using item in arraylist as order

ok, this is my problem.
i got a hashmap(dados), as the values of this hasmap, I got arraylists.

I'm having a great fight with java here.

thats b'cuz I need to sort the hashmap, according to one item of the arraylist.

what i'm trying to do right now is:

for (int q = 1; q <= 12; q++){
MesPorDado.add(q);
}
Collection dados_collection = dados.values();
ArrayList[] dados_array = (ArrayList[]) dados_collection.toArray(new ArrayList[0]);
for (int x = 0; x < dados.size(); x++){
ArrayList Valor = dados_array[x];
//usa o mes como �ndice, para quardar o valor do �ndice real.
BigDecimal mes = (BigDecimal) Valor.get(5);
Integer Posicao = mes.intValue();
Posicao--;
MesPorDado.set(Posicao, x);
}
//percorre o mapa de dados buscando cada mes em sequ�ncia, usando a rela��o estabelecida no mapa MesPorDado
System.out.println(MesPorDado);
for(int i = 0; i < dados.size(); i++){

Collection series = dados.values();
Integer IndiceBD = (Integer) MesPorDado.get(i);
Integer Indice = IndiceBD;
ArrayList[] array = (ArrayList[]) series.toArray(new ArrayList[0]);
ArrayList Valor = array[Indice];
BigDecimal Soma_MargemA = (BigDecimal) Valor.get(0);
BigDecimal Soma_MargemB = (BigDecimal) Valor.get(1);
BigDecimal Soma_MargemC = (BigDecimal) Valor.get(2);
BigDecimal Soma_MargemD = (BigDecimal) Valor.get(3);
BigDecimal Soma_MargemE = (BigDecimal) Valor.get(4);
BigDecimal bigDecimalCatega = (BigDecimal) Valor.get(5);
Integer Catega = bigDecimalCatega.intValue();
String Mes = "";
String[] meses = {"JAN", "FEV", "MAR", "ABR", "MAI", "JUN", "JUL", "AGO", "SET", "OUT", "NOV", "DEZ"};
String mes = meses [Catega-1];
}
if (Mostra_Margem_A)
dataset.addValue(Soma_MargemA, "Margem A", Mes);
if (Mostra_Margem_B)
dataset.addValue(Soma_MargemB, "Margem B", Mes);
if (Mostra_Margem_C)
dataset.addValue(Soma_MargemC, "Margem C", Mes);
if (Mostra_Margem_D)
dataset.addValue(Soma_MargemD, "Margem D", Mes);
if (Mostra_Margem_E)
dataset.addValue(Soma_MargemE, "Margem E", Mes);

}

but I really (Really.) think that I make it easier.

the argument dados(HashMap) is my "master" Hashmap. and sorry if the comments and variable names are in portuguese, i'm brazilian.

You can't sort a HashMap. There are other Map implementations which can be sorted, see this interface.

it needs to be a hashmap.

Originally posted by Lucas Franceschi:
it needs to be a hashmap.

Well, something somewhere has to give, because by definition, the keys (and values) in a HashMap are not sorted in any user-controlled way, and there's nothing you can do about that.

Can you make a new collection containing the sorted keys (or values, I'm confused?)

Can you use TreeMap, which lets you store your data sorted?

ok, I understand.

But the case is that I dont need to have an sorted HashMap, I only need to be able to read it in order(ordering it by the [5] position on the arraylists.)

anyuone got any soggestions on how to do that?

Originally posted by Lucas Franceschi:
ok, I understand.

But the case is that I dont need to have an sorted HashMap, I only need to be able to read it in order(ordering it by the [5] position on the arraylists.)

anyuone got any soggestions on how to do that?

You can't directly iterate over the entries in a Hashmap. You need to extract either the values, keys or key/value pairs into a Collection of some sort, which I think is what you have already done.

ok joanne, I appreciate the help, I just wanted to know if there was something else to be done.
thanks you all guys, helped me a lot.

i'm closing the topic...

well I think i'm newbie, and I can't close the topic, so please, this topic is no more useful, please do not waste your time with this...
I appeciate the help I got, but that will not be necessary anymore.

We don't close threads unless there is something wrong with them. They simply disappear into the shadows until somebody comes along years later and posts a reply!

ok, i'm jsut starting at javaranch.

No worries Lucas, we like to keep threads around so that people who perform searches can find solutions to similar problems, happy coding!