Java/Comparable

Main article: Comparators vs Comparable

Comparable is the interface that is implemented in order for objects to be comparable using operators like < > == etc.

https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/lang/Comparable.html

This is a generic type interface, and can be used to define a class that can be compared using custom criteria. For example, we can organize a list according to a very specific method of ordering (right-to-left, filling in with "ghost" titles, as in the Classy problem), or according to custom criteria like when a Cartesian (x,y) point would be visited by a space-filling curve, as with the Hilbert Sort problem.

Comparable example

Here is an example implemented for an (x,y) Cartesian point that compares two points by saying a > b if the line connecting a to b is positive, and a < b if the line connecting a to b is negative.

To do this, we just take delta x times delta y. If one or the other is negative, the slope is negative. If both or neither is negative, the slope is positive.

public class Point extends Comparable<Point> {
    double x, y;
    public int compareTo(Point p2) {
        return (this.x - p2.x) * (this.y - p2.y);
    }
}

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See also:

• Template:DataStructuresFlag
• Template:AlgorithmsFlag