groovy

ArrayList.remove not consistent with subscript notation

Details

  • Type: Improvement Improvement
  • Status: Open Open
  • Priority: Minor Minor
  • Resolution: Unresolved
  • Affects Version/s: 1.5.6
  • Fix Version/s: None
  • Component/s: groovy-jdk
  • Labels:
    None
  • Environment:
    linux
  • Number of attachments :
    0

Description

Running the following code:

def list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
println list[-1] //Displays 5
list.remove(-1) //Throws exception. Should be consistent with above
println list //Never gets here due to exception but the expected output is [1, 2, 3, 4]

produces unexpected results. I would expect list.remove to be able to accept negative indices, just as the [] notation allows me to.

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Brad Long added a comment - - edited

It looks like the correct behaviour to me. The remove method is defined here http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17409_01/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/List.html#remove%28int%29 by the Java API. Whilst remove is consistent with Java, [] (on a list) is Groovy with Groovy rules.

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Brad Long added a comment - - edited It looks like the correct behaviour to me. The remove method is defined here http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17409_01/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/List.html#remove%28int%29 by the Java API. Whilst remove is consistent with Java, [] (on a list) is Groovy with Groovy rules.
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Paul King added a comment -

I tend to agree. We usually do not alter Java behavior without a very good reason.

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Paul King added a comment - I tend to agree. We usually do not alter Java behavior without a very good reason.
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John Wagenleitner added a comment -

I too think the documented Java behavior should remain intact. As it stands now in Groovy, the get/set methods on List do not accept negative indices and I think remove should be consistent with those methods.

I think that the most common use case for a negative index on List#remove would be to remove the last element as illustrated in the description of this issue, and for that Groovy provides pop().

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John Wagenleitner added a comment - I too think the documented Java behavior should remain intact. As it stands now in Groovy, the get / set methods on List do not accept negative indices and I think remove should be consistent with those methods. I think that the most common use case for a negative index on List#remove would be to remove the last element as illustrated in the description of this issue, and for that Groovy provides pop() .

People

  • Assignee:
    Unassigned
    Reporter:
    Tin Pavlinic
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Dates

  • Created:
    Updated: