Collection throws or doesn't throw ConcurrentModificationException based on the contents of the Collection

Question

The following Java code throws a ConcurrentModificationException, as expected:

public class Evil
{
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Collection<String> c = new ArrayList<String>();
        c.add("lalala");
        c.add("sososo");
        c.add("ahaaha");
        removeLalala(c);
        System.err.println(c);
    }
    private static void removeLalala(Collection<String> c) 
    {
        for (Iterator<String> i = c.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
            String s = i.next();
            if(s.equals("lalala")) {
                c.remove(s);
            }
        }
    }
}

But the following example, which differs only in the contents of the Collection, executes without any exception:

public class Evil {
    public static void main(String[] args) 
    {
        Collection<String> c = new ArrayList<String>();
        c.add("lalala");
        c.add("lalala");
        removeLalala(c);
        System.err.println(c);
    }
    private static void removeLalala(Collection<String> c) {
        for (Iterator<String> i = c.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
            String s = i.next();
            if(s.equals("lalala")) {
                c.remove(s);
            }
        }
    }
}

This prints the output "[lalala]". Why doesn't the second example throw a ConcurrentModificationException when the first example does?

Answer 1

Short answer

Because the fail-fast behavior of an iterator isn't guaranteed.

Long answer

You're getting this exception because you cannot manipulate a collection while iterating over it, except through the iterator.

Bad:

// we're using iterator
for (Iterator<String> i = c.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {  
    // here, the collection will check it hasn't been modified (in effort to fail fast)
    String s = i.next();
    if(s.equals("lalala")) {
        // s is removed from the collection and the collection will take note it was modified
        c.remove(s);
    }
}

Good:

// we're using iterator
for (Iterator<String> i = c.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {  
    // here, the collection will check it hasn't been modified (in effort to fail fast)
    String s = i.next();
    if(s.equals("lalala")) {
        // s is removed from the collection through iterator, so the iterator knows the collection changed and can resume the iteration
        i.remove();
    }
}

---

Now to the "why": In the code above, notice how the modification check is performed - the removal marks the collection as modified, and next iteration checks for any modifications and fails if it detects the collection changed. Another important thing is that ArrayList (not sure about other collections) does not check for modification in hasNext().

Therefore, two strange things may happen:

• If you remove the last element while iterating, nothing will be thrown
  • That's because there's no "next" element, so the iteration ends before reaching the modification-checking code
• If you remove the second-to-last element, ArrayList.hasNext() will actually also return false, because the iterator's current index is now pointing at the last element (former second-to-last).
  • So even in this case, there's no "next" element after the removal

---

Note that this all is in line with ArrayList's documentation:

Note that the fail-fast behavior of an iterator cannot be guaranteed as it is, generally speaking, impossible to make any hard guarantees in the presence of unsynchronized concurrent modification. Fail-fast iterators throw ConcurrentModificationException on a best-effort basis. Therefore, it would be wrong to write a program that depended on this exception for its correctness: the fail-fast behavior of iterators should be used only to detect bugs.

Edited to add:

This question provides some information on why the concurrent modification check is not performed in hasNext() and is only performed in next().

Answer 2

If you look at the source code for the ArrayList iterator (private nested class Itr), you'll see the flaw in the code.

The code is supposed to be fail-fast, which is done internally in the iterator by calling checkForComodification(), however the hasNext() doesn't make that call, likely for performance reasons.

The hasNext() instead is just:

public boolean hasNext() {
    return cursor != size;
}

This means that when you're on the second last element of the list, and then remove an element (any element), the size is reduced and hasNext() thinks you're on the last element (which you weren't), and returns false, skipping the iteration of the last element without error.

OOPS!!!!

Answer 3

From other answers you know what is the right way of removing an element in collection while you are iterating the collection. I give here the explanation to the basic question.And the answer to your question lies in the below stack trace

Exception in thread "main" java.util.ConcurrentModificationException
    at java.util.ArrayList$Itr.checkForComodification(Unknown Source)
    at java.util.ArrayList$Itr.next(Unknown Source)
    at com.ii4sm.controller.Evil.removeLalala(Evil.java:23)
    at com.ii4sm.controller.Evil.main(Evil.java:17)

In the stacktrace it is obvious that i.next(); line throws the error. But when you have only two elements in the collection.

Collection<String> c = new ArrayList<String>();
c.add("lalala");
c.add("lalala");
removeLalala(c);
System.err.println(c);

When the first one is removed i.hasNext() returns false and i.next() is never executed to throw the exception

Answer 4

you should remove from the iterator (i) not the collection (c) directly;

try this:

for (Iterator<String> i = c.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
    String s = i.next();
    if(s.equals("lalala")) {
        i.remove(); //note here, changing c to  i with no parameter.
    }
}

EDIT:

The reason why the first try throws exception while the second one doesn't is simply because of the number of element in your collection.

as the first one will go through the loop more than once and the second one will only iterate once. therefore, it doesn't have the chance to throw exception

Answer 5

You can't remove from list if you're browsing it with "for each" loop.

You can't remove an item from a collection you're iterating over. You can get around this by explicitly using an Iterator and removing the item there. You can use Iterator.

If you use below code you will not get any exception :

private static void removeLalala(Collection<String> c) 
  {
    /*for (Iterator<String> i = c.iterator(); i.hasNext();) {
      String s = i.next();
      if(s.equals("lalala")) {
        c.remove(s);
      }
    }*/

    Iterator<String> it = c.iterator();
    while (it.hasNext()) {
        String st = it.next();
        if (st.equals("lalala")) {
            it.remove();
        }
    }
  }