Sort a list with a lambda expression

  The Java code snippet shows a class Answer with a method sortList that sorts a list of Item objects based on their price using a lambda expression. 

Here's the full code with some explanations and a test example added:

import java.util.ArrayList;

import java.util.List;

class Answer {

    // Change these boolean values to control whether you see

    // the expected answer and/or hints.

    static boolean showExpectedResult = false;

    static boolean showHints = false;

    // Return the largest number in the 'numbers' array.

    static List<Item> sortList(List<Item> items) {

        List<Item> result = new ArrayList<>(items);

        // Sort the result list using a lambda expression.

        result.sort((a, b) -> Float.compare(a.getPrice(), b.getPrice()));

        return result;

    }

    public static class Item {

        int id;

        String name;

        float price;

        public Item(int id, String name, float price) {

            this.id = id;

            this.name = name;

            this.price = price;

        }

        public int getId() {

            return id;

        }

        public void setId(int id) {

            this.id = id;

        }

        public String getName() {

            return name;

        }

        public void setName(String name) {

            this.name = name;

        }

        public float getPrice() {

            return price;

        }

        public void setPrice(float price) {

            this.price = price;

        }

        @Override

        public String toString() {

            return "[" + this.id + ", " + this.name + ", " + this.price + "]";

        }

    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        // Create a list of items

        List<Item> items = List.of(

            new Item(1, "Item1", 10.0f),

            new Item(2, "Item2", 5.0f),

            new Item(3, "Item3", 20.0f)

        );

        // Sort the list by price

        List<Item> sortedItems = sortList(items);

        // Print sorted items

        System.out.println("Sorted Items:");

        sortedItems.forEach(System.out::println);

    }

}

Explanation

1. Sorting with Lambda Expression:

   • result.sort((a, b) -> Float.compare(a.getPrice(), b.getPrice())); sorts the result list of Item objects based on the price attribute. The Float.compare method is used to handle the comparison of float values correctly.

2. Item Class:

   • The Item class has attributes id, name, and price. It includes getters and setters, a constructor for initialization, and a toString method to provide a readable string representation of the object.

3. Test Example in main Method:

   • The main method demonstrates how to use the sortList method by creating a list of Item objects, sorting them, and printing the sorted list.

Key Points

• Lambda Expression: In the result.sort method, the lambda expression (a, b) -> Float.compare(a.getPrice(), b.getPrice()) is used to compare the prices of two Item objects.
• Sorting Method: The sort method modifies the list in place, so the sorted list is returned and can be used directly.