TreeSet集合为什么要实现Comparable？

首先，让我们来看看JDK中TreeSet类的add方法

/**
     * Adds the specified element to this set if it is not already present.
     * More formally, adds the specified element {@code e} to this set if
     * the set contains no element {@code e2} such that
     * <tt>(e==null ? e2==null : e.equals(e2))</tt>.
     * If this set already contains the element, the call leaves the set
     * unchanged and returns {@code false}.
     *
     * @param e element to be added to this set
     * @return {@code true} if this set did not already contain the specified
     *         element
     * @throws ClassCastException if the specified object cannot be compared
     *         with the elements currently in this set
     * @throws NullPointerException if the specified element is null
     *         and this set uses natural ordering, or its comparator
     *         does not permit null elements
     */
    public boolean add(E e) {
    return m.put(e, PRESENT)==null;
    }

注意抛出的异常~~

* @throws ClassCastException if the specified object cannot be compared with the elements currently in this set

也就是说，如果添加的元素不能和已有元素做比较就抛出ClassCastException异常~
那两个元素如果判断可比呢？
有两种办法，其中一种就是实现 Comparable接口
JDK中很多类都实现了Comparable接口，比如Integer
至于TreeSet为什么要这样设计，是因为这个类需要实现元素排序的功能
那如何实现的排序呢？
我们来看 TreeSet的构造方法

 /**
     * Constructs a new, empty tree set, sorted according to the
     * natural ordering of its elements.  All elements inserted into
     * the set must implement the {@link Comparable} interface.
     * Furthermore, all such elements must be <i>mutually
     * comparable</i>: {@code e1.compareTo(e2)} must not throw a
     * {@code ClassCastException} for any elements {@code e1} and
     * {@code e2} in the set.  If the user attempts to add an element
     * to the set that violates this constraint (for example, the user
     * attempts to add a string element to a set whose elements are
     * integers), the {@code add} call will throw a
     * {@code ClassCastException}.
     */
    public TreeSet() {
    this(new TreeMap<E,Object>());
    }

 /**
     * Constructs a set backed by the specified navigable map.
     */
    TreeSet(NavigableMap<E,Object> m) {
        this.m = m;
    }

你可以发现，排序功能实际上是由TreeMap实现的
TreeSet的add方法实际上就是调用的的TreeMap的put方法~~
最后~看看put方法的源码

/**
     * Associates the specified value with the specified key in this map.
     * If the map previously contained a mapping for the key, the old
     * value is replaced.
     *
     * @param key key with which the specified value is to be associated
     * @param value value to be associated with the specified key
     *
     * @return the previous value associated with <tt>key</tt>, or
     *         <tt>null</tt> if there was no mapping for <tt>key</tt>.
     *         (A <tt>null</tt> return can also indicate that the map
     *         previously associated <tt>null</tt> with <tt>key</tt>.)
     * @throws ClassCastException if the specified key cannot be compared
     *         with the keys currently in the map
     * @throws NullPointerException if the specified key is null
     *         and this map uses natural ordering, or its comparator
     *         does not permit null keys
     */
    public V put(K key, V value) {
        Entry<K,V> t = root;
        if (t == null) {
        // TBD:
        // 5045147: (coll) Adding null to an empty TreeSet should
        // throw NullPointerException
        //
        // compare(key, key); // type check
            root = new Entry<K,V>(key, value, null);
            size = 1;
            modCount++;
            return null;
        }
        int cmp;
        Entry<K,V> parent;
        // split comparator and comparable paths
        Comparator<? super K> cpr = comparator;
        if (cpr != null) {
            do {
                parent = t;
                cmp = cpr.compare(key, t.key);
                if (cmp < 0)
                    t = t.left;
                else if (cmp > 0)
                    t = t.right;
                else
                    return t.setValue(value);
            } while (t != null);
        }
        else {
            if (key == null)
                throw new NullPointerException();
            Comparable<? super K> k = (Comparable<? super K>) key;
            do {
                parent = t;
                cmp = k.compareTo(t.key);
                if (cmp < 0)
                    t = t.left;
                else if (cmp > 0)
                    t = t.right;
                else
                    return t.setValue(value);
            } while (t != null);
        }
        Entry<K,V> e = new Entry<K,V>(key, value, parent);
        if (cmp < 0)
            parent.left = e;
        else
            parent.right = e;
        fixAfterInsertion(e);
        size++;
        modCount++;
        return null;
    }

你可以发现，这个二叉树排序中有一条这样的语句来判断大小

cmp = k.compareTo(t.key);

这里k，也就是我们TreeSet.add(k) 方法传入的参数

Comparable<? super K> k = (Comparable<? super K>) key;

可见，插入TreeSet的对象必须实现Compareble接口