Collections

Abstract

Two elements of data organization are central to program design. The first element is the design of individual components. The second element, which dominates in all but the simplest programs, is the management of many components of a particular type. A text processor must store many words, and a spreadsheet must store the contents of many cells. Although arrays can be used to store many components, an important restriction governs their use. The size of an array is fixed at the time of declaration. Arrays cannot grow and shrink to match changing requirements as the program runs.