How to Convert an Array to a Set in Java

I would like to convert an array to a Set in Java. There are some obvious ways of doing this (i.e. with a loop) but I would like something a bit neater, something like:

java.util.Arrays.asList(Object[] a);

Any ideas?

0

19 Answers

Like this:

Set<T> mySet = new HashSet<>(Arrays.asList(someArray));

In Java 9+, if unmodifiable set is ok:

Set<T> mySet = Set.of(someArray);

In Java 10+, the generic type parameter can be inferred from the arrays component type:

var mySet = Set.of(someArray);

Be careful

Set.of throws IllegalArgumentException - if there are any duplicate elements in someArray. See more details: (E...)

17
Set<T> mySet = new HashSet<T>();
Collections.addAll(mySet, myArray);

That's Collections.addAll(java.util.Collection, T...) from JDK 6.

Additionally: what if our array is full of primitives?

For JDK < 8, I would just write the obvious for loop to do the wrap and add-to-set in one pass.

For JDK >= 8, an attractive option is something like:

Arrays.stream(intArray).boxed().collect(Collectors.toSet());
9

With Guava you can do:

T[] array = ...
Set<T> set = Sets.newHashSet(array);
3

Java 8:

String[] strArray = {"eins", "zwei", "drei", "vier"};

Set<String> strSet = Arrays.stream(strArray).collect(Collectors.toSet());
System.out.println(strSet);
// [eins, vier, zwei, drei]
4

Varargs will work too!

Stream.of(T... values).collect(Collectors.toSet());
1

Java 8

We have the option of using Stream as well. We can get stream in various ways:

Set<String> set = Stream.of("A", "B", "C", "D").collect(Collectors.toCollection(HashSet::new));
System.out.println(set);

String[] stringArray = {"A", "B", "C", "D"};
Set<String> strSet1 = Arrays.stream(stringArray).collect(Collectors.toSet());
System.out.println(strSet1);

// if you need HashSet then use below option.
Set<String> strSet2 = Arrays.stream(stringArray).collect(Collectors.toCollection(HashSet::new));
System.out.println(strSet2);

The source code of Collectors.toSet() shows that elements are added one by one to a HashSet but specification does not guarantee it will be a HashSet.

"There are no guarantees on the type, mutability, serializability, or thread-safety of the Set returned."

So it is better to use the later option. The output is: [A, B, C, D] [A, B, C, D] [A, B, C, D]

Sophia Al-Mansoor

Sophia Al-Mansoor

Global Business & E-Commerce Reporter

Sophia analyzes international trade, startup ecosystems, retail transformation, and supply chain logistics for modern digital publications.