The whole point of using Maps is direct access. If you know for sure that the value in a map will never be Groovy-false
, then you can do this:
def mymap = [name:"Gromit", likes:"cheese", id:1234]
def key = "likes"
if(mymap[key]) {
println mymap[key]
}
However, if the value could potentially be Groovy-false
, you should use:
if(mymap.containsKey(key)) {
println mymap[key]
}
The easiest solution, though, if you know the value isn't going to be Groovy-false
(or you can ignore that), and want a default value, is like this:
def value = mymap[key] ?: "default"
All three of these solutions are significantly faster than your examples, because they don't scan the entire map for keys. They take advantage of the HashMap
(or LinkedHashMap
) design that makes direct key access nearly instantaneous.