Why I get UnsupportedOperationException when trying to remove from the List?

Question

I have this code:

public static String SelectRandomFromTemplate(String template,int count) {
        String[] split = template.split("|");
        List<String> list=Arrays.asList(split);
        Random r = new Random();
        while (list.size()>count) {
            list.remove(r.nextInt(list.size()));
        }
        return StringUtils.join(list, ", ");
    }

I get this:

06-03 15:05:29.614: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(7737): java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException
06-03 15:05:29.614: ERROR/AndroidRuntime(7737):     at java.util.AbstractList.remove(AbstractList.java:645)

How would be this the correct way? Java.15

Answer 1

Probably because you're working with unmodifiable wrapper.

Change this line:

List<String> list=Arrays.asList(split);

to this line:

List<String> list = new LinkedList (Arrays.asList(split));

Answer 2

This one has burned me many times. Arrays.asList creates an unmodifiable list. From the Javadoc: Returns a fixed-size list backed by the specified array.

Wrap it in a modifiable list:

newList.addAll(Arrays.asList(newArray));

This will create a little extra garbage, but you will me able to mutate it.

Answer 3

the list returned by Arrays.asList might be immutable. could you try

List<String> list=new ArrayList(Arrays.asList(split));

Answer 4

Just read the JavaDoc for the asList method:

Returns a {@code List} of the objects in the specified array. The size of the {@code List} cannot be modified, i.e. adding and removing are unsupported, but the elements can be set. Setting an element modifies the underlying array.

This is from Java 6 but it looks like it is the same for the android java.

EDIT

The type of the resulting list is Arrays.ArrayList, which is a private class inside Arrays.class. Practically speaking, it is nothing but a List-view on the array that you've passed with Arrays.asList. With a consequence: if you change the array, the list is changed too. And because an array is not resizeable, remove and add operation must be unsupported.

Answer 5

Arrays.asList() returns a list that doesn't allow operations affecting its size (note that this is not the same as "unmodifiable").

You could do new ArrayList<String>(Arrays.asList(split)); to create a real copy, but seeing what you are trying to do, here is an additional suggestion (you have a O(n^2) algorithm right below that).

You want to remove list.size() - count (lets call this k) random elements from the list. Just pick as many random elements and swap them to the end k positions of the list, then delete that whole range (e.g. using subList() and clear() on that). That would turn it to a lean and mean O(n) algorithm (O(k) is more precise).

Update: As noted below, this algorithm only makes sense if the elements are unordered, e.g. if the List represents a Bag. If, on the other hand, the List has a meaningful order, this algorithm would not preserve it (polygenelubricants' algorithm instead would).

Update 2: So in retrospect, a better (linear, maintaining order, but with O(n) random numbers) algorithm would be something like this:

LinkedList<String> elements = ...; //to avoid the slow ArrayList.remove()
int k = elements.size() - count; //elements to select/delete
int remaining = elements.size(); //elements remaining to be iterated
for (Iterator i = elements.iterator(); k > 0 && i.hasNext(); remaining--) {
  i.next();
  if (random.nextInt(remaining) < k) {
     //or (random.nextDouble() < (double)k/remaining)
     i.remove();
     k--;
  }
}

Answer 6

Quite a few problems with your code:

On Arrays.asList returning a fixed-size list

From the API:

Arrays.asList: Returns a fixed-size list backed by the specified array.

You can't add to it; you can't remove from it. You can't structurally modify the List.

Fix

Create a LinkedList, which supports faster remove.

List<String> list = new LinkedList<String>(Arrays.asList(split));

---

On split taking regex

From the API:

String.split(String regex): Splits this string around matches of the given regular expression.

| is a regex metacharacter; if you want to split on a literal |, you must escape it to \|, which as a Java string literal is "\\|".

Fix:

template.split("\\|")

---

On better algorithm

Instead of calling remove one at a time with random indices, it's better to generate enough random numbers in the range, and then traversing the List once with a listIterator(), calling remove() at appropriate indices. There are questions on stackoverflow on how to generate random but distinct numbers in a given range.

With this, your algorithm would be O(N).

Answer 7

This UnsupportedOperationException comes when you try to perform some operation on collection where its not allowed and in your case, When you call Arrays.asList it does not return a java.util.ArrayList. It returns a java.util.Arrays$ArrayList which is an immutable list. You cannot add to it and you cannot remove from it.