Name: rmT116609 Date: 10/30/2001



The description of the java.util.ArrayList.contains(Object o) method is:
"Returns true if this list contains the specified element"

This would seem to imply that true will be returned if and only if the ArrayList contains
an object e such that o and e refer to the same object, but from the description of the
methods it implements/overrides and from testing it is clear that it the condition is
actually (o==null ? e==null : o.equals(e)).

In order to increase clarity I think the description for ArrayList.contains (and possibly
other methods) should specify that the equals method is used for object comparision,
 perhaps along the same line as in java.util.List.contains:
"Returns true if this list contains the specified element. More formally,
returns true if and only if this list contains at least one element e such
that (o==null ? e==null : o.equals(e))."
or less formally:
"Returns true if this list contains the specified element, testing for
equality using the equals method."
(Review ID: 134645)
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