Class: java.util.Hashtable<K, V>

This class implements a hashtable, which maps keys to values. Any non-null object can be used as a key or as a value.

To successfully store and retrieve objects from a hashtable, the objects used as keys must implement the hashCode method and the equals method.

An instance of Hashtable has two parameters that affect its performance: initial capacity and load factor. The capacity is the number of buckets in the hash table, and the initial capacity is simply the capacity at the time the hash table is created. Note that the hash table is open: in the case of a "hash collision", a single bucket stores multiple entries, which must be searched sequentially. The load factor is a measure of how full the hash table is allowed to get before its capacity is automatically increased. The initial capacity and load factor parameters are merely hints to the implementation. The exact details as to when and whether the rehash method is invoked are implementation-dependent.

Generally, the default load factor (.75) offers a good tradeoff between time and space costs. Higher values decrease the space overhead but increase the time cost to look up an entry (which is reflected in most Hashtable operations, including get and put).

The initial capacity controls a tradeoff between wasted space and the need for rehash operations, which are time-consuming. No rehash operations will ever occur if the initial capacity is greater than the maximum number of entries the Hashtable will contain divided by its load factor. However, setting the initial capacity too high can waste space.

If many entries are to be made into a Hashtable, creating it with a sufficiently large capacity may allow the entries to be inserted more efficiently than letting it perform automatic rehashing as needed to grow the table.

This example creates a hashtable of numbers. It uses the names of the numbers as keys:

   Hashtable<String, Integer> numbers
     = new Hashtable<String, Integer>();
   numbers.put("one", 1);
   numbers.put("two", 2);
   numbers.put("three", 3);

To retrieve a number, use the following code:

   Integer n = numbers.get("two");
   if (n != null) {
     System.out.println("two = " + n);
   }

The iterators returned by the iterator method of the collections returned by all of this class's "collection view methods" are fail-fast: if the Hashtable is structurally modified at any time after the iterator is created, in any way except through the iterator's own remove method, the iterator will throw a java.util.ConcurrentModificationException. Thus, in the face of concurrent modification, the iterator fails quickly and cleanly, rather than risking arbitrary, non-deterministic behavior at an undetermined time in the future. The Enumerations returned by Hashtable's keys and elements methods are not fail-fast.

Note that the fail-fast behavior of an iterator cannot be guaranteed as it is, generally speaking, impossible to make any hard guarantees in the presence of unsynchronized concurrent modification. Fail-fast iterators throw ConcurrentModificationException on a best-effort basis. Therefore, it would be wrong to write a program that depended on this exception for its correctness: the fail-fast behavior of iterators should be used only to detect bugs.

As of the Java 2 platform v1.2, this class was retrofitted to implement the java.util.Map interface, making it a member of the Java Collections Framework. Unlike the new collection implementations, Hashtable is synchronized.

Authors:
@author Arthur van Hoff
@author Josh Bloch
@author Neal Gafter
See:
@see Object.equals(java.lang.Object)
@see Object.hashCode()
@see java.util.Hashtable.rehash()
@see java.util.Collection
@see java.util.Map
@see java.util.HashMap
@see java.util.TreeMap
Since:
@since JDK1.0

Inheritance

Superclass tree: Implements:

Methods

  • Hashtabletop

    public Hashtable()
    Constructs a new, empty hashtable with a default initial capacity (11) and load factor (0.75).
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  • Hashtabletop

    public Hashtable(int initialCapacity)
    Constructs a new, empty hashtable with the specified initial capacity and default load factor (0.75).
    Parameters:
    @param initialCapacity the initial capacity of the hashtable.
    Exceptions:
    @exception IllegalArgumentException if the initial capacity is less than zero.
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  • Hashtabletop

    public Hashtable(int initialCapacity, float loadFactor)
    Constructs a new, empty hashtable with the specified initial capacity and the specified load factor.
    Parameters:
    @param initialCapacity the initial capacity of the hashtable.
    @param loadFactor the load factor of the hashtable.
    Exceptions:
    @exception IllegalArgumentException if the initial capacity is less than zero, or if the load factor is nonpositive.
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  • Hashtabletop

