Hello Arnav,
thank you for sharing your proposal. It looks rather straightforward and
indeed filling a "simply missing" gap!
I wonder what would be the actual benefit (other than just being
shorter) over using Arrays.asList(T[]).contains(T) simply? Is there a
specific need to go with raw arrays instead? Applications typically do
not use arrays but instead go with the Collections Framework, so I
wonder what you driver is.
What help can I give with the OCA process other than pointing you to
https://oca.opensource.oracle.com/ and kindly noting that in some
countries it might need your parent's agreement to sign legal documents?
Regards
-Markus
Am 05.04.2026 um 16:58 schrieb Arnav Somaghatta:
Hello,
My name is Arnav, and I am a 14-year-old developer who is interested in contributing to
the OpenJDK. I would like to propose adding a set of "contains" methods to the
java.util.Arrays class.
Currently, to check if a primitive array (like char or int) contains a specific
value needs a large manual for loop, converting to a List, or using a very
complicated Stream pipeline.
My idea proposes adding a series of static "contains" methods for all 8
primitive types to java.util.Arrays
public static boolean contains(char[] a, char key)
public static boolean contains(int[] a, int key)
public static boolean contains(byte[] a, byte key)
public static boolean contains(short[] a, short key)
public static boolean contains(long[] a, long key)
public static boolean contains(float[] a, float key)
public static boolean contains(double[] a, double key)
public static boolean contains(boolean[] a, boolean key)
Why should you consider this proposal?
Arrays.contains(myChars, 'a') is much more readable than workarounds like a for
loop.
For newer Java learners, not having a "contains" method on arrays is very
confusing when you compare it to other languages like Python.
If this proposal is viewed favorably, I am willing to make all of the 8
primitive overloads and any of the corresponding unit tests. I am also looking
for a sponsor to help me navigate the OCA process for minors and guide me
through the technical process of pushing these changes.
I look forward to your feedback on whether this is a direction the Core Libs
group would support. Thank you so much for considering my idea and reading
through this email, your support means a lot to me!
Thank you,
Arnav
