot);
}
}
Similarly, method equals may need to be overridden in Herd:
public class Herd {
// ...
#Override
public boolean equals(Object o) {
if (o == null || this.getClass() != o.getClass()) {
return false;
}
if (this == o) return true;
Herd herd = (Herd) o;
return this.count == herd.count && this.exists == herd.exists;
}
}

Equals method when dealing with inheritance and no instance variables

This is the way we implement equals method in classes.
Class A (Store) with area as instance variable:
#Override
public boolean equals(Object otherObject) {
if (this == otherObject) {
return true;
}
if (otherObject == null || getClass() != otherObject.getClass()) {
return false;
}
Store otherStore = (Store) otherObject;
return area == otherStore.area;
}
Class B (StoreToys) extends Class A (Store) and has no instance variables (dealing with inheritance)
How should i write equals method for this class?

If you don't introduce any new fields in StoreToys you can write the check with instanceof to verify that otherObject can be cast to Store.
#Override
public boolean equals(Object otherObject) {
if (this == otherObject) {
return true;
}
if (!(otherObject instanceof Store)) {
return false;
}
Store otherStore = (Store) otherObject;
return area == otherStore.area;
}

How to override equals() method

public class Car
{
private String name;
public int id;
public Car(String name, int id)
{
this.name = name;
this.id = id;
}
#Override
public boolean equals(Object ob)
{
if (!(ob instanceof Car))
{
return false;
}
Car that = (Car)ob;
return this.id == that.id;
}
#Override
public int hashCode()
{
return id;
}
// this class also got getters and setters
Then I got another class
public class CarList
{
private Collection<Car> cars;
public CarList()
{
cars = new HashSet<>();
}
public boolean insertCar(Car car)
{
return cars.add(car);
}
My question is: How to properly override equals() and hashCode() method, where I consider 'id' and 'name' attribute for object comparsion and hashCode calculation ( so there is no possibility to have 2 objects with the same name and ID - because in this code as it is - it only takes 'id' attribute for object comparsion)?

As of Java 7, there are static methods on Objects that makes implementing hashCode and equals easier. This should work well, assuming you don't want to use getClass() instead of instanceof to determine type compatibility. That depends on how subclasses of Car should compare to Cars.
#Override
public boolean equals(Object ob)
{
if (!(ob instanceof Car))
{
return false;
}
Car that = (Car)ob;
return Objects.equals(this.id, that.id) && Objects.equals(this.name, that.name);
}
#Override
public int hashCode()
{
return Objects.hash(id, name);
}

Instead of using
if (!(ob instanceof Car))
{
return false;
}
You should think about using
if (getClass() != obj.getClass())
return false;
Lets assume you have ForWdCar extends Car and TwoWdCar extends Car with equal name and id.
Do you want them to be equal? 1st solution,
Do you want them to be unequal? 2nd solution
You don't care, such cases don't happen? Second solution, it's faster.

How to define multiple equals() function for a class

I want to override "public boolean equals(Object obj)" function, for name and age, in my class named MyObject whose structure is given below
public class MyObject{
private String name;
private int age;
}
How can i ?
#balusC :
What about this ?
vo = new MyObject() {
public boolean equals(Object obj) {
return ((MyObject)obj).name().equals(this.getName());
}
vo = new MyObject() {
public boolean equals(Object obj) {
return ((MyObject)obj).age() == (this.getAge());

Your question is a bit vague, but if the sole purpose is to have different sorting algorithms depending on what property you'd like to use, then rather use a Comparator.
public class Person {
private String name;
private int age;
public static Comparator COMPARE_BY_NAME = new Comparator<Person>() {
public int compare(Person one, Person other) {
return one.name.compareTo(other.name);
}
}
public static Comparator COMPARE_BY_AGE = new Comparator<Person>() {
public int compare(Person one, Person other) {
return one.age > other.age ? 1
: one.age < other.age ? -1
: 0; // Maybe compare by name here? I.e. if same age, then order by name instead.
}
}
// Add/generate getters/setters/equals()/hashCode()/toString()
}
which you can use as follows:
List<Person> persons = createItSomehow();
Collections.sort(persons, Person.COMPARE_BY_NAME);
System.out.println(persons); // Ordered by name.
Collections.sort(persons, Person.COMPARE_BY_AGE);
System.out.println(persons); // Ordered by age.
As to the actual equals() implementation, I'd rather let it return true when the both Person objects are techically or naturally identical. You can use either a DB-generated PK for this to compare on technical identity:
public class Person {
private Long id;
public boolean equals(Object object) {
return (object instanceof Person) && (id != null)
? id.equals(((Person) object).id)
: (object == this);
}
}
or just compare every property to compare on natural identity:
public class Person {
private String name;
private int age;
public boolean equals(Object object) {
// Basic checks.
if (object == this) return true;
if (object == null || getClass() != object.getClass()) return false;
// Property checks.
Person other = (Person) object;
if (name == null ? other.name != null : !name.equals(other.name)) return false;
if (age != other.age) return false;
// All passed.
return true;
}
}
Don't forget to override hashCode() as well when you override equals().
See also:
Object ordering
Sorting an ArrayList of objects
Overriding equals() and hashCode()

I'm not exactly sure what you're aiming at with this. The general expectation of equals() is that it returns false for null and objects of other classes and performs value equality on the relevant fields of the class in question.
While you can certainly handle String and Integer in the following way:
public boolean equals(Object o) {
if (o == null) return false;
if (o instanceof String) return name.equals(o);
if (o instanceof Integer) return ((Integer)o) == age;
...
}
this breaks the contract for equals so you can't do it (except not without things going wrong in very weird ways).
equals is an equivalence relation, so it has to be reflexive, symmetric and transitive. The symmetric part here is key, since if a.equals(b) then b.equals(a). Both String and Integer won't do that for you.
If you want just helper functions that check whether the name or the age is equals to a given name/age, then you can do that without using equals():
public boolean equalsName(String name) { return name.equals(this.name); }
public boolean equalsAge(int age) { return age == this.age; }

Just keep it short and simple (aka KISS principle): write setters and getters. Something like in the following example:
public class Person {
private String name;
private int age;
public String getName() {
return name;
}
public int getAge() {
return age;
}
And then in the method you need to do the check you can write:
Person person = new Person();
if(person.getName().equals("Something")) doThis();
if(person.getAge() == 1337) doThat();

Not sure what you mean by "multiple equals()". If you want compare both your fields, you just need to override the equals method like this,
public boolean equals( Object o )
{
if ( o != null && o instanceof MyObject )
{
MyObject m = (MyObject) o;
if (this.name == null)
return false;
return this.name.eqauls(m.name) && this.age == m.age;
}
return false;
}
/// Compute a hash code for the pair.
public int hashCode()
{
int code = name == null ? 0 : name.hashCode();
return code ^ age;
}
It's a good practice to change hashCode whenever you change equals so HashMap works efficiently with your object.

if you do want to override equals, it should look something like this:
static private <T> boolean checkEquals(T t1, T t2)
{
return (t1 == null) ? (t2 == null) : t1.equals(t2);
}
#Override public boolean equals (Object o)
{
if (o instanceof MyObject)
{
MyObject obj = (MyObject)o;
return checkEquals(this.name, obj.getName())
&& this.age == o.getAge();
}
else
return false;
}
#Override public int hashCode()
{
// implement hashCode
}
You need to override both hashCode() and equals() or neither. And you also should make sure your class is final, otherwise there are potential pitfalls with equals.

public class MyObject {
private String name;
private int age;
#Override
public boolean equals(Object o){
if(o instanceof MyObject){
MyObject otherObject = (MyObject)o;
if(name == null){
return otherObject.name == null && otherObject.age == age;
} else {
return name.equals(otherObject.name) && otherObject.age == age;
}
} else {
return false;
}
}
// When we overriding equals it is a good practice to override hashCode
// for consistecy
#Override
public int hashCode(){
int nameCode = (name == null) ? 0 : name.hashCode();
// See Item 9 in book Effective Java 2nd Edition
return 31 * nameCode + age;
}
}