Java Hashmap: How to get key from value?

You could insert both the key,value pair and its inverse into your map structure

map.put("theKey", "theValue");
map.put("theValue", "theKey");

Using map.get("theValue") will then return "theKey".

It's a quick and dirty way that I've made constant maps, which will only work for a select few datasets:

• Contains only 1 to 1 pairs
• Set of values is disjoint from the set of keys (1->2, 2->3 breaks it)

I think keySet() may be well to find the keys mapping to the value, and have a better coding style than entrySet().

Ex:

Suppose you have a HashMap map, ArrayList res, a value you want to find all the key mapping to , then store keys to the res.

You can write code below:

    for (int key : map.keySet()) {
        if (map.get(key) == value) {
            res.add(key);
        }
    }

rather than use entrySet() below:

    for (Map.Entry s : map.entrySet()) {
        if ((int)s.getValue() == value) {
            res.add((int)s.getKey());
        }
    }

Hope it helps :)

Simplest utility method to fetch a key of a given value from a Map:

public static void fetchValue(Map<String, Integer> map, Integer i)
{   
Stream stream = map.entrySet().stream().filter(val-> val.getValue().equals(i)).map(Map.Entry::getKey);
stream.forEach(System.out::println);    
}

detailed explaination:

1. Method fetchValue accepts the map, which has String as key and Integer as value.

2. Then we use entryset().stream() to convert result into a stream.

3. Next we use filter (intermediate operation) which gives us a value that is equal to the second argument.

4. Finally, we use forEach(final operation) to print our end result.

Found too many answers. Some were really great. But I was particularly looking for a way, so that I can get the value using loops.

So here is finally what I did: For a HashMap 1-to-1 relation:

    Map<String, String> map = new HashMap<String, String>();
    
    map.put("abc", "123");
    map.put("xyz", "456");
    
    for(Entry<String, String> entry : map.entrySet()) {
        if(entry.getValue().equalsIgnoreCase("456")) {
            System.out.println(entry.getKey());
        }
    }

Output: "xyz"

For a HashMap 1-to-many relation:

    Map<String, ArrayList<String>> service = new HashMap<String, ArrayList<String>>();
    
    service.put("abc", new ArrayList<String>());
    service.get("abc").add("a");
    service.get("abc").add("b");
    service.get("abc").add("c");
    
    service.put("xyz", new ArrayList<String>());
    service.get("xyz").add("x");
    service.get("xyz").add("y");
    service.get("xyz").add("z");
    
    for(Entry<String, ArrayList<String>> entry : service.entrySet()) {
        ArrayList<String> values = entry.getValue();
        for(String value : values) {
            if(value.equalsIgnoreCase("x")) {
                System.out.println(entry.getKey());
            }
        }
        
    }

Output: xyz

-Thanks

While this does not directly answer the question, it is related.

This way you don't need to keep creating/iterating. Just create a reverse map once and get what you need.

/**
 * Both key and value types must define equals() and hashCode() for this to work.
 * This takes into account that all keys are unique but all values may not be.
 *
 * @param map
 * @param <K>
 * @param <V>
 * @return
 */
public static <K, V> Map<V, List<K>> reverseMap(Map<K,V> map) {
    if(map == null) return null;

    Map<V, List<K>> reverseMap = new ArrayMap<>();

    for(Map.Entry<K,V> entry : map.entrySet()) {
        appendValueToMapList(reverseMap, entry.getValue(), entry.getKey());
    }

    return reverseMap;
}


/**
 * Takes into account that the list may already have values.
 * 
 * @param map
 * @param key
 * @param value
 * @param <K>
 * @param <V>
 * @return
 */
public static <K, V> Map<K, List<V>> appendValueToMapList(Map<K, List<V>> map, K key, V value) {
    if(map == null || key == null || value == null) return map;

    List<V> list = map.get(key);

    if(list == null) {
        List<V> newList = new ArrayList<>();
        newList.add(value);
        map.put(key, newList);
    }
    else {
        list.add(value);
    }

    return map;
}

try this:

static String getKeyFromValue(LinkedHashMap<String, String> map,String value) {
    for (int x=0;x<map.size();x++){
        if( String.valueOf( (new ArrayList<String>(map.values())).get(x) ).equals(value))
            return String.valueOf((new ArrayList<String>(map.keySet())).get(x));
    }
    return null;
}

As far as I know keys and values of a HashMap are not mixed when you represent them as arrays:

hashmap.values().toArray()

and

hashmap.keySet().toArray()

So the following code (since java 8) should work as expected:

public Object getKeyByFirstValue(Object value) {
    int keyNumber =  Arrays.asList(hashmap.values().toArray()).indexOf(value);
    return hashmap.keySet().toArray()[keyNumber];
}

However, (WARNING!) it works 2-3 times slower than iteration.

Let the value be maxValue.

Set keySet = map.keySet();

keySet.stream().filter(x->map.get(x)==maxValue).forEach(x-> System.out.println(x));

lambda w/o use of external libraries
can deal with multiple values for one key (in difference to the BidiMap)

public static List<String> getKeysByValue(Map<String, String> map, String value) {
  List<String> list = map.keySet().stream()
      .collect(groupingBy(k -> map.get(k))).get(value);
  return (list == null ? Collections.emptyList() : list);
}

gets a List containing the key(s) mapping value
for an 1:1 mapping the returned list is empty or contains 1 value

let see my example

Map<String, String> mapPeopleAndCountry = new HashMap<>();
mapPeopleAndCountry.put("Matis", "Lithuania");
mapPeopleAndCountry.put("Carlos", "Honduras");
mapPeopleAndCountry.put("Teboho", "Lesotho");
mapPeopleAndCountry.put("Marielos", "Honduras");


List<String> peopleInHonduras = mapPeopleAndCountry.keySet()
    .stream()
    .filter(r -> mapPeopleAndCountry.get(r)
                .equals("Honduras"))
    .stream(Collectors.toList());

// will return ["Carlos", "Marielos"]

Note: untested, may contains typo

You can also do that work: First : put map (key, value) Second : to update the key you need to remove expression Third : and put a new key with the oldValue