/*
 * Java Genetic Algorithm Library (jenetics-7.2.0).
 * Copyright (c) 2007-2023 Franz Wilhelmstötter
 *
 * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 * You may obtain a copy of the License at
 *
 *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 * limitations under the License.
 *
 * Author:
 *    Franz Wilhelmstötter (franz.wilhelmstoetter@gmail.com)
 */
package io.jenetics.util;

import static java.util.Objects.requireNonNull;
import static java.util.stream.Collectors.joining;
import static io.jenetics.internal.collection.Array.checkIndex;

import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Comparator;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Objects;
import java.util.RandomAccess;
import java.util.function.Function;
import java.util.function.IntFunction;
import java.util.function.Predicate;
import java.util.function.Supplier;
import java.util.stream.Collector;
import java.util.stream.Stream;
import java.util.stream.StreamSupport;

/**
 * General interface for a ordered, fixed sized, object sequence.
 * <br>
 * Use the {@link #asList()} method to work together with the
 * <a href="http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/technotes/guides/collections/index.html">
 * Java Collection Framework</a>.
 *
 * @author <a href="mailto:franz.wilhelmstoetter@gmail.com">Franz Wilhelmstötter</a>
 * @since 1.0
 * @version 5.2
 */
public interface Seq<T> extends BaseSeq<T>, IntFunction<T> {

        /**
         * Return the value at the given {@code index}.
         *
         * @since 3.9
         *
         * @see #get(int)
         *
         * @param index index of the element to return.
         * @return the value at the given {@code index}.
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException if the index is out of range
         *         {@code index < 0 || index >= size()}.
         */
        @Override
        default T apply(final int index) {
                return get(index);
        }

        /**
         * @see #length()
         * @return the size of this sequence
         */
        default int size() {
                return length();
        }

        /**
         * Tests whether a predicate holds for all elements of this sequence.
         *
         * @param predicate the predicate to use to test the elements.
         * @return {@code true} if the given predicate p holds for all elements of
         *         this sequence, {@code false} otherwise.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code predicate} is
         *         {@code null}.
         */
        default boolean forAll(final Predicate<? super T> predicate) {
                boolean valid = true;

                for (int i = 0, n = length(); i < n && valid; ++i) {
                        valid = predicate.test(get(i));
                }

                return valid;
        }

        /**
         * Returns a possibly parallel {@code Stream} with this sequence as its
         * source.  It is allowable for this method to return a sequential stream.
         *
         * @since 3.0
         *
         * @return a possibly parallel {@code Stream} over the elements in this
         * collection
         */
        default Stream<T> parallelStream() {
                return StreamSupport.stream(spliterator(), true);
        }

        /**
         * Returns {@code true} if this sequence contains the specified element.
         *
         * @param element element whose presence in this sequence is to be tested.
         *        The tested element can be {@code null}.
         * @return {@code true} if this sequence contains the specified element
         */
        default boolean contains(final Object element) {
                return indexOf(element) != -1;
        }

        /**
         * Returns the index of the first occurrence of the specified element
         * in this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element.
         *
         * @param element element to search for, can be {@code null}
         * @return the index of the first occurrence of the specified element in
         *          this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element
         */
        default int indexOf(final Object element) {
                return indexOf(element, 0, length());
        }

        /**
         * Returns the index of the first occurrence of the specified element
         * in this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element.
         *
         * @param element element to search for, can be {@code null}
         * @param start the start index (inclusively) for the element search.
         * @return the index of the first occurrence of the specified element in
         *          this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code start < 0 || start > length()}).
         */
        default int indexOf(final Object element, final int start) {
                return indexOf(element, start, length());
        }

        /**
         * Returns the index of the first occurrence of the specified element
         * in this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element.
         *
         * @param element element to search for, can be {@code null}
         * @param start the start index (inclusively) for the element search.
         * @param end the end index (exclusively) for the element search.
         * @return the index of the first occurrence of the specified element in
         *          this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code start < 0 || end > length() || start > end}).
         */
        default int indexOf(final Object element, final int start, final int end) {
                return element != null
                        ? indexWhere(element::equals, start, end)
                        : indexWhere(Objects::isNull, start, end);
        }

