Question

Is there any difference between

List<Map<String, String>>

and

List<? extends Map<String, String>>

?

If there is no difference, what is the benefit of using ? extends?

Answer 1

The difference is that, for example, a

List<HashMap<String,String>>

is a

List<? extends Map<String,String>>

but not a

List<Map<String,String>>

So:

void withWilds( List<? extends Map<String,String>> foo ){}
void noWilds( List<Map<String,String>> foo ){}

void main( String[] args ){
    List<HashMap<String,String>> myMap;

    withWilds( myMap ); // Works
    noWilds( myMap ); // Compiler error
}

You would think a List of HashMaps should be a List of Maps, but there’s a good reason why it isn’t:

Suppose you could do:

List<HashMap<String,String>> hashMaps = new ArrayList<HashMap<String,String>>();

List<Map<String,String>> maps = hashMaps; // Won't compile,
                                          // but imagine that it could

Map<String,String> aMap = Collections.singletonMap("foo","bar"); // Not a HashMap

maps.add( aMap ); // Perfectly legal (adding a Map to a List of Maps)

// But maps and hashMaps are the same object, so this should be the same as

hashMaps.add( aMap ); // Should be illegal (aMap is not a HashMap)

So this is why a List of HashMaps shouldn’t be a List of Maps.