Construct an ArrayList of strings in Java as simple as one can in Javascript

Question

In JavaScript I can build an Array of string values like:

var stuff = new Array('foo','bar','baz','boz','gaz','goz');

or even easier

var stuff = 'foo,bar,baz,boz,gaz,goz'.split(',');

In Java it seems overly verbose and complex... is there an easier way than this?

ArrayList<String> stuff = new ArrayList<String>();
stuff.add("foo");
stuff.add("bar");
stuff.add("baz");
stuff.add("boz");
stuff.add("gaz");
stuff.add("goz");

In my actual scenario I have 30-40 items going into the ArrayList... I figure there just has to be an easier way! What is the obvious bit I'm overlooking?

Answer 1

List<String> strings = Arrays.asList(new String[] {"foo", "bar", "baz"}); or List<String> strings = Arrays.asList("foo,bar,baz".split(","));

Answer 2

Arrays.asList() is a good way to get a List implementation, though it is technically not an ArrayList implementation, but an internal type.

If you truly need it to be an ArrayList you could write a quick utility method:

public static List<String> create(String... items) {
    List<String> list = new ArrayList<String>(items.length);
    for (String item : items) {
        list.add(item);
    }

    return list;
}

Answer 3

If you're jamming 30-40 items into a list at compile time, that might be symptomatic of a greater ill. It depends a lot on what you're implementing. You can still use split, if you really want though. Then just do a mass insert to your list.

Answer 4

With the caveat that I'm just learning Java's Collections myself, the following compiles and runs for me:

import java.util.*;
class ArrayListStrings {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String[] stuffArray = {"foo","bar","baz","boz","gaz","goz"};
        ArrayList<String> stuff = new ArrayList<String>();
        stuff.addAll(Arrays.asList(stuffArray));
        for (int i = 0; i < stuff.toArray().length; i++)
            System.out.println(stuff.toArray()[i]);   
    }
}

The output is:

foo
bar
baz
boz
gaz
goz

Answer 5

how abt the below code using http://code.google.com/p/guava-libraries/

import static com.google.common.collect.Lists.*;

List<String> stuff = newArrayList("foo","bar","baz","boz","gaz","goz");