        /**
         * <p>
         * Returns the index of the first element on which the given predicate
         * returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns false for every
         * sequence element.
         * </p>
         * <pre>{@code
         * // Finding index of first null value.
         * final int index = seq.indexOf(o -> o == null);
         *
         * // Assert of no null values.
         * assert (sequence.indexOf(o -> o == null) == -1);
         * }</pre>
         *
         * @param predicate the search predicate.
         * @return the index of the first element on which the given predicate
         *          returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns {@code false}
         *          for every sequence element.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code predicate} is {@code null}.
         */
        default int indexWhere(final Predicate<? super T> predicate) {
                return indexWhere(predicate, 0, length());
        }

        /**
         * <p>
         * Returns the index of the first element on which the given predicate
         * returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns false for every
         * sequence element.
         * </p>
         * <pre>{@code
         * // Finding index of first null value.
         * final int index = seq.indexOf(o -> o == null);
         *
         * // Assert of no null values.
         * assert (sequence.indexOf(o -> o == null) == -1);
         * }</pre>
         *
         * @param predicate the search predicate.
         * @param start the search start index
         * @return the index of the first element on which the given predicate
         *          returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns {@code false}
         *          for every sequence element.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code predicate} is {@code null}.
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code start < 0 || start > length()}).
         */
        default int indexWhere(
                final Predicate<? super T> predicate,
                final int start
        ) {
                return indexWhere(predicate, start, length());
        }

        /**
         * <p>
         * Returns the index of the first element on which the given predicate
         * returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns false for every
         * sequence element.
         * </p>
         * <pre>{@code
         * // Finding index of first null value.
         * final int index = seq.indexOf(o -> o == null);
         *
         * // Assert of no null values.
         * assert (sequence.indexOf(o -> o == null) == -1);
         * }</pre>
         *
         * @param predicate the search predicate.
         * @param start the search start index
         * @param end the search end index
         * @return the index of the first element on which the given predicate
         *          returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns {@code false}
         *          for every sequence element.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code predicate} is {@code null}.
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code start < 0 || end > length() || start > end}).
         */
        default int indexWhere(
                final Predicate<? super T> predicate,
                final int start,
                final int end
        ) {
                requireNonNull(predicate, "Predicate");
                checkIndex(start, end, length());

                int index = -1;
                for (int i = start; i < end && index == -1; ++i) {
                        if (predicate.test(get(i))) {
                                index = i;
                        }
                }
                return index;
        }

        /**
         * Returns the index of the last occurrence of the specified element
         * in this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element.
         *
         * @param element element to search for, can be {@code null}
         * @return the index of the last occurrence of the specified element in
         *         this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element
         */
        default int lastIndexOf(final Object element) {
                return lastIndexOf(element, 0, length());
        }

        /**
         * Returns the index of the last occurrence of the specified element
         * in this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element.
         *
         * @param element element to search for, can be {@code null}
         * @param end the search end index
         * @return the index of the last occurrence of the specified element in
         *         this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code end < 0 || end > length()}).
         */
        default int lastIndexOf(final Object element, final int end) {
                return lastIndexOf(element, 0, end);
        }

        /**
         * Returns the index of the last occurrence of the specified element
         * in this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element.
         *
         * @param element element to search for, can be {@code null}
         * @param start the search start index
         * @param end the search end index
         * @return the index of the last occurrence of the specified element in
         *         this sequence, or -1 if this sequence does not contain the element
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code start < 0 || end > length() || start > end}).
         */
        default int lastIndexOf(
                final Object element,
                final int start,
                final int end
        ) {
                return element != null
                        ? lastIndexWhere(element::equals, start, end)
                        : lastIndexWhere(Objects::isNull, start, end);
        }

