Working with maps and properties

Maps and properties are data structures in Groovy that provide a way to store key-value pairs, similar to dictionaries or associative arrays in other programming languages.

1. Maps: Maps in Groovy are created using curly braces and colons:

   python
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   def capitals = [USA: "Washington DC", France: "Paris", Germany: "Berlin"]
   println capitals.USA   // outputs: "Washington DC"
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   Maps in Groovy are dynamic, so you can add or remove elements from them at any time:

   java
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   def capitals = [USA: "Washington DC", France: "Paris", Germany: "Berlin"]
   capitals.Spain = "Madrid"
   println capitals   // outputs: [USA:Washington DC, France:Paris, Germany:Berlin, Spain:Madrid]
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2. Properties: Properties in Groovy are similar to maps, but provide a convenient syntax for working with object properties. Properties can be defined using the def keyword:

   python
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   class Person {
      def name
   }
   def john = new Person(name: "John Doe")
   println john.name   // outputs: "John Doe"
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   Properties in Groovy are dynamically typed, so you can assign values of any type to them:

   ruby
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   class Person {
      def name
      def age
   }
   def john = new Person(name: "John Doe", age: 30)
   println john.age   // outputs: 30
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These are just a few examples of the power and flexibility of maps and properties in Groovy. With these tools, you can write code that is easy to read, write, and maintain, making Groovy a great choice for many types of projects.