Multimap
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In computer science, a multimap (sometimes also multihash) is a generalization of a map or associative array abstract data type in which more than one value may be associated with and returned for a given key. Both map and multimap are particular cases of containers (for example, see C++ Standard Template Library containers). Often the multimap is implemented as a map with lists or sets as the map values.
Contents
Examples
- In a student enrollment system, where students may be enrolled in multiple classes simultaneously, there might be an association for each enrollment of a student in a course, where the key is the student ID and the value is the course ID. If a student is enrolled in three courses, there will be three associations containing the same key.
- The index of a book may report any number of references for a given index term, and thus may be coded as a multimap from index terms to any number of reference locations.
- Querystrings may have multiple values associated with a single field. This is commonly generated when a web form allows multiple check boxes or selections to be chosen in response to a single form element.
Language support
C++
C++'s Standard Template Library provides the multimap container for the sorted multimap using a self-balancing binary search tree,[1] and SGI's STL extension provides the hash_multimap container, which implements a multimap using a hash table.[2]
Dart
Quiver provides a Multimap for Dart.[3]
Java
Apache Commons Collections provides a MultiMap interface for Java.[4] It also provides a MultiValueMap implementing class that makes a MultiMap out of a Map object and a type of Collection.[5]
Google Guava provides an interface Multimap and implementations. [6]
OCaml
OCaml's standard library module Hashtbl implements a hash table where it's possible to store multiple values for a key.
Scala
The Scala programming language's API also provides Multimap and implementations[7]
See also
- Abstract data type for the concept of type in general
- Associative array for the more fundamental abstract data type
- Multiset for the case where same item can appear several times
References
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