Comparable接口源码分析

/*
 * Copyright (c) 1997, 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 * ORACLE PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.
 */

package java.lang;
import java.util.*;

/**
 * This interface imposes a total ordering on the objects of each class that
 * implements it.  This ordering is referred to as the class's <i>natural
 * ordering</i>, and the class's <tt>compareTo</tt> method is referred to as
 * its <i>natural comparison method</i>.<p>
 */

这个接口为实现它的每个类的对象强加了一个总的顺序。这种排序被称为自然排序，类的比较方法称为类的自然比较方法。

 /*
 * Lists (and arrays) of objects that implement this interface can be sorted
 * automatically by {@link Collections#sort(List) Collections.sort} (and
 * {@link Arrays#sort(Object[]) Arrays.sort}).  Objects that implement this
 * interface can be used as keys in a {@linkplain SortedMap sorted map} or as
 * elements in a {@linkplain SortedSet sorted set}, without the need to
 * specify a {@linkplain Comparator comparator}.<p>
 */

实现这个接口的对象的列表（和数组）可以通过Collections类的sort方法（和Arrays类的sort）自动排序，实现该接口的对象可以用作SortedMap接口中的键，也可以用作SortedSet中的元素，而不需要指定Comparator。

/*
* The natural ordering for a class <tt>C</tt> is said to be <i>consistent
* with equals</i> if and only if <tt>e1.compareTo(e2) == 0</tt> has
* the same boolean value as <tt>e1.equals(e2)</tt> for every
* <tt>e1</tt> and <tt>e2</tt> of class <tt>C</tt>.  Note that <tt>null</tt>
* is not an instance of any class, and <tt>e.compareTo(null)</tt> should
* throw a <tt>NullPointerException</tt> even though <tt>e.equals(null)</tt>
* returns <tt>false</tt>.<p>
*/

一个类对象的自然顺序与equals方法一致，对于每一个类型为C的e1,e2对象，当且仅当e1.compareTo(e2) == 0时，与e1.equals(e2)有相同的布尔值。注意"null"不是任何类的实例，e.compareTo(null)应该抛出NullPointerException，尽管e.equals(null)返回错误。

/*
* It is strongly recommended (though not required) that natural orderings be
* consistent with equals.  This is so because sorted sets (and sorted maps)
* without explicit comparators behave "strangely" when they are used with
* elements (or keys) whose natural ordering is inconsistent with equals.  In
* particular, such a sorted set (or sorted map) violates the general contract
* for set (or map), which is defined in terms of the <tt>equals</tt>
* method.<p>
*/

强烈建议（虽然不是必须的）自然顺序与equals一致。这是因为没有显式比较器的排序集（和排序映射）会表现出“奇怪的”结果当他们的自然顺序和equals不一致的时候。尤其是，这样一个排序集（和排序映射）违反了set（或map）的通用约定，该约定是根据equals方法定义的。

/*
* For example, if one adds two keys <tt>a</tt> and <tt>b</tt> such that
* {@code (!a.equals(b) && a.compareTo(b) == 0)} to a sorted
* set that does not use an explicit comparator, the second <tt>add</tt>
* operation returns false (and the size of the sorted set does not increase)
* because <tt>a</tt> and <tt>b</tt> are equivalent from the sorted set's
* perspective.<p>
*/

例如，将两个键a和b相加，则（!a.equals(b)&&a.compareTo(b) == 0)添加到不使用显式比较器的排序集，第二个add操作返回false（并且排序后的集合的大小不会增加），因为从排序后的集合的角度来看，a和b是相等的。

/*
* Virtually all Java core classes that implement <tt>Comparable</tt> have natural
* orderings that are consistent with equals.  One exception is
* <tt>java.math.BigDecimal</tt>, whose natural ordering equates
* <tt>BigDecimal</tt> objects with equal values and different precisions
* (such as 4.0 and 4.00).<p>
*/

实际上，所有实现Comparable的java核心类都具有与equals一致的自然顺序。一个例外是java.math.BigDecimal，它的自然顺序等于BigDecimal对象，具有相同的值和不同的精度(如4.0和4.00)。

