Hello,
I think that, these changes would unnecessarily increase size of Java
language library, which is already large.
If i were in the situation Arnav is, I would have created a private or
another kind of Java method and encapsulate searching within an array in
method's logic.
Although, Java arrays are good choice for various situation, I always
prefer to use java.util.List and few of its implementations like ArrayList
to maintain sequential collection of primitive or Object values.
I find arrays having downsides sometimes like difficulty to grow its size
after its declaration. ArrayList does'nt have these problems.
Regards,
Mukul Gandhi
Mail sent from an Android device
On Sun, 5 Apr, 2026, 22:47 Arnav Somaghatta, <[email protected]>
wrote:
> 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
>