        /**
         * Returns the index of the last element on which the given predicate
         * returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns false for every
         * sequence element.
         *
         * @param predicate the search predicate.
         * @return the index of the last element on which the given predicate
         *          returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns false for
         *          every sequence element.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code predicate} is {@code null}.
         */
        default int lastIndexWhere(final Predicate<? super T> predicate) {
                return lastIndexWhere(predicate, 0, length());
        }

        /**
         * Returns the index of the last element on which the given predicate
         * returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns false for every
         * sequence element.
         *
         * @param predicate the search predicate.
         * @param end the search end index
         * @return the index of the last element on which the given predicate
         *          returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns false for
         *          every sequence element.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code predicate} is {@code null}.
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code end < 0 || end > length()}).
         */
        default int lastIndexWhere(
                final Predicate<? super T> predicate,
                final int end
        ) {
                return lastIndexWhere(predicate, 0, end);
        }

        /**
         * Returns the index of the last element on which the given predicate
         * returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns false for every
         * sequence element.
         *
         * @param predicate the search predicate.
         * @param start the search start index
         * @param end the search end index
         * @return the index of the last element on which the given predicate
         *          returns {@code true}, or -1 if the predicate returns false for
         *          every sequence element.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code predicate} is {@code null}.
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code start < 0 || end > length() || start > end}).
         */
        default int lastIndexWhere(
                final Predicate<? super T> predicate,
                final int start,
                final int end
        ) {
                requireNonNull(predicate, "Predicate");
                checkIndex(start, end, length());

                int index = -1;
                for (int i = end; --i >= start && index == -1;) {
                        if (predicate.test(get(i))) {
                                index = i;
                        }
                }
                return index;
        }

        /**
         * Builds a new sequence by applying a function to all elements of this
         * sequence.
         *
         * @param <B> the element type of the returned collection.
         * @param mapper the function to apply to each element.
         * @return a new sequence of type That resulting from applying the given
         *         function f to each element of this sequence and collecting the
         *         results.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the element {@code mapper} is
         *         {@code null}.
         */
        <B> Seq<B> map(final Function<? super T, ? extends B> mapper);

        /**
         * Return a <i>new</i> {@code Seq} with the given {@code values} appended.
         *
         * @since 3.4
         *
         * @param values the values to append
         * @return a <i>new</i> {@code Seq} with the elements of {@code this}
         *        sequence and the given {@code values} appended.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code values} array is
         *         {@code null}
         */
        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
        default Seq<T> append(final T... values) {
                return append(Seq.of(values));
        }

        /**
         * Return a <i>new</i> {@code Seq} with the given {@code values} appended.
         *
         * @since 3.4
         *
         * @param values the values to append
         * @return a <i>new</i> {@code Seq} with the elements of {@code this}
         *        sequence and the given {@code values} appended.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code values} iterable is
         *         {@code null}
         */
        Seq<T> append(final Iterable<? extends T> values);

        /**
         * Return a <i>new</i> {@code Seq} with the given {@code values} prepended.
         *
         * @since 3.4
         *
         * @param values the values to append
         * @return a <i>new</i> {@code Seq} with the elements of {@code this}
         *        sequence and the given {@code values} prepended.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code values} array is
         *         {@code null}
         */
        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
        default Seq<T> prepend(final T... values) {
                return prepend(Seq.of(values));
        }

        /**
         * Return a <i>new</i> {@code Seq} with the given {@code values} prepended.
         *
         * @since 3.4
         *
         * @param values the values to append
         * @return a <i>new</i> {@code Seq} with the elements of {@code this}
         *        sequence and the given {@code values} prepended.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code values} array is
         *         {@code null}
         */
        Seq<T> prepend(final Iterable<? extends T> values);

        /**
         * Returns a fixed-size list backed by the specified sequence. (Changes to
         * the returned list "write through" to the array.) The returned list is
         * fixed size, serializable and implements {@link RandomAccess}.
         *
         * @return a list view of this sequence
         */
        default List<T> asList() {
                return new BaseSeqList<>(this);
        }

