Summary
In this chapter, we investigated the use of lambda expressions and how they support the functional style of programming in Java 8. When possible, we used examples to contrast the use of classes and methods against the use of functions. This frequently led to simpler and more maintainable functional implementations.
We illustrated how lambda expressions support the functional concepts of high-order, first-class, and pure functions. Examples were used to help clarify the concept of referential transparency. The concepts of closure and currying are found in most functional programming languages. We provide examples of how they are supported in Java 8.
Lambda expressions have a specific syntax, which we examined in more detail. Also, there are several ways of expressing a lambda expression which we illustrated. Lambda expressions are based on functional interfaces using type inference. It is important to understand how to create functional interfaces and to know what standard functional...
