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Java Memory Management
I realize this is probably an easy one, but I have just started learning Java in earnest. According to my book on Java 1.1, it seems there is no such thing as dynamic memory allocation, and therefore no dynamic arrays. I want to create an image viewer that loads a series of images into an array, but I don't want the array size to be hardcoded. Rather I want to pass the array size by HTML parameter. Can I do this? How do I do this?
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1 Solution
public ImageClass[] loadImages(int nrImages) {
ImageClass icarray[] = new ImageClass[nrImages];
for(int i=0; i<nrImages; i++) {
/* or something completely similar */
icarray[i] = loadImage(i);
}
/* and retunr the array so created */
return icarray;
}
Sure there is. In fact, it's all Java does. If you are passing in a number via a parameter to indicate how many images are going to be in an image array you would do the following:
get the parameter (assume the value winds up in imgnum) then:
Image imagearray[]=new Image[imgnum];
and voila you have an array of images with imgnum elements.
get the parameter (assume the value winds up in imgnum) then:
Image imagearray[]=new Image[imgnum];
and voila you have an array of images with imgnum elements.
I understand how to pass parameters and create arrays, but I need to dynamicall create an array, whose size is passed as a text string into the applet...I won't know the size of the array before the init method is fired, and I may not know until after! thanks.
I'm not clear on the problem then. There certainly isn't any constraint on when you execute a line like:
Image imagearray[]=new Image[imgnum];
You can do it at the beginning of init, at the end, or in any other method. The imagearray could be a class variable (static) a member variable, or an automatic. It makes no difference. So you should be able to do this whenever you find out what size the array needs to be.
That's about as dynamic as it gets. The opposite is static, which is what a C compiler does for external array declarations like:
int intarray[50];
It reserves 50*sizeof(int) bytes of memory in the static data space before the program ever even gets control.
Are you in fact wondering how to convert a string to a number? Also no problem, use one of the parseInt methods in the Integer class.
If that still doesn't help, please clarify the problem.
Image imagearray[]=new Image[imgnum];
You can do it at the beginning of init, at the end, or in any other method. The imagearray could be a class variable (static) a member variable, or an automatic. It makes no difference. So you should be able to do this whenever you find out what size the array needs to be.
That's about as dynamic as it gets. The opposite is static, which is what a C compiler does for external array declarations like:
int intarray[50];
It reserves 50*sizeof(int) bytes of memory in the static data space before the program ever even gets control.
Are you in fact wondering how to convert a string to a number? Also no problem, use one of the parseInt methods in the Integer class.
If that still doesn't help, please clarify the problem.
My only question now concerns Java's ability to dynamically expand arrays, say, like VB's Redim statement. I have read something about a java Vector class, and I think this might also provide a solution. Thanks.
Yes, correct. The Vector class provides dynamic expansion for you. It exacts a price though. Each access to an element has to be done through a method call.
An intermediate solution is to do a "Vector" yourself by allocating a bigger array, when needed, and copying the existing elements across using System.arraycopy.
An intermediate solution is to do a "Vector" yourself by allocating a bigger array, when needed, and copying the existing elements across using System.arraycopy.
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java.util.Vector class.
It implements a dynamic collection of objects which can be indexed, enumerated and etc. It extends its internal size each time it is necessary, transparently to the developer.
If you want ot use a key assigned to the object (image) you can use a Hashtable as well.
Cheers,
Nikolay