/*
* For the mathematically inclined, the <i>relation</i> that defines
* the natural ordering on a given class C is:<pre>
*       {(x, y) such that x.compareTo(y) &lt;= 0}.
* </pre> The <i>quotient</i> for this total order is: <pre>
*       {(x, y) such that x.compareTo(y) == 0}.
* </pre>
*/

对于数学方面，“关系”给定了类C的自然顺序：(x, y) 使 x.compareTo(y) <= 0。商对于这个总顺序是：(x, y) such that x.compareTo(y) == 0。

/*
* It follows immediately from the contract for <tt>compareTo</tt> that the
* quotient is an <i>equivalence relation</i> on <tt>C</tt>, and that the
* natural ordering is a <i>total order</i> on <tt>C</tt>.  When we say that a
* class's natural ordering is <i>consistent with equals</i>, we mean that the
* quotient for the natural ordering is the equivalence relation defined by
* the class's {@link Object#equals(Object) equals(Object)} method:<pre>
*     {(x, y) such that x.equals(y)}. </pre><p>
*/

根据compareTo的比较规则，商(系数)是等价关系在C(泛型中)，而且C泛型的总序是自然顺序。当我们说一个类的自然顺序与equals一致时，我们的意思是，自然排序的商是由类的equals方法：{(x, y) such that x.equals(y)}。

/*
* This interface is a member of the
* <a href="{@docRoot}/../technotes/guides/collections/index.html">
* Java Collections Framework</a>.
*
* @param <T> the type of objects that this object may be compared to
*
* @author  Josh Bloch
* @see java.util.Comparator
* @since 1.2
*/

此接口是 Java Collections Framework 的成员
可以与此对象比较的对象类型

public interface Comparable<T> {
   /*
    * Compares this object with the specified object for order.  Returns a
    * negative integer, zero, or a positive integer as this object is less
    * than, equal to, or greater than the specified object.
    */
    比较此对象和指定对象的顺序，如果小于、等于、大于时，则对应返回一个负整数、零、正整数。
    /*
    * <p>The implementor must ensure <tt>sgn(x.compareTo(y)) ==
    * -sgn(y.compareTo(x))</tt> for all <tt>x</tt> and <tt>y</tt>.  (This
    * implies that <tt>x.compareTo(y)</tt> must throw an exception iff
    * <tt>y.compareTo(x)</tt> throws an exception.)
    */
    实现者必须保证 sgn(x.compareTo(y)) == -sgn(y.compareTo(x))
    /* <p>The implementor must also ensure that the relation is transitive:
    * <tt>(x.compareTo(y)&gt;0 &amp;&amp; y.compareTo(z)&gt;0)</tt> implies
    * <tt>x.compareTo(z)&gt;0</tt>.
    */
    /* <p>Finally, the implementor must ensure that <tt>x.compareTo(y)==0</tt>
    * implies that <tt>sgn(x.compareTo(z)) == sgn(y.compareTo(z))</tt>, for
    * all <tt>z</tt>.
    */
    /* <p>It is strongly recommended, but <i>not</i> strictly required that
    * <tt>(x.compareTo(y)==0) == (x.equals(y))</tt>.  Generally speaking, any
    * class that implements the <tt>Comparable</tt> interface and violates
    * this condition should clearly indicate this fact.  The recommended
    * language is "Note: this class has a natural ordering that is
    * inconsistent with equals."
    */
    /* <p>In the foregoing description, the notation
    * <tt>sgn(</tt><i>expression</i><tt>)</tt> designates the mathematical
    * <i>signum</i> function, which is defined to return one of <tt>-1</tt>,
    * <tt>0</tt>, or <tt>1</tt> according to whether the value of
    * <i>expression</i> is negative, zero or positive.
    */
    /* @param   o the object to be compared.
    * @return  a negative integer, zero, or a positive integer as this object
    *          is less than, equal to, or greater than the specified object.
    *
    * @throws NullPointerException if the specified object is null
    * @throws ClassCastException if the specified object's type prevents it
    *         from being compared to this object.
    */
   public int compareTo(T o);
}