How to sort array list by specific character?

Question

I need to sort arrayList by order of specific character, for example C. So if there is a word that starts with letter C it will be first, if it has a C in the middle it will be second and if it has C last, the word will be last.

public static void main(String[] args) {
    List<String> str = new ArrayList<String>();

    str.add("doctor");
    str.add("basic");
    str.add("car");
}

Output:

car, doctor, basic

Answer 1

You must create a custom comparator for your needs, take a cue from this piece of code:

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        List<String> str = new ArrayList<>();
        str.add("doctor");
        str.add("basic");
        str.add("car");
        char letter = 'c';
        // Compare method returns -1, 0, or 1 to say if it is less than, equal, or greater to the other.
        Comparator<String> customComparator = (str1, str2) -> {
            if (str1.indexOf(letter) < str2.indexOf(letter))
                return -1;
             if (str2.indexOf(letter) < str1.indexOf(letter))
               return 1;
            return 0; // To add other logic
        };

        Collections.sort(str, customComparator);
    }

In the code above a coarse logic is implemented based on your question, you would just need to complete the logic in the custom comparator to manage the specific cases.