Sorting hashmap based on keys

Use a TreeMap with a custom comparator.

class MyComparator implements Comparator<String>
    {
        public int compare(String o1,String o2)
        {
            // Your logic for comparing the key strings
        }
    }

TreeMap<String, Float> tm = new TreeMap<String , Float>(new MyComparator());

As you add new elements, they will be automatically sorted.

In your case, it might not even be necessary to implement a comparator because String ordering might be sufficient. But if you want to implement special cases, like lower case alphas appear before upper case, or treat the numbers a certain way, use the comparator.

Use sorted TreeMap:

Map<String, Float> map = new TreeMap<>(yourMap);

It will automatically put entries sorted by keys. I think natural String ordering will be fine in your case.

Note that HashMap due to lookup optimizations does not preserve order.