Welcome! Today, we will explore creating a simple address book application using Java's HashMap. This task will help you understand how to manipulate a HashMap in Java, focusing on adding, retrieving, and deleting entries. By the end of this lesson, you'll have a solid grasp of these fundamental operations.

In this task, we will implement three methods to manage our address book:

• addContact(String phoneNumber, String name): Adds a new contact. Returns false if the contact already exists; otherwise, it adds the contact and returns true. For this task, let's assume names do not change, so it's not allowed to overwrite an existing contact's name.
• getContact(String phoneNumber): Retrieves the name for a given phoneNumber. Returns null if the contact does not exist.
• deleteContact(String phoneNumber): Deletes a contact with the given phoneNumber. Returns true if the contact exists and is deleted, false otherwise.

Let's break down each method in detail in the following sections.

This method adds a new contact to the address book with the given phoneNumber and name. If the contact already exists, it returns false. Otherwise, it adds the contact and returns true.

Question: Why do you think we need to check if the contact already exists?

Answer: To avoid duplicating existing entries. Also, if a contact with the same phone number already exists, we shouldn't allow overwriting its name in this method, as it's only for creation.

Here is the method implementation:

In this method:

• We verify if the contact already exists using if (contacts.containsKey(phoneNumber)).
• If it exists, we return false.
• If it doesn't exist, we add it to our HashMap using contacts.put(phoneNumber, name); and return true.

This method retrieves the name associated with a given phoneNumber. If the contact does not exist, it returns null.

Question: What do we gain by returning null when a contact doesn't exist?

Answer: It provides a clear indicator that the contact is not in the address book, allowing us to handle such cases gracefully.

Here is the method implementation:

In this method:

• We use contacts.get(phoneNumber), which returns the name if the key exists; otherwise, it returns null.

This method deletes a contact with the given phoneNumber. If the contact exists and is deleted, it returns true. If the contact does not exist, it returns false.

Question: What could be a real-world consequence of not checking if the contact exists before deletion?

Answer: One consequence can be assuming that a contact was removed when, in fact, it was never there, leading to inaccurate tracking of records.

Here is the method implementation:

In this method:

• We use return contacts.remove(phoneNumber) != null;, which removes the entry if the key exists and returns true. If the key is not found, it returns false.

In this lesson, we explored creating a simple address book application using Java's HashMap. We implemented three key methods: addContact, getContact, and deleteContact to manage contacts effectively by focusing on adding, retrieving, and deleting entries. With the benefits of HashMaps, such as efficient operations and flexible key usage, we've demonstrated how to construct a robust address book application in Java. Great work! Now, let's proceed to the practice exercises to reinforce your understanding.