List vs Map in Java

Question

I didnt get the sense of Maps in Java. When is it recommended to use a Map instead of a List?

thanks in advance,

nohereman

Answer 1

A map is used as an association of a key and a value. With a list you have basically only values.
The indexes in List are always int, whereas in Map you can have another Object as a key.

---

Resources :

• sun.com - Introduction to the Collections Framework, Map