What is the equivalent of the C++ Pair<L,R> in Java?

Is there a good reason why there is no Pair<L,R> in Java? What would be the equivalent of this C++ construct? I would rather avoid reimplementing my own.

It seems that 1.6 is providing something similar (AbstractMap.SimpleEntry<K,V>), but this looks quite convoluted.

Solution 1:

In a thread on comp.lang.java.help, Hunter Gratzner gives some arguments against the presence of a Pair construct in Java. The main argument is that a class Pair doesn't convey any semantics about the relationship between the two values (how do you know what "first" and "second" mean ?).

A better practice is to write a very simple class, like the one Mike proposed, for each application you would have made of the Pair class. Map.Entry is an example of a pair that carry its meaning in its name.

To sum up, in my opinion it is better to have a class Position(x,y), a class Range(begin,end) and a class Entry(key,value) rather than a generic Pair(first,second) that doesn't tell me anything about what it's supposed to do.

Solution 2:

This is Java. You have to make your own tailored Pair class with descriptive class and field names, and not to mind that you will reinvent the wheel by writing hashCode()/equals() or implementing Comparable again and again.