F# Maps

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A map is a special kind of set, it associates keys with values. A map is created similarly as a set.

let capitals =
    Map.empty.
        Add("Canada", "Ottawa").
        Add("China", "Beijing").
        Add("Russia", "Moscow").
        Add("USA", "Washington D.C.");

The FSharp.Collections.Map module contains a variety of useful methods for working with maps.

Function Description
Add(key, value) Returns a new map with the binding added to the given map. If a binding with the given key already exists in the input map, the existing binding is replaced by the new binding in the resulting map.
Change(key, f) Returns a new map with the value stored under key changed according to f.
ContainsKey(key) Tests if an element is in the domain of the map.
Count The number of bindings on the map.
IsEmpty Returns true if there are no bindings in the map.
[key] Lookup an element in the map. Raise KeyNotFoundException if no binding exists in the map.
Remove(key) Removes an element from the domain of the map. No exception is raised if the element is not present.
TryFind(key) Lookup an element in the map, returning a Some value if the element is in the map domain and None if not.
TryGetValue(key, value) Lookup an element in the map, assigning to value if the element is in the map domain and returning false if not.

The following example uses the .[key] to access elements in the map.

let capital = capitals.["Canada"];

Console.WriteLine("The capital of Canada is {0}", capital)

You can also convert the list to a map using the following syntax.

let capitals1 = 
    [("Canada", "Ottawa"); ("China", "Beijing");
        ("Denmark", "Copenhagen"); ("Egypt", "Cairo"); 
        ("France", "Paris"); ("Germany", "Berlin"); 
        ("Japan", "Tokyo"); ("Russia", "Moscow");
        ("Spain", "Madrid"); ("Sweden", "Stockholm");
        ("Taiwan", "Taipei"); ("USA", "Washington D.C.")]
    |> Map.ofList

You can also use the TryFind method to get the value of a particular key.

let found = capitals1.TryFind "France"
match found with
| Some x -> printfn "Found %s." x
| None -> printfn "Did not find the specified value."


Got any F# Question?