I would like to create an "associative array" inside my Processing sketch,
as described at this web site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associative_array#Java

However, ... the Java syntax looks like this:

Code:

Map<String, String> phoneBook = new HashMap<String, String>();
phoneBook.put("Sally Smart", "555-9999");
phoneBook.put("John Doe", "555-1212");
 

... and Processing seems to choke on the "<" and ">" as if it doesn't recognize or accept that syntax.  I am not expert enough to know how to put these things off in a "pure Java" tab.

The use of "generics" in Java (and the corresponding syntax) seem to be relatively new, so maybe the Processing engine could be updated with the new grammar.

Alternatively, ... I wonder if some kind soul could explain how to implement an "associative array" in a "pure Java" tab, so that it can be called from regular Processing code.

thanks in advance,
 djones

Thanks fjen.

I have a naive Java question.
In the Hashtable, they insert and retrieve a value this way:
Code:

Hashtable numbers = new Hashtable();
numbers.put("one", new Integer(1));
Integer n = (Integer)numbers.get("one");
 

Is it strictly necessary to convert an "int" to an "Integer" object for storage in a Hashtable?

thanks,
 djones