Module java.base
Package java.text

Class CollationKey

  • All Implemented Interfaces:
    Comparable<CollationKey>

    public abstract classCollationKeyextendsObjectimplementsComparable<CollationKey>
    ACollationKey represents aString under the rules of a specificCollator object. Comparing twoCollationKeys returns the relative order of theStrings they represent. UsingCollationKeys to compareStrings is generally faster than usingCollator.compare. Thus, when theStrings must be compared multiple times, for example when sorting a list ofStrings. It's more efficient to useCollationKeys.

    You can not createCollationKeys directly. Rather, generate them by callingCollator.getCollationKey. You can only compareCollationKeys generated from the sameCollator object.

    Generating aCollationKey for aString involves examining the entireString and converting it to series of bits that can be compared bitwise. This allows fast comparisons once the keys are generated. The cost of generating keys is recouped in faster comparisons whenStrings need to be compared many times. On the other hand, the result of a comparison is often determined by the first couple of characters of eachString.Collator.compare examines only as many characters as it needs which allows it to be faster when doing single comparisons.

    The following example shows howCollationKeys might be used to sort a list ofStrings.

     // Create an array of CollationKeys for the Strings to be sorted. Collator myCollator = Collator.getInstance(); CollationKey[] keys = new CollationKey[3]; keys[0] = myCollator.getCollationKey("Tom"); keys[1] = myCollator.getCollationKey("Dick"); keys[2] = myCollator.getCollationKey("Harry"); sort(keys); //... // Inside body of sort routine, compare keys this way if (keys[i].compareTo(keys[j]) > 0)    // swap keys[i] and keys[j] //... // Finally, when we've returned from sort. System.out.println(keys[0].getSourceString()); System.out.println(keys[1].getSourceString()); System.out.println(keys[2].getSourceString());

    Since:
    1.1
    See Also:
    Collator,RuleBasedCollator
    • Constructor Detail

      • CollationKey

        protected CollationKey​(String source)
        CollationKey constructor.
        Parameters:
        source - the source string
        Throws:
        NullPointerException - ifsource is null
        Since:
        1.6
    • Method Detail

      • compareTo

        public abstract int compareTo​(CollationKey target)
        Compare this CollationKey to the target CollationKey. The collation rules of the Collator object which created these keys are applied.Note: CollationKeys created by different Collators can not be compared.
        Specified by:
        compareTo in interface Comparable<CollationKey>
        Parameters:
        target - target CollationKey
        Returns:
        Returns an integer value. Value is less than zero if this is less than target, value is zero if this and target are equal and value is greater than zero if this is greater than target.
        See Also:
        Collator.compare(java.lang.String, java.lang.String)
      • getSourceString

        public String getSourceString()
        Returns the String that this CollationKey represents.
        Returns:
        the source string of this CollationKey
      • toByteArray

        public abstract byte[] toByteArray()
        Converts the CollationKey to a sequence of bits. If two CollationKeys could be legitimately compared, then one could compare the byte arrays for each of those keys to obtain the same result. Byte arrays are organized most significant byte first.
        Returns:
        a byte array representation of the CollationKey