How do I add multiple items to a Java ArrayList in single statement?

We can utilize Arrays.asList() method to get a List of specified elements in a single statement.

Syntax

public static <T> List<T> asList(T... a)

Returns a fixed-size list backed by the specified array. (Changes to the returned list "write through" to the array.)

Type Parameter

• T  − The runtime type of the array.

Parameters

• a  − The array by which the list will be backed.

Returns

A list view of the specified array

In case we use Arrays.asList() then we cannot add/remove elements from the list. So we use this list as an input to the ArrayList constructor to make sure that list is modifiable.

Example

The following example shows how to create a List with multiple items in a single statement.

package com.tutorialspoint;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.List;

public class CollectionsDemo {
   public static void main(String[] args) {
      // Create a list object
      List<String> list = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList("A", "B", "C"));

      // print the list
      System.out.println(list);
      list.add("D");
      System.out.println(list);
   }
}

Output

This will produce the following result −

[A, C, D]
[A, B, C, D]