        /**
         * Return an array containing all of the elements in this sequence in right
         * order. The returned array will be "safe" in that no references to it
         * are maintained by this sequence. (In other words, this method must allocate
         * a new array.) The caller is thus free to modify the returned array.
         *
         * @see java.util.Collection#toArray()
         *
         * @return an array containing all of the elements in this list in the right
         *          order
         */
        default Object[] toArray() {
                final Object[] array = new Object[size()];
                for (int i = size(); --i >= 0;) {
                        array[i] = get(i);
                }
                return array;
        }

        /**
         * Return an array containing all of the elements in this sequence in right
         * order; the runtime type of the returned array is that of the specified
         * array. If this sequence fits in the specified array, it is returned
         * therein. Otherwise, a new array is allocated with the runtime type of the
         * specified array and the length of this array.
         * <p>
         * If this sequence fits in the specified array with room to spare (i.e.,
         * the array has more elements than this array); the element in the array
         * immediately following the end of this array is set to null. (This is
         * useful in determining the length of the array only if the caller knows
         * that the list does not contain any null elements.)
         *
         * @see java.util.Collection#toArray(Object[])
         *
         * @param <B> the runtime type of the array to contain the sequence
         * @param array the array into which the elements of this array are to be
         *         stored, if it is big enough; otherwise, a new array of the same
         *         runtime type is allocated for this purpose.
         * @return an array containing the elements of this array
         * @throws ArrayStoreException if the runtime type of the specified array is
         *         not a super type of the runtime type of every element in this
         *         array
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code array} is {@code null}.
         */
        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
        default <B> B[] toArray(final B[] array) {
                if (array.length < length()) {
                        final Object[] copy = (Object[])java.lang.reflect.Array
                                .newInstance(array.getClass().getComponentType(), length());

                        for (int i = length(); --i >= 0;) {
                                copy[i] = get(i);
                        }

                        return (B[])copy;
                }

                for (int i = 0, n = length(); i < n; ++i) {
                        ((Object[])array)[i] = get(i);
                }
                if (array.length > length()) {
                        array[length()] = null;
                }

                return array;
        }

        /**
         * Returns an array containing the elements of this sequence, using the
         * provided generator function to allocate the returned array.
         *
         * @since 4.4
         *
         * @param generator a function which produces a new array of the desired
         *        type and the provided length
         * @param <B> the element type of the resulting array
         * @return an array containing the elements in {@code this} sequence
         * @throws ArrayStoreException if the runtime type of the specified array is
         *         not a super type of the runtime type of every element in this
         *         array
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code generator} is {@code null}.
         */
        default <B> B[] toArray(final IntFunction<B[]> generator) {
                return toArray(generator.apply(length()));
        }

        /**
         * Returns a view of the portion of this sequence between the specified
         * {@code start}, inclusive, and {@code end}, exclusive. (If {@code start}
         * and {@code end} are equal, the returned sequence has length zero.)
         * The returned sequence is backed by this sequence, so non-structural
         * changes in the returned sequence are reflected in this sequence, and
         * vice-versa.
         * <p>
         * This method eliminates the need for explicit range operations (of the
         * populationSort that commonly exist for arrays). Any operation that
         * expects a sequence can be used as a range operation by passing a
         * sub-sequence view instead of a whole sequence.
         *
         * @param start lower end point (inclusive) of the sub array.
         * @return a view of the specified range within this array.
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code start < 0 || start > length()}).
         */
        Seq<T> subSeq(final int start);

        /**
         * Returns a view of the portion of this sequence between the specified
         * {@code start}, inclusive, and {@code end}, exclusive. (If {@code start}
         * and {@code end} are equal, the returned sequence has length zero.)
         * The returned sequence is backed by this sequence, so non-structural
         * changes in the returned sequence are reflected in this array, and
         * vice-versa.
         * <p>
         * This method eliminates the need for explicit range operations (of the
         * populationSort that commonly exist for arrays). Any operation that
         * expects an array can be used as a range operation by passing a
         * subsequence view instead of a whole sequence.
         *
         * @param start low-end point (inclusive) of the sub-sequence.
         * @param end high-end point (exclusive) of the sub-sequence.
         * @return a view of the specified range within this sequence.
         * @throws IndexOutOfBoundsException for an illegal end point index value
         *          ({@code start < 0 || end > length() || start > end}).
         */
        Seq<T> subSeq(final int start, final int end);

