org.apache.commons.collections
Interface Buffer

All Superinterfaces:

java.util.Collection

All Known Implementing Classes:

ArrayStack, BinaryHeap, BoundedFifoBuffer, UnboundedFifoBuffer

public interface Buffer

extends java.util.Collection

A Buffer is a collection that allows objects to be removed in some well-defined order. The removal order can be based on insertion order (eg, a FIFO queue or a LIFO stack), on access order (eg, an LRU cache), on some arbitrary comparator (eg, a priority queue) or on any other well-defined ordering.

Note that the removal order is not necessarily the same as the iteration order. A Buffer implementation may have equivalent removal and iteration orders, but this is not required.

This interface does not specify any behavior for Object.equals(Object) and Object.hashCode() methods. It is therefore possible for a Buffer implementation to also also implement List, Set or Bag.

Since:

2.1

Version:

$Id: Buffer.java,v 1.3.2.1 2004/05/22 12:14:01 scolebourne Exp $

Author:

Avalon, Berin Loritsch, Paul Jack, Stephen Colebourne

Method Summary

java.lang.Object	get() Returns the next object in the buffer without removing it.
java.lang.Object	remove() Removes the next object from the buffer.

Methods inherited from interface java.util.Collection

add, addAll, clear, contains, containsAll, equals, hashCode, isEmpty, iterator, remove, removeAll, retainAll, size, toArray, toArray

Method Detail

remove

public java.lang.Object remove()

Removes the next object from the buffer.

Returns:

the removed object

Throws:

BufferUnderflowException - if the buffer is already empty

get

public java.lang.Object get()

Returns the next object in the buffer without removing it.

Returns:

the next object in the buffer

Throws:

BufferUnderflowException - if the buffer is empty