Java HashMap putIfAbsent() Method
The putIfAbsent() method checks if the specified key exists, and if it does not, it inserts the key/value pair into the HashMap.
The syntax for the putIfAbsent() method is:
hashmap.putIfAbsent(K key, V value)
Note: hashmap is an object of the HashMap class.
Parameter Description:
- key - the key
- value - the value
Return Value
If the specified key already exists in the HashMap, it returns the value associated with that key. If the specified key does not exist in the HashMap, it returns null.
Attention: If the specified key was previously associated with a null value, the method also returns null.
Example
The following example demonstrates the use of the putIfAbsent() method:
Example
import java.util.HashMap;
class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Create a HashMap
HashMap<Integer, String> sites = new HashMap<>();
// Add some elements to the HashMap
sites.put(1, "Google");
sites.put(2, "tutorialpro");
sites.put(3, "Taobao");
System.out.println("sites HashMap: " + sites);
// Key does not exist in the HashMap
sites.putIfAbsent(4, "Weibo");
// Key exists in the HashMap
sites.putIfAbsent(2, "Wiki");
System.out.println("Updated sites HashMap: " + sites);
}
}
Executing the above program outputs:
sites HashMap: {1=Google, 2=tutorialpro, 3=Taobao}
Updated sites HashMap: {1=Google, 2=tutorialpro, 3=Taobao, 4=Weibo}
In the example above, we created a HashMap named sites. Note this line:
sites.putIfAbsent(2, "Wiki");
The key 2 already exists in sites, so no insertion is performed.