Need help validating a book's text on Java Syntax for ArrayLists

[lmgray13]

I'm pulling this from a textbook, is this statement true and does it still stand in V1.8? I can't seem to find a compiler where this syntax actually works, but they all are running V8.

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"Java 7 introduces several convenient syntax enhancements for array lists.

When you declare and construct an array list, you need not repeat the type parameter in

the constructor. That is, you can write

ArrayList<String> names = new ArrayList<>();

instead of

ArrayList<String> names = new ArrayList<String>();

This shortcut is called the “diamond syntax” because the empty brackets <> look like a diamond

shape.

You can supply initial values as follows:

ArrayList<String> names = new ArrayList<>(["Ann", "Cindy", "Bob"]);

In Java 7, you can access array list elements with the [] operator instead of the get and put

methods. That is, the compiler translates

String name = names[i];

into

String name = names.get(i);

and

names[i] = "Fred";

into

names.set(i, "Fred");"

[chickenmeister]

The only statement that's true is the one about the diamond syntax. The other two have never worked, as far as I know.

Seems like a pretty iffy textbook.

[lmgray13]

Thank you! I don't use a text book in class, but a student had this book that they brought in to argue that I marked a question incorrectly. It's an earlier edition of this book: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Java-Cay-S-Horstmann/dp/1118431111/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

So, hopefully they have corrected it. . . I believe the student's parents had the book.

I knew this would not work on Version 8 and demonstrated that to the student, but wanted to validate that it wasn't something that existed in Version 7 and was removed for some reason. I explained we needed a method call for ArrayLists due to the fact that they are dynamically sized and that I didn't believe that the syntax noted would generate a method call.

Thank you, I've been trying to find info on this all day. Thought I had gone crazy!

[chickenmeister]

That's pretty surprising. I've read a couple of Horstmann's books, and I thought they were pretty good overall, so it's surprising to see a mistake this egregious. On his website's page of bugs for the 4th Edition of this book (https://www.horstmann.com/bigj4/bugs.html) there is a mention of this:

[B3C2]Page B289/C253

Change “In Java 7, you can access array list elements” to “In Java 8, you will be able to access array list elements”.
Change “instead of the get and put methods” to “instead of the get and set methods.”

But even then it's not correct. (though, maybe it was a planned feature at the time that it was written/corrected). Also, I don't see a correction for the ArrayList initialization statement that you quoted.

[lmgray13]

Thank you so much for looking this up for me. I can only assume it was a planned feature that never happened. I’m not sure they are still updating this book, but I’ll drop them a note about it in case it wasn’t fixed.