Head First Java

by Sierra, Kathy

• ISBN13: 9780596009205
• ISBN10: 0596009208
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-02-01
• Publisher: Ingram Publisher Services, Inc.

Summary

The first edition of this daring book introduced a highly interactive, multi-sensory method for learning Java that enables new programmers and non-programmers alike to pick up the fundamentals of the Java language, so they can begin to design and write Java programs quickly. The approach has been so successful that we've released several other, more specialized Head First titles into the Java market. Head First Java teaches Java basics by engaging readers on many different levels; it stimulates their abilities in pattern matching and deduction, activates auditory pