The Jakarta Commons Collections Package

1. INTRODUCTION

The Collections package contains a set of Java classes that extend or augment the Java Collections Framework. The following classes are included:

• ArrayEnumeration - a java.util.Enumeration wrapper for arrays.
• ArrayIterator - a java.util.Iterator wrapper for arrays.
• ArrayStack - An implementation of the java.util.Stack API that is based on an ArrayList instead of a Vector, so it is not synchronized to protect against multi-threaded access.
• BeanMap - An implementation of the java.util.Map API that is based on a JavaBean using introspection. The property names are the keys of the map and the property values are the values of the map.
• CollectionUtils - a variety of helper methods for working with collections.
• CursorableLinkedList - an implementation of the java.util.List interface supporting a java.util.ListIterator that allows concurrent modifications to the underlying list.
• ExtendedProperties - extends normal Java properties by adding the possibility to use the same key many times, concatenating the value strings instead of overwriting them.
• FastArrayList - a custom implementation of java.util.ArrayList designed to operate in a multithreaded environment where the large majority of method calls are read-only, instead of structural changes.
• FastHashMap - a custom implementation of java.util.HashMap designed to operate in a multithreaded environment where the large majority of method calls are read-only, instead of structural changes.
• FastTreeMap - a custom implementation of java.util.TreeMap designed to operate in a multithreaded environment where the large majority of method calls are read-only, instead of structural changes.
• ListUtils - miscelaneous utilities to manipulate Lists.
• PriorityQueue - a PriorityQueue interface, with BinaryHeap and SynchronizedPriorityQueue implementations.

2. DEPENDENCIES

The Collections package is dependent upon the following external components for development and use:

• Java Development Kit (Version 1.2 or later)
• JUnit Testing Framework (Version 3.2 or later) - for unit tests only, not required for deployment

3. RELEASE INFO

Current Release: Unreleased, CVS Repository Only

Planned Next Release: TBD

4. COMMITTERS

The following individuals are the primary developers and maintainers of this component. Developers who plan to use Collections in their own projects are encouraged to collaborate on the future development of this component to ensure that it continues to meet a variety of needs.

• Peter Donald
• Craig McClanahan
• Rodney Waldhoff
• Geir Magnusson Jr.
• Jason van Zyl
• James Strachan

5. ACTION ITEMS

Want to help? Here's some "to do" items the team has identified.