Exploring Java 21’s Intriguing Additions: Unveiling New Features (Part 1)

Introduction:

Java 21 is going to introduce several intriguing additions that enhance the language's capabilities.

This article aims to discuss a few notable features that stand out, providing an overview of their functionalities and potential use cases.

Character Enhancements:

1. Character.isEmoji(int codePoint): This method determines whether a character is considered an emoji based on its Unicode properties defined in Unicode Emoji (Unicode Emoji Technical Standard #51). For example, executing Character.isEmoji(9203) would return true for the character ⏳, which has the code point 9203.
2. Character.isEmojiPresentation(int codePoint): Similar to isEmoji(), this method checks if a character has the Emoji Presentation property. It helps identify characters that display as emojis when rendered.

Example:

boolean isEmoji = Character.isEmoji(9203);
System.out.println(isEmoji);

The output will be true because the character with code point 9203 (⏳) is considered an emoji.

You can find more details about these methods in the Java documentation.

StringBuffer and StringBuilder Improvements:

Java 21 enhances the StringBuffer and StringBuilder classes with the repeat() method, which allows repetitive concatenation of characters or character sequences. The two overloaded versions of repeat() are as follows:

1. StringBuffer.repeat(int codePoint, int count): Repeats count copies of the string representation of the specified codePoint argument in the StringBuffer sequence. For instance, executing buffer.repeat(9203, 5) would append ⏳ five times to the StringBuffer, resulting in "⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳".
2. StringBuffer.repeat(CharSequence cs, int count): Appends count copies of the specified CharSequence cs to the StringBuffer. Similarly, these methods are also available in the StringBuilder class.

Example:

var buffer = new StringBuffer();
buffer.repeat(9203, 5);
System.out.println(buffer);

The output will be ⏳⏳⏳⏳⏳, as the code point 9203 (⏳) is repeated five times using the repeat() method.

String Enhancements:

Java 21 introduces two new methods in the String class, namely indexOf(String str, int beginIndex, int endIndex) and indexOf(int ch, int beginIndex, int endIndex), which expand the searching capabilities within a specified range of a string.

1. String.indexOf(String str, int beginIndex, int endIndex): Returns the index of the first occurrence of the specified substring within the given index range of the string. This method provides the same result as invoking s.substring(beginIndex, endIndex).indexOf(str) + beginIndex. If the indexOf(String) method returns a non-negative index, it is returned; otherwise, -1 is returned.
2. String.indexOf(int ch, int beginIndex, int endIndex): Returns the index of the first occurrence of the specified character within the given range of the string. The search starts at beginIndex and stops before endIndex. This method supports characters in the range from 0 to 0xFFFF, as well as other Unicode code points.

Java 21 also enhances the String class with a splitWithDelimiters(String regex, int limit) method. This method splits a string based on a given regular expression and returns both the strings and the matching delimiters. For example:

var booAndFoo = "boo:::and::foo";
String[] splits = booAndFoo.splitWithDelimiters(":+", 3);
System.out.println("splits = " + Arrays.toString(splits));

The output will be: splits = [boo, :::, and, ::, foo], where the string is split around the :+ delimiter, limiting the result to a maximum of three splits.

Collections Framework Enhancements:

Java 21 introduces several new methods in the Collections class that enhance the Collections Framework's functionality.

1. Collections.newSequencedSetFromMap(SequencedMap<E, Boolean> map): This method returns a SequencedSet backed by the specified SequencedMap. The resulting set maintains the ordering, concurrency, and performance characteristics of the backing map. This enables developers to obtain a SequencedSet implementation corresponding to any SequencedMap implementation.
2. Collections.shuffle(List<?> list, RandomGenerator rnd): This method randomly permutes the elements of the specified list using the provided source of randomness. The permutations occur with equal likelihood, assuming a fair source of randomness.
3. Collections.unmodifiableSequencedCollection(SequencedCollection<? extends T> c): Returns an unmodifiable view of the specified SequencedCollection. It allows read-only access to the underlying collection, throwing an UnsupportedOperationException if modification is attempted.
4. Collections.unmodifiableSequencedSet(SequencedSet<? extends T> s): Returns an unmodifiable view of the specified SequencedSet, providing read-only access to the set while disallowing modifications.
5. Collections.unmodifiableSequencedMap(SequencedMap<? extends K, ? extends V> m): Similar to the previous methods, this returns an unmodifiable view of the specified SequencedMap, allowing read-only operations.

SequencedCollection and SequencedMap are new interfaces introduced in Java 21 that preserve the order of elements and entries, respectively.

To know more about Sequence Collection, read my news item on infoQ: Collections Framework Makeover.

HashMap and HashSet Improvements:

Java 21 introduces convenient factory methods for creating HashMap and HashSet instances.

1. Collections.newHashMap(int numMappings): Creates a new, empty HashMap suitable for the expected number of mappings. The map uses a default load factor of 0.75, and its initial capacity is typically large enough to accommodate the expected number of mappings without requiring resizing.
2. Collections.newHashSet(int numElements): Creates a new, empty HashSet suitable for the expected number of elements. The set also uses a default load factor of 0.75, with an initial capacity that can accommodate the expected number of elements efficiently.

Conclusion

If you want to experiment with these new features can download the OpenJDK from the OpenJDK JDK 21 Early-Access Builds.

Another alternative is to use SDKMan, a software development kit manager, to download and manage different versions of Java. SDKMan can be used via the command line, which can make the process easier for developers who prefer this method.

However, these are early-access builds, so they may not be as stable as the final release, scheduled for September 2023, and are intended for testing and feedback purposes.

Nonetheless, Java 21 introduces various exciting language and collections framework additions. The new methods related to character properties, string manipulation, and collections provide developers with enhanced functionality and flexibility in their code. These additions aim to improve the productivity and performance of Java developers.

Note: To explore the complete set of new functionalities introduced in Java 21, stay tuned for future articles discussing additional features.