How does ListIterator work
Christopher Lucas
Published Apr 01, 2026
This method used to return a list iterator over the elements in this list (in proper sequence), starting at the specified position in the list. The specified index indicates the first element that would be returned by an initial call to next.
What is the significance of ListIterator?
In Java, ListIterator is an interface in Collection API. It extends Iterator interface. To support Forward and Backward Direction iteration and CRUD operations, it has the following methods. We can use this Iterator for all List implemented classes like ArrayList, CopyOnWriteArrayList, LinkedList, Stack, Vector, etc.
What are iterators explain with an example?
An Iterator is an object that can be used to loop through collections, like ArrayList and HashSet. It is called an “iterator” because “iterating” is the technical term for looping. To use an Iterator, you must import it from the java.
Where we can use ListIterator?
ListIterator must be used when we want to enumerate elements of List. This cursor has more functionality(methods) than iterator. ListIterator object can be created by calling listIterator() method present in List interface.Why ListIterator has ADD method?
ListIterator lets u add an element after the element which it has recently read. As adding an element to a List is a less expensive operation ( because it allows duplicates ) addition is allowed. The iterator does not need to traverse the list back and forth while inserting into a list.
What is ListIterator interface in Java?
The ListIterator interface of the Java collections framework provides the functionality to access elements of a list. It is bidirectional. This means it allows us to iterate elements of a list in both the direction. It extends the Iterator interface.
Can we use ListIterator in set?
While a ListIterator can be used to traverse for List-type Objects, but not for Set-type of Objects.
Is ListIterator Fail Safe?
Contrary to fail-fast Iterator, fail-safe iterator doesn’t throw any Exception if Collection is modified structurally while one thread is Iterating over it because they work on clone of Collection instead of original collection and that’s why they are called as fail-safe iterator.What is the difference between ListIterator and Iterator?
The major difference between Iterator and ListIterator is that Iterator can traverse the elements in the collection only in forward direction whereas, the ListIterator can traverse the elements in a collection in both the forward as well as the backwards direction.
Which package contains all collection classes?The utility package, (java. util) contains all the classes and interfaces that are required by the collection framework.
Article first time published onWhat iterator can throw a ConcurrentModificationException?
Fail-Fast iterators immediately throw ConcurrentModificationException if there is structural modification of the collection. Structural modification means adding, removing any element from collection while a thread is iterating over that collection.
How do you sort an ArrayList?
Approach: An ArrayList can be Sorted by using the sort() method of the Collections Class in Java. This sort() method takes the collection to be sorted as the parameter and returns a Collection sorted in the Ascending Order by default.
How do you find the current value of iterators?
- It would make a typical iterator object bigger; i.e. an extra field to hold the current object.
- It would mean more 1 more method for an Iterator class to implement.
How does ListIterator work in Java?
Java ArrayList listIterator() method The listIterator () method of Java ArrayList returns a list iterator over the elements in this list starting at the specified position in this list. The specified index indicates the first element that would be returned by an initial call to next.
How do you add iterators?
- import java.util.ArrayList;
- import java.util.Iterator;
- import java.util.LinkedList;
- import java.util.List;
- import java.util.ListIterator;
- public class JavaListIteratoraddExample1 {
- public static void main(String[] args) {
- List<String> li = new ArrayList<>();
Why do iterators not have an Add method?
The sole purpose of an Iterator is to enumerate through a collection. All collections contain the add() method to serve your purpose. There would be no point in adding to an Iterator because the collection may or may not be ordered (in the case of a HashSet ).
Can we use ListIterator in TreeSet?
You can’t do this directly with a TreeSet iterator, since it offers access only via an ordinary Iterator instead of a ListIterator . However, a TreeSet implements the NavigableSet interface, which lets you step through the elements in order, in either direction.
What is the relationship between Iterator and ListIterator interface?
An Iterator is an interface in Java and we can traverse the elements of a list in a forward direction whereas a ListIterator is an interface that extends the Iterator interface and we can traverse the elements in both forward and backward directions.
How does ArrayList increase in size?
The ArrayList size increases dynamically because whenever the ArrayList class requires to resize then it will create a new array of bigger size and copies all the elements from the old array to the new array.
What is a hash set in Java?
HashSet is a data type in Java that is used to create a mathematical set. HashSet is part of the Java Collections framework and allows you to store data using the hash table data type.
Can we iterate HashMap?
There is a numerous number of ways to iterate over HashMap of which 5 are listed as below: Iterate through a HashMap EntrySet using Iterators. Iterate through HashMap KeySet using Iterator. Iterate HashMap using for-each loop.
Which element does the ListIterator method set replace in a list?
The set() method of ListIterator interface is used to replace the last element which is returned by the next() or previous() along with the given element. The call can be added only if neither remove() nor add(E) method have been called.
What interface handles sequences?
Explanation: Set interface extends collection interface to handle sets, which must contain unique elements.
Can we use ListIterator in ArrayList?
A ListIterator can be used to traverse the elements in the forward direction as well as the reverse direction in the List Collection. So the ListIterator is only valid for classes such as LinkedList, ArrayList etc.
Does map interface extend collection interface?
The Map is a well-known data structure used to store key-value pairs where keys will be unique. … The Collection is further extended by List , Queue and Set which has their different-different implementations but the unique thing notice is that the Map interface doesn’t extend Collection interface.
How do I get rid of ConcurrentModificationException?
We can also avoid the Concurrent Modification Exception in a single threaded environment. We can use the remove() method of Iterator to remove the object from the underlying collection object. But in this case, you can remove only the same object and not any other object from the list.
How does ConcurrentHashMap iterator work?
Despite javadoc, ConcurrentHashMap Iterator does NOT return a snapshot, it operates on live concurrent hash table handling all concurrency cases optimistically, in the same way all lock-free data structures do. Basically, it contains reference to current hashtable, bin index in that hashtable and last returned Node.
Is LinkedList fail-fast?
LinkedList – fail-safe or fail-fast iteration using iterator, listIterator, Enumeration and enhanced for loop in java. … iterator returned by LinkedList is fail-fast. Means any structural modification made to LinkedList like adding or removing elements during Iteration will throw java.
What is false constructor?
What is false about constructor? Explanation: The constructor cannot have a return type. It should create and return new objects. Hence it would give a compilation error.
What is the difference between collection and collections?
CollectionCollectionsIt is an interface.It is a utility class.It is used to represent a group of individual objects as a single unit.It defines several utility methods that are used to operate on collection.
What are the two ways to iterate the elements of a collection?
- Using enhanced For loop.
- Using Iterator method.
- Using Simple For loop.
- Using forEach method.