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Groups > comp.lang.java.programmer > #9688

Re: constructing a constant HashMap

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Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> B1ll Gat3s wrote:
>> Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>> B1ll Gat3s wrote:
>>>> This works in ANY setting where an expression of type Map<String,String>
>>>> is appropriate:
>>>>
>>>> new HashMap<String,String> () {
>>>> {
>>>> put("aaa", "bbb");
>>>> ...
>>>> }}
>>>
>>> But it is way more difficult to read
>>
>> No it isn't.
>
> Yes - it is.
> 
> Read what Tom wrote:
> 
> #and it is a very useful but also highly surprising construct (i love
> #dropping one in front of my pair when pair programming, and watching
> #their brains trying to work out what's going on - it takes a while to
> #realise it's not a special syntax, just a combination of two other
> #bits of syntax).

Yeah, but once you're used to it it's quite readable.  So you're both right.

The question of "readability" shouldn't be treated like an absolute - it is or it ain't.  Readability is relative to experience and cognitive style.  To someone not trained in computer programmers, none of it is readable.  To a junior programmer, anonymous classes are rather "unreadable".  Should you eschew them for that reason?  To a slightly less junior programmer the anonymous-class/initializer combination cited here is strange, but should you really code to his level?  Or maybe should that programmer up their skill a little and stop being so namby-pamby about legitimate, useful syntax?

There's also a relative readability between that idiom and alternatives to load a Map.  There's gotta be an initializer somewhere, folks!

Personally, I don't like the overly-clever anonymous/initializer idiom.  I prefer a stodgy old separate initializer block and a non-subclasses HashMap.  I think it's more readable that way than the tricky subclass way presented here.

-- 
Lew

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Re: constructing a constant HashMap Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2011-11-06 16:16 -0500
  Re: constructing a constant HashMap Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2011-11-06 14:37 -0800
    Re: constructing a constant HashMap Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2011-11-06 18:00 -0500
      Re: constructing a constant HashMap Ian Pilcher <arequipeno@gmail.com> - 2011-11-06 18:34 -0600
        Re: constructing a constant HashMap Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2011-11-06 19:47 -0500
  Re: constructing a constant HashMap B1ll Gat3s <wm.g4t3s@m1cr0s0f7.c0m> - 2011-11-07 12:23 -0500

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