你的customComparator类必须实现java.util.Comparator才能被使用。 它还必须覆盖compare() AND equals()

compare()必须回答这个问题:对象1是否小于、等于或大于对象2?

完整文档:http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/api/java/util/Comparator.html

是的，这是可能的，例如在这个答案中，我根据类IndexValue的属性v进行排序

    // Sorting by property v using a custom comparator.
    Arrays.sort( array, new Comparator<IndexValue>(){
        public int compare( IndexValue a, IndexValue b ){
            return a.v - b.v;
        }
    });

如果您注意到这里，我正在创建一个匿名的内部类(这是用于闭包的Java)，并将其直接传递给类Arrays的排序方法

您的对象也可以实现Comparable(这是String和Java中的大多数核心库所做的)，但这将定义类本身的“自然排序顺序”，并且不允许您插入新的类。

具有自然排序顺序的类(例如类Number)应该实现Comparable接口，而没有自然排序顺序的类(例如类Chair)应该提供Comparator(或匿名Comparator类)。

两个例子:

public class Number implements Comparable<Number> {
    private int value;

    public Number(int value) { this.value = value; }
    public int compareTo(Number anotherInstance) {
        return this.value - anotherInstance.value;
    }
}

public class Chair {
    private int weight;
    private int height;

    public Chair(int weight, int height) {
        this.weight = weight;
        this.height = height;
    }
    /* Omitting getters and setters */
}
class ChairWeightComparator implements Comparator<Chair> {
    public int compare(Chair chair1, Chair chair2) {
        return chair1.getWeight() - chair2.getWeight();
    }
}
class ChairHeightComparator implements Comparator<Chair> {
    public int compare(Chair chair1, Chair chair2) {
        return chair1.getHeight() - chair2.getHeight();
    }
}

用法:

List<Number> numbers = new ArrayList<Number>();
...
Collections.sort(numbers);

List<Chair> chairs = new ArrayList<Chair>();
// Sort by weight:
Collections.sort(chairs, new ChairWeightComparator());
// Sort by height:
Collections.sort(chairs, new ChairHeightComparator());

// You can also create anonymous comparators;
// Sort by color:
Collections.sort(chairs, new Comparator<Chair>() {
    public int compare(Chair chair1, Chair chair2) {
        ...
    }
});

1.8以来的新功能是一个List.sort()方法，而不是使用Collection.sort() 直接调用mylistcontainer。sort()

下面是一个演示List.sort()特性的代码片段:

List<Fruit> fruits = new ArrayList<Fruit>();
fruits.add(new Fruit("Kiwi","green",40));
fruits.add(new Fruit("Banana","yellow",100));
fruits.add(new Fruit("Apple","mixed green,red",120));
fruits.add(new Fruit("Cherry","red",10));

// a) using an existing compareto() method
fruits.sort((Fruit f1,Fruit f2) -> f1.getFruitName().compareTo(f2.getFruitName()));
System.out.println("Using String.compareTo(): " + fruits);
//Using String.compareTo(): [Apple is: mixed green,red, Banana is: yellow, Cherry is: red, Kiwi is: green]

// b) Using a comparable class
fruits.sort((Fruit f1,Fruit f2) -> f1.compareTo(f2));  
System.out.println("Using a Comparable Fruit class (sort by color): " + fruits);
// Using a Comparable Fruit class (sort by color): [Kiwi is green, Apple is: mixed green,red, Cherry is: red, Banana is: yellow]

Fruit类是:

public class Fruit implements Comparable<Fruit>
{
    private String name;
    private String color;
    private int quantity;

    public Fruit(String name,String color,int quantity)
    { this.name = name; this.color = color; this.quantity = quantity; }

    public String getFruitName() { return name; }        
    public String getColor() { return color; }  
    public int getQuantity() { return quantity; }

    @Override public final int compareTo(Fruit f) // sorting the color
    {
        return this.color.compareTo(f.color);
    }     
    @Override public String toString()
    {   
        return (name + " is: " + color);
    }
} // end of Fruit class   

你可以试试番石榴点菜:

Function<Item, Date> getStartDate = new Function<Item, Date>() {
    public Date apply(Item item) {
        return item.getStartDate();
    }
};

List<Item> orderedItems = Ordering.natural().onResultOf(getStartDate).
                          sortedCopy(items);

java8 lambda表达式

Collections.sort(studList, (Student s1, Student s2) ->{
        return s1.getFirstName().compareToIgnoreCase(s2.getFirstName());
});

OR

Comparator<Student> c = (s1, s2) -> s1.firstName.compareTo(s2.firstName);
studList.sort(c)