    public Hashtable(Map<? extends K, ? extends V> t)
    Constructs a new hashtable with the same mappings as the given Map. The hashtable is created with an initial capacity sufficient to hold the mappings in the given Map and a default load factor (0.75).
    Parameters:
    @param t the map whose mappings are to be placed in this map.
    Exceptions:
    @throws NullPointerException if the specified map is null.
    Since:
    @since 1.2
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  • cleartop

    public synchronized void clear()
    Clears this hashtable so that it contains no keys.
    Specified by:
    clear from Map<K, V>
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  • clonetop

    public synchronized Object clone()
    Creates a shallow copy of this hashtable. All the structure of the hashtable itself is copied, but the keys and values are not cloned. This is a relatively expensive operation.
    Return:
    @return a clone of the hashtable
    Override hierarchy:
    clone from Object
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  • containstop

    public synchronized boolean contains(Object value)
    Tests if some key maps into the specified value in this hashtable. This operation is more expensive than the containsKey method.

    Note that this method is identical in functionality to containsValue, (which is part of the java.util.Map interface in the collections framework).

    Parameters:
    @param value a value to search for
    Return:
    @return true if and only if some key maps to the value argument in this hashtable as determined by the equals method; false otherwise.
    Exceptions:
    @exception NullPointerException if the value is null
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  • containsKeytop

    public synchronized boolean containsKey(Object key)
    Tests if the specified object is a key in this hashtable.
    Parameters:
    @param key possible key
    Return:
    @return true if and only if the specified object is a key in this hashtable, as determined by the equals method; false otherwise.
    Exceptions:
    @throws NullPointerException if the key is null
    See:
    @see java.util.Hashtable.contains(java.lang.Object)
    Specified by:
    containsKey from Map<K, V>
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  • containsValuetop

    public boolean containsValue(Object value)
    Returns true if this hashtable maps one or more keys to this value.

    Note that this method is identical in functionality to contains (which predates the java.util.Map interface).

    Parameters:
    @param value value whose presence in this hashtable is to be tested
    Return:
    @return true if this map maps one or more keys to the specified value
    Exceptions:
    @throws NullPointerException if the value is null
    Since:
    @since 1.2
    Specified by:
    containsValue from Map<K, V>
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  • elementstop

    public synchronized Enumeration<V> elements()
    Returns an enumeration of the values in this hashtable. Use the Enumeration methods on the returned object to fetch the elements sequentially.
    Return:
    @return an enumeration of the values in this hashtable.
    See:
    @see java.util.Enumeration
    @see java.util.Hashtable.keys()
    @see java.util.Hashtable.values()
    @see java.util.Map
    Override hierarchy:
    elements from Dictionary<K, V>
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  • entrySettop

    public Set<Map.Entry<K, V>> entrySet()
    Returns a java.util.Hashtable$KeySet view of the mappings contained in this map. The set is backed by the map, so changes to the map are reflected in the set, and vice-versa. If the map is modified while an iteration over the set is in progress (except through the iterator's own remove operation, or through the setValue operation on a map entry returned by the iterator) the results of the iteration are undefined. The set supports element removal, which removes the corresponding mapping from the map, via the Iterator.remove, Set.remove, removeAll, retainAll and clear operations. It does not support the add or addAll operations.
    Return:
    @return a set view of the mappings contained in this map
    Since:
    @since 1.2
    Specified by:
    entrySet from Map<K, V>
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  • equalstop

    public synchronized boolean equals(Object o)
    Compares the specified Object with this Map for equality, as per the definition in the Map interface.
    Parameters:
    @param o object to be compared for equality with this hashtable
    Return:
    @return true if the specified Object is equal to this Map
    See:
    @see java.util.Map.equals(java.lang.Object)
    Since:
    @since 1.2
    Specified by:
    equals from Map<K, V>
    Override hierarchy:
    equals from Object
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  • gettop

    public synchronized V get(Object key)
    Returns the value to which the specified key is mapped, or null if this map contains no mapping for the key.

    More formally, if this map contains a mapping from a key k to a value v such that (key.equals(k)), then this method returns v; otherwise it returns null. (There can be at most one such mapping.)

    Parameters:
    @param key the key whose associated value is to be returned
    Return:
    @return the value to which the specified key is mapped, or null if this map contains no mapping for the key
    Exceptions:
    @throws NullPointerException if the specified key is null
    See:
    @see java.util.Hashtable.put(java.lang.Object, java.lang.Object)
    Specified by:
    get from Map<K, V>
    Override hierarchy:
    get from Dictionary<K, V>
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  • getEnumerationtop

    private <T> Enumeration<T> getEnumeration(int type)
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  • getIteratortop

    private <T> Iterator<T> getIterator(int type)
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  • hashCodetop

    public synchronized int hashCode()
    Returns the hash code value for this Map as per the definition in the Map interface.
    Return:
    @return the hash code value for this map
    See:
    @see java.util.Map.hashCode()
    Since:
    @since 1.2
    Specified by:
    hashCode from Map<K, V>
    Override hierarchy:
    hashCode from Object
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  • isEmptytop

    public synchronized boolean isEmpty()
    Tests if this hashtable maps no keys to values.
    Return:
    @return true if this hashtable maps no keys to values; false otherwise.
    Specified by:
    isEmpty from Map<K, V>
    Override hierarchy:
    isEmpty from Dictionary<K, V>
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  • keySettop

    public Set<K> keySet()
    Returns a java.util.Hashtable$KeySet view of the keys contained in this map. The set is backed by the map, so changes to the map are reflected in the set, and vice-versa. If the map is modified while an iteration over the set is in progress (except through the iterator's own remove operation), the results of the iteration are undefined. The set supports element removal, which removes the corresponding mapping from the map, via the Iterator.remove, Set.remove, removeAll, retainAll, and clear operations. It does not support the add or addAll operations.
    Return:
    @return a set view of the keys contained in this map
    Since:
    @since 1.2
    Specified by:
    keySet from Map<K, V>
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  • keystop

    public synchronized Enumeration<K> keys()
    Returns an enumeration of the keys in this hashtable.
    Return:
    @return an enumeration of the keys in this hashtable.
    See:
    @see java.util.Enumeration
    @see java.util.Hashtable.elements()
    @see java.util.Hashtable.keySet()
    @see java.util.Map
    Override hierarchy:
    keys from Dictionary<K, V>
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  • puttop

    public synchronized V put(K key, V value)
    Maps the specified key to the specified value in this hashtable. Neither the key nor the value can be null.

    The value can be retrieved by calling the get method with a key that is equal to the original key.

    Parameters:
    @param key the hashtable key
    @param value the value
    Return:
    @return the previous value of the specified key in this hashtable, or null if it did not have one
    Exceptions:
    @exception NullPointerException if the key or value is null
    See:
    @see Object.equals(java.lang.Object)
    @see java.util.Hashtable.get(java.lang.Object)
    Specified by:
    put from Map<K, V>
    Override hierarchy:
    put from Dictionary<K, V>
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  • putAlltop

    public synchronized void putAll(Map<? extends K, ? extends V> t)
    Copies all of the mappings from the specified map to this hashtable. These mappings will replace any mappings that this hashtable had for any of the keys currently in the specified map.
    Parameters:
    @param t mappings to be stored in this map
    Exceptions:
    @throws NullPointerException if the specified map is null
    Since:
    @since 1.2
    Specified by:
    putAll from Map<K, V>
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  • readObjecttop

    private void readObject(ObjectInputStream s) throws IOException, ClassNotFoundException
    Reconstitute the Hashtable from a stream (i.e., deserialize it).
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  • reconstitutionPuttop

    private void reconstitutionPut(Hashtable.Entry[] tab, K key, V value) throws StreamCorruptedException
    The put method used by readObject. This is provided because put is overridable and should not be called in readObject since the subclass will not yet be initialized.

    This differs from the regular put method in several ways. No checking for rehashing is necessary since the number of elements initially in the table is known. The modCount is not incremented because we are creating a new instance. Also, no return value is needed.

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  • rehashtop

    protected void rehash()
    Increases the capacity of and internally reorganizes this hashtable, in order to accommodate and access its entries more efficiently. This method is called automatically when the number of keys in the hashtable exceeds this hashtable's capacity and load factor.
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  • removetop

    public synchronized V remove(Object key)
    Removes the key (and its corresponding value) from this hashtable. This method does nothing if the key is not in the hashtable.
    Parameters:
    @param key the key that needs to be removed
    Return:
    @return the value to which the key had been mapped in this hashtable, or null if the key did not have a mapping
    Exceptions:
    @throws NullPointerException if the key is null
    Specified by:
    remove from Map<K, V>
    Override hierarchy:
    remove from Dictionary<K, V>
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  • sizetop

    public synchronized int size()
    Returns the number of keys in this hashtable.
    Return:
    @return the number of keys in this hashtable.
    Specified by:
    size from Map<K, V>
    Override hierarchy:
    size from Dictionary<K, V>
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  • toStringtop

    public synchronized String toString()
    Returns a string representation of this Hashtable object in the form of a set of entries, enclosed in braces and separated by the ASCII characters "" (comma and space). Each entry is rendered as the key, an equals sign =, and the associated element, where the toString method is used to convert the key and element to strings.
    Return:
    @return a string representation of this hashtable
    Override hierarchy:
    toString from Object
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  • valuestop

    public Collection<V> values()
    Returns a java.util.Collection view of the values contained in this map. The collection is backed by the map, so changes to the map are reflected in the collection, and vice-versa. If the map is modified while an iteration over the collection is in progress (except through the iterator's own remove operation), the results of the iteration are undefined. The collection supports element removal, which removes the corresponding mapping from the map, via the Iterator.remove, Collection.remove, removeAll, retainAll and clear operations. It does not support the add or addAll operations.
    Return:
    @return a collection view of the values contained in this map
    Since:
    @since 1.2
    Specified by:
    values from Map<K, V>
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  • writeObjecttop

    synchronized private void writeObject(ObjectOutputStream s) throws IOException
    Save the state of the Hashtable to a stream (i.e., serialize it).
    Misc:
    @serialData The capacity of the Hashtable (the length of the bucket array) is emitted (int), followed by the size of the Hashtable (the number of key-value mappings), followed by the key (Object) and value (Object) for each key-value mapping represented by the Hashtable The key-value mappings are emitted in no particular order.
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Fields

  • ENTRIES

    static final private int ENTRIES = 2
  • KEYS

    static final private int KEYS = 0
  • VALUES

    static final private int VALUES = 1
  • count

    transient private int count
    The total number of entries in the hash table.
  • entrySet

    transient volatile private Set<Map.Entry<K, V>> entrySet
  • keySet

    transient volatile private Set<K> keySet
    Each of these fields are initialized to contain an instance of the appropriate view the first time this view is requested. The views are stateless, so there's no reason to create more than one of each.
  • loadFactor

    private float loadFactor
    The load factor for the hashtable.
  • modCount

    transient private int modCount
    The number of times this Hashtable has been structurally modified Structural modifications are those that change the number of entries in the Hashtable or otherwise modify its internal structure (e.g., rehash). This field is used to make iterators on Collection-views of the Hashtable fail-fast. (See ConcurrentModificationException).
  • serialVersionUID

    static final private long serialVersionUID = 1421746759512286392
    use serialVersionUID from JDK 1.0.2 for interoperability
  • table

    transient private Hashtable.Entry[] table
    The hash table data.
  • threshold

    private int threshold
    The table is rehashed when its size exceeds this threshold. (The value of this field is (int)(capacity * loadFactor).)
  • values

    transient volatile private Collection<V> values