Kotlin Hashmap

In Kotlin, a HashMap is a collection that stores key-value pairs, where each key must be unique, but values can be duplicated. It is a hash table based implementation of the MutableMap interface. Map keys are unique and the map holds only one value for each key. It is represented as HashMap<key, value> or HashMap<K, V>. The hash table based implementation of HashMap does not guarantees about the order of specified data of key, value and entries of collections.

Constructors of HashMap in Kotlin -

Kotlin provides four public constructors to create a HashMap:

1. HashMap() :

It is the default constructor which constructs an empty HashMap instance.

val hashMap = HashMap<String, Int>()
println("Empty HashMap: $hashMap")

2. HashMap(initialCapacity: Int) :

It is used to construct a HashMap of specified initial capacity. If initialCapacity isn't being used then it will get ignored.

val hashMap = HashMap<String, Int>(10)

3. HashMap(initialCapacity: Int, loadFactor: Float = 0f) :

It is used to construct a HashMap of specified initial capacity and load factor. If initialCapacity and loadFactor isn't being used then both will get ignored.

Note: loadFactor is ignored in Kotlin's current implementation.

4. HashMap(original: Map <out K, V> ) :

It creates instance of HashMap with same mappings as specified map.

val original = mapOf("IronMan" to 3000, "Thor" to 100)
val copyMap = HashMap(original)
println(copyMap)

Important functions of HashMap in Kotlin -

Use of HashMap Functions -

HashMap(), HashMap(original: Map), Traversing hashmap, HashMap.get() - 

Output :

hashMap is empty : {}

hashMap : {Thor=100, HawkEye=1300, NickFury=1200, IronMan=3000, SpiderMan=1100}
hashMap : {Thor=100, HawkEye=1300, NickFury=1200, IronMan=3000, SpiderMan=1100}

Element at key Thor : 100
Element at key HawkEye : 1300
Element at key NickFury : 1200
Element at key IronMan : 3000
Element at key SpiderMan : 1100

secondHashMap : 
Element at key Thor : 100
Element at key HawkEye : 1300
Element at key IronMan : 3000
Element at key NickFury : 1200
Element at key SpiderMan : 1100

hashMap.clear()
After Clearing : {}

HashMap initial capacity, HashMap.size - 

Output:

Element at key Thor : 100
Element at key IronMan : 3000
Element at key NickFury : 1200
Element at key SpiderMan : 1100

hashMap.size : 4
hashMap.size : 5

Element at key Thor : 100
Element at key BlackWidow : 1000
Element at key IronMan : 3000
Element at key NickFury : 1200
Element at key SpiderMan : 1100

HashMap.get(key), HashMap.replace(), HashMap.put() - 

Output:

Element at key Thor : 100
Element at key Cap : 1200
Element at key IronMan : 3000
Element at key SpiderMan : 1100

hashMap["IronMan"] : 3000
hashMap.get("Thor") : 2000

hashMap.replace("Cap", 999) hashMap.replace("Thor", 2000)) :
Element at key Thor : 2000
Element at key Cap : 999
Element at key IronMan : 3000
Element at key SpiderMan : 1100

Time complexity of HashMap -

Kotlin HashMap provides constant time or O(1) complexity for basic operations like get and put, if hash function is properly written and it disperses the elements properly. In case of searching in the HashMap containsKey() is just a get() that throws away the retrieved value, it's O(1) (assuming the hash function works properly).

Some other functions of Kotlin HashMap class -

• Boolean containsKey(key: K): It returns true if map contains specifies key.
• Boolean containsValue(value: V): It returns true if map maps one of more keys to specified value.
• void clear(): It removes all elements from map.
• remove(key: K): It removes the specified key and its corresponding value from map

In Kotlin, a HashMap is a collection that stores key-value pairs. Each key in a HashMap must be unique, but values can be duplicated. The HashMap class provides methods for adding, removing, and retrieving elements, as well as checking if a key or value is present in the map.

Example of using HashMap in Kotlin:

Output:

{apple=1, banana=2, orange=3}
{apple=1, orange=3}
Contains key 'apple': true
Contains value 3: true

In this example, we create a new HashMap with String keys and Int values. We then add three key-value pairs to the HashMap using the put() method. Next, we print the entire HashMap using the println() function. We then remove the key-value pair with the key "banana" using the remove() method and print the updated HashMap. Finally, we use the containsKey() and containsValue() methods to check if the HashMap contains the key "apple" and the value 3, respectively.

Advantages of HashMap:

1. HashMap provides a flexible way to store key-value pairs and is easy to use.
2. HashMap provides efficient O(1) time complexity for basic operations such as adding, removing, and retrieving elements.
3. HashMap can be used to store a wide variety of data types, including user-defined objects.

Disadvantages of HashMap:

1. HashMap uses more memory than some other data structures because it stores both keys and values.
2. HashMap is not thread-safe by default, so concurrent access to a HashMap can cause data corruption or unexpected behavior. If you need to access a HashMap from multiple threads, you should use a thread-safe implementation or use synchronization to ensure thread safety.
3. The order of elements in a HashMap is not guaranteed, which can be a disadvantage in some cases where element ordering is important. If you need to maintain a specific order of elements, you should use a different data structure such as a LinkedHashMap.