        /**
         * Test whether the given array is sorted in ascending order.
         *
         * @return {@code true} if the given {@code array} is sorted in ascending
         *         order, {@code false} otherwise.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given array or one of its element is
         *         {@code null}.
         */
        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
        default boolean isSorted() {
                boolean sorted = true;
                for (int i = 0, n = length() - 1; i < n && sorted; ++i) {
                        sorted = ((Comparable<T>)get(i)).compareTo(get(i + 1)) <= 0;
                }

                return sorted;
        }

        /**
         * Test whether the given array is sorted in ascending order. The order of
         * the array elements is defined by the given comparator.
         *
         * @param comparator the comparator which defines the order.
         * @return {@code true} if the given {@code array} is sorted in ascending
         *         order, {@code false} otherwise.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given array or one of its element or
         *         the comparator is {@code null}.
         */
        default boolean isSorted(final Comparator<? super T> comparator) {
                boolean sorted = true;
                for (int i = 0, n = length() - 1; i < n && sorted; ++i) {
                        sorted = comparator.compare(get(i), get(i + 1)) <= 0;
                }

                return sorted;
        }

        /**
         * Return this sequence as {@code MSeq} instance. If {@code this} is not a
         * {@code MSeq} a new seq is created.
         *
         * @since 3.8
         *
         * @return a {@code MSeq} with this values
         */
        default MSeq<T> asMSeq() {
                return this instanceof MSeq ? (MSeq<T>)this : MSeq.of(this);
        }

        /**
         * Return this sequence as {@code ISeq} instance. If {@code this} is not a
         * {@code ISeq} a new seq is created.
         *
         * @since 3.8
         *
         * @return a {@code ISeq} with this values
         */
        default ISeq<T> asISeq() {
                return this instanceof ISeq ? (ISeq<T>)this : ISeq.of(this);
        }

        /**
         * Returns the hash code value for this sequence. The hash code is defined
         * as followed:
         *
         * <pre>{@code
         * int hashCode = 1;
         * final Iterator<E> it = seq.iterator();
         * while (it.hasNext()) {
         *     final E obj = it.next();
         *     hashCode = 31*hashCode + (obj == null ? 0 : obj.hashCode());
         * }
         * }</pre>
         *
         * @see List#hashCode()
         * @see Seq#hashCode(BaseSeq)
         *
         * @return the hash code value for this list
         */
        @Override
        int hashCode();

        /**
         * Compares the specified object with this sequence for equality. Returns
         * true if and only if the specified object is also a sequence, both
         * sequence have the same size, and all corresponding pairs of elements in
         * the two sequences are equal. (Two elements e1 and e2 are equal if
         * (e1==null ? e2==null : e1.equals(e2)).) This definition ensures that the
         * equals method works properly across different implementations of the Seq
         * interface.
         *
         * @see List#equals(Object)
         * @see Seq#equals(BaseSeq, Object)
         *
         * @param object the object to be compared for equality with this sequence.
         * @return {@code true} if the specified object is equal to this sequence,
         *          {@code false} otherwise.
         */
        @Override
        boolean equals(final Object object);

        /**
         * Create a string representation of the given sequence.
         *
         * @param prefix the prefix of the string representation; e.g {@code '['}.
         * @param separator the separator of the array elements; e.g. {@code ','}.
         * @param suffix the suffix of the string representation; e.g. {@code ']'}.
         * @return the string representation of this sequence.
         */
        default String toString(
                final String prefix,
                final String separator,
                final String suffix
        ) {
                return stream()
                        .map(Objects::toString)
                        .collect(joining(separator, prefix, suffix));
        }

        /**
         * Create a string representation of the given sequence.
         *
         * @param separator the separator of the array elements; e.g. {@code ','}.
         * @return the string representation of this sequence.
         */
        default String toString(final String separator) {
                return toString("", separator, "");
        }

        /**
         * Unified method for calculating the hash code of every {@link Seq}
         * implementation. The hash code is defined as followed:
         *
         * <pre>{@code
         * int hashCode = 1;
         * final Iterator<E> it = seq.iterator();
         * while (it.hasNext()) {
         *     final E obj = it.next();
         *     hashCode = 31*hashCode + (obj == null ? 0 : obj.hashCode());
         * }
         * }</pre>
         *
         * @see Seq#hashCode()
         * @see List#hashCode()
         *
         * @param seq the sequence to calculate the hash code for.
         * @return the hash code of the given sequence.
         */
        static int hashCode(final BaseSeq<?> seq) {
                int hash = 1;
                for (Object element : seq) {
                        hash = 31*hash + (element == null ? 0: element.hashCode());
                }
                return hash;
        }

        /**
         * Unified method for compare to sequences for equality.
         *
         * @see Seq#equals(Object)
         *
         * @param seq the sequence to test for equality.
         * @param obj the object to test for equality with the sequence.
         * @return {@code true} if the given objects are sequences and contain the
         *          same objects in the same order, {@code false} otherwise.
         */
        static boolean equals(final BaseSeq<?> seq, final Object obj) {
                if (obj == seq) {
                        return true;
                }
                if (!(obj instanceof final Seq<?> other)) {
                        return false;
                }

                boolean equals = seq.length() == other.length();
                for (int i = seq.length(); equals && --i >= 0;) {
                        final Object element = seq.get(i);
                        equals = element != null
                                ? element.equals(other.get(i))
                                : other.get(i) == null;
                }
                return equals;
        }

        /* *************************************************************************
         *  Some static helper methods.
         * ************************************************************************/

        /**
         * Return a sequence whose elements are all the elements of the first
         * element followed by all the elements of the sequence.
         *
         * @since 5.0
         *
         * @param a the first element
         * @param b the appending sequence
         * @param <T> the type of the sequence elements
         * @return the concatenation of the two inputs
         * @throws NullPointerException if one of the second arguments is
         *         {@code null}
         */
        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
        static <T> Seq<T> concat(
                final T a,
                final Seq<? extends T> b
        ) {
                return ((Seq<T>)b).prepend(a);
        }

        /**
         * Return a sequence whose elements are all the elements of the first
         * sequence followed by all the elements of the vararg array.
         *
         * @since 5.0
         *
         * @param a the first sequence
         * @param b the vararg elements
         * @param <T> the type of the sequence elements
         * @return the concatenation of the two inputs
         * @throws NullPointerException if one of the arguments is {@code null}
         */
        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
        static <T> Seq<T> concat(
                final Seq<? extends T> a,
                final T... b
        ) {
                return ((Seq<T>)a).append(b);
        }

        /**
         * Return a sequence whose elements are all the elements of the first
         * sequence followed by all the elements of the second sequence.
         *
         * @since 5.0
         *
         * @param a the first sequence
         * @param b the second sequence
         * @param <T> the type of the sequence elements
         * @return the concatenation of the two input sequences
         * @throws NullPointerException if one of the arguments is {@code null}
         */
        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
        static <T> Seq<T> concat(
                final Seq<? extends T> a,
                final Seq<? extends T> b
        ) {
                return ((Seq<T>)a).append(b);
        }

        /* *************************************************************************
         *  Some static factory methods.
         * ************************************************************************/

        /**
         * Single instance of an empty {@code Seq}.
         *
         * @since 3.3
         */
        Seq<?> EMPTY = ISeq.EMPTY;

        /**
         * Return an empty {@code Seq}.
         *
         * @since 3.3
         *
         * @param <T> the element type of the returned {@code Seq}.
         * @return an empty {@code Seq}.
         */
        static <T> Seq<T> empty() {
                return ISeq.empty();
        }

        /**
         * Returns a {@code Collector} that accumulates the input elements into a
         * new {@code Seq}.
         *
         * @param <T> the type of the input elements
         * @return a {@code Collector} which collects all the input elements into a
         *         {@code Seq}, in encounter order
         */
        static <T> Collector<T, ?, Seq<T>> toSeq() {
                return Collector.of(
                        (Supplier<List<T>>)ArrayList::new,
                        List::add,
                        (left, right) -> { left.addAll(right); return left; },
                        Seq::of
                );
        }

        /**
         * Returns a {@code Collector} that accumulates the last {@code n} input
         * elements into a new {@code Seq}.
         *
         * @since 5.0
         *
         * @param maxSize the maximal size of the collected sequence
         * @param <T> the type of the input elements
         * @return a {@code Collector} which collects maximal {@code maxSize} of the
         *         input elements into an {@code ISeq}, in encounter order
         * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the {@code maxSize} is negative
         */
        static <T> Collector<T, ?, Seq<T>> toSeq(final int maxSize) {
                return Seqs.toSeq(maxSize, Buffer::toSeq);
        }

        /**
         * Create a new {@code Seq} from the given values.
         *
         * @param <T> the element type
         * @param values the array values.
         * @return a new {@code Seq} with the given values.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the {@code values} array is {@code null}.
         */
        @SafeVarargs
        static <T> Seq<T> of(final T... values) {
                return ISeq.of(values);
        }

        /**
         * Create a new {@code Seq} from the given values.
         *
         * @param <T> the element type
         * @param values the array values.
         * @return a new {@code Seq} with the given values.
         * @throws NullPointerException if the {@code values} array is {@code null}.
         */
        static <T> Seq<T> of(final Iterable<? extends T> values) {
                return ISeq.of(values);
        }

        /**
         * Creates a new sequence, which is filled with objects created be the given
         * {@code supplier}.
         *
         * @since 3.3
         *
         * @param <T> the element type of the sequence
         * @param supplier the {@code Supplier} which creates the elements, the
         *        returned sequence is filled with
         * @param length the length of the returned sequence
         * @return a new sequence filled with elements given by the {@code supplier}
         * @throws NegativeArraySizeException if the given {@code length} is
         *         negative
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given {@code supplier} is
         *         {@code null}
         */
        static <T> Seq<T> of(Supplier<? extends T> supplier, final int length) {
                return ISeq.of(supplier, length);
        }

        /**
         * Returns a sequence backed by the specified {@code seq}. (Changes to the
         * given sequence (if writeable) are "write through" to the returned
         * sequence.) This method acts as a bridge between basic sequences and
         * sequence-based APIs.
         *
         * @since 6.0
         *
         * @param seq the basic sequence containing the elements
         * @param <T> the element type
         * @return a sequence view of the given {@code seq}
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given list is {@code null}
         */
        static <T> Seq<T> viewOf(final BaseSeq<? extends T> seq) {
                return seq.isEmpty()
                        ? empty()
                        : new SeqView<>(new BaseSeqList<>(seq));
        }

        /**
         * Returns a sequence backed by the specified list. (Changes to the given
         * list are "write through" to the returned sequence.) This method acts
         *  as a bridge between collection-based and sequence-based APIs.
         *
         * @since 4.2
         *
         * @param list the list containing the elements
         * @param <T> the element type
         * @return a sequence view of the given {@code list}
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given list is {@code null}
         */
        static <T> Seq<T> viewOf(final List<? extends T> list) {
                return list.isEmpty()
                        ? empty()
                        : new SeqView<>(list);
        }

        /**
         * Returns a fixed-size sequence backed by the specified array. (Changes to
         * the given array are "write through" to the returned sequence.) This
         * method acts as a bridge between array-based and sequence-based APIs.
         *
         * @since 4.2
         *
         * @param array the array containing the sequence elements
         * @param <T> the element type
         * @return a sequence view of the given {@code array}
         * @throws NullPointerException if the given array is {@code null}
         */
        static <T> Seq<T> viewOf(final T[] array) {
                return array.length == 0
                        ? empty()
                        : new SeqView<>(Arrays.asList(array));
        }

}