Combine ArrayLists and sort

[Jennifer Sohl]

Hi. I have a couple of classes I have created that contain getter and setter methods for the variables I have defined in them.
These classes are called INBlankData and INAllocData.
In another class called INVData, I have defined the above two classes as ArrayList variables, which have methods that set the elements and return the elements.
So I have an ArrayList of INBlankData objects and INAllocData objects.
Now, I want to take these two ArrayLists and combine them into one. Then I want to be able to sort this new ArrayList which would be a
combination of the INBlankData objects and the INAllocData objects.
Both of the INBlankData and INAllocData objects have a common variable in them which is a date.
Is there any way I can sort the data in the new ArrayList by this variable??
Or is there a better way of doing this? Before, I tried getting all of the data combined together by doing it in a SQL statement, but it became too complex, I couldn't even think of how to do it in SQL.
Sorry if this is confusing. I'm pretty stumped, so it's hard for me to explain.
Thanks for any help!

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

This is not too hard to do.
1) Call arrayList1.addAll(arrayList2) to combine the lists.
2) Implement a java.util.Comparator object that can properly compare the two types of object. The comparator may have to use "instanceof" to figure out what kind of object each of the arguments to compare() is.
3) Then use the static method java.util.Collections.sort(List, Comparator) to sort the combined ArrayList.

[Maulin Vasavada]

hi Jennifer
i guess i understand ur problem.
from ur requirement it seems INBlankData and INAllocData objects are related via 'date' right? meaning they have this 'must' common variable.
u can do following probably,
- create an abstract class INData and put the date field in there and get/set methods for it etc in there. remember u dont have to create any methods which are abstract if u want. just declare the class to be abstract.
- make INData implementing Comparable OR make it extend Comparator and implement appropriate compare() method based on date field
- inherit INBlankData and INAllocData from that class and u r done i guess
regards
maulin

[Maulin Vasavada]

or yes as Eric suggested u can use Comparator with two object types and then do some little magic and all...
but if u really see common behavior (as from name of IN*Data u have) then its better to make some abstraction or interface and work from there...
regards
maulin

[Maulin Vasavada]

oh Sorry!. its Ernest i wanted to write
regards
maulin

[Jennifer Sohl]

Hi! Thanks for the replies. I have my data all in one class now
called StockAvailable.
However I am a bit confused on how the sorting works. This is a class that
implements Comparator , but I didn't get very far before I found out I have no clue how to write a comparator class. I've looked at various examples, but I don't understand them.

public class StockComparer implements Comparator {
         public StockComparer() {
            super();
         }
         public int compare(Object o1, Object o2) {
            StockAvailable sa1 = (StockAvail)o1;
            StockAvailable sa2 = (StockAvail)o2;
            ....  ??
         }
       }

Now what do I do? How do I pull the date field out of this class?
What am I comparing it to?
Also, can I sort on a date in StockAvail, and then have a secondary sort on an order number from StockAvail?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks again!
[ August 14, 2003: Message edited by: Jennifer Sohl ]

[Ernest Friedman-Hill]

We don't know how to get the Date field out of your StockAvailable class, because we haven't seen it!

[Jennifer Sohl]

Oops. Here it is!

public class StockAvail {
private String partNo;
private String custCode,opDiv;
private String po;
private java.util.Date shipAvail,schedShip,prodSched,eventDate,backordDate;
private int blktOrd,shipOrd;
private int boQtyOrd;
private int shipOrdQty;
private int boQtyShpd, boQtyCmp, boQtyNotCmp,boQtyOH;
private String shipName,shipCity,shipState;
private int availBal;
/**
*  Sets part number
*/
public void setPartNo(String partNo) {
this.partNo = partNo;
}
/**
*  Returns part number
*/
public String getPartNo() {
return partNo;
}
/**
*  Sets customer code
*/
public void setCustCode(String custCode) {
this.custCode = custCode;
}
/**
*  Returns customer code
*/
public String getCustCode() {
return custCode;
}
/**
*  Sets operating division
*/
public void setOpDiv(String opDiv) {
this.opDiv = opDiv;
}
/**
*  Returns operating division
*/
public String getOpDiv() {
return opDiv;
}
/**
*  Sets purchase order (Only if blanket order record)
*/
public void setPO(String po) {
this.po = po;
}
/**
* Returns purchase order
*/
public String getPO() {
return po;
}
/**
*  Sets ship availability date (Only if blanket order record)
*/
public void setShipAvail(java.util.Date shipAvail) {
this.shipAvail = shipAvail;
}
/**
*  Returns ship availability date
*/
public java.util.Date getShipAvail() {
return shipAvail;
}
/**
*  Sets Schedule ship date (Only if allocation or backorder record)
*/
public void setSchedShip(java.util.Date schedShip) {
this.schedShip = schedShip;
}
/**
*  Returns schedule ship date
*/
public java.util.Date getSchedShip() {
return schedShip;
}
/**
*  Sets Production Schedule Date
*  Only if blanket order record and no ship avail date
*/
public void setProdSched(java.util.Date prodSched) {
this.prodSched = prodSched;
}
/**
*  Returns production schedule date
*/
public java.util.Date getProdSched() {
return prodSched;
}
/**
*  Sets event date
*  If blanket order record and no ship avail this is the prodsched date
*  If blanket order record and there is ship avail, this is the ship avail date
*  If allocation record this is the scheduled ship date
*  If backorder record this is the scheduled ship date
*  The data in this class will be sorted by this date.
*/
public void setEventDate(java.util.Date eventDate) {
this.eventDate = eventDate;
}
/**
*  Returns event date
*/
public java.util.Date getEventDate() {
return eventDate;
}
/**
*  Sets backorder date.
*  If not a backorder record, this date will be null
*/
public void setBackordDate(java.util.Date backord) {
this.backordDate = backordDate;
}
/**
*  Returns backorder date
*/
public java.util.Date getBackordDate() {
return backordDate;
}
/**
*  Sets blanket order number (Only if blanket order record)
*/
public void setBlktOrd(int blktOrd) {
this.blktOrd = blktOrd;
}
/**
*  Returns blanket order number
*/
public int getBlktOrd() {
return blktOrd;
}
/**
*  Sets ship order number
*  (Only if allocation or backorder record)
*/
public void setShipOrd(int shipOrd) {
this.shipOrd = shipOrd;
}
/**
*  Returns ship order number
*/
public int getShipOrd() {
return shipOrd;
}
/**
*  Returns quantity ordered for blanket order
*/
public void setBoQtyOrd(int boQtyOrd) {
this.boQtyOrd = boQtyOrd;
}
/**
*  Returns quantity ordered for blanket order
*/
public int getBoQtyOrd() {
return boQtyOrd;
}
/**
*  If allocation order - sets quantity allocated
*  If backorder - sets quantity backordered
*/
public void setShipOrdQty(int shipOrdQty) {
this.shipOrdQty = shipOrdQty;
}
/**
*  Returns ship order quantity
*/
public int getShipOrdQty() {
return shipOrdQty;
}
/**
*  Sets quantity shipped for blanket order
*/
public void setBoQtyShpd(int boQtyShpd) {
this.boQtyShpd = boQtyShpd;
}
/**
*  Returns quantity shipped
*/
public int getBoQtyShpd() {
return boQtyShpd;
}
/**
* Sets quantity complete for blanket order
*/
public void setBoQtyCmp(int boQtyCmp) {
this.boQtyCmp = boQtyCmp;
}
/**
*  Returns quantity complete for blanket order
*/
public int getBoQtyCmp() {
return boQtyCmp;
}
/**
*  Returns quantity not complete for blanket order
*/
public int getQtyNotCmp() {
return boQtyOrd - boQtyShpd;
}
/**
*  Sets quantity on hand for blanket order.
*/
public void setBoQtyOH(int boQtyOH) {
this.boQtyOH = boQtyOH;
}
/**
*  Returns quantity on hand for blanket order
*/
public int getBoQtyOH() {
return boQtyOH;
}
/**
*  Sets ship to name for allocation/backorder record
*/
public void setShipName(String shipName) {
this.shipName = shipName;
}
/**
*  Returns ship to name
*/
public String getShipName() {
return shipName;
}
/**
*  Sets ship to city for allocation/backorder record
*/
public void setShipCity(String shipCity) {
this.shipCity = shipCity;
}
/**
*  Returns ship to city
*/
public String getShipCity() {
return shipCity;
}
/**
*  Sets ship to state for allocation/backorder record
*/
public void setShipState(String shipState) {
this.shipState = shipState;
}
/**
*  Returns ship to state
*/
public String getShipState() {
return shipState;
}
/**
*  Sets available balance for this record
*/
public void setAvailBal(int availBal) {
this.availBal = availBal;
}
/**
*  Returns available balance for this record
*/
public int getAvailBal() {
return availBal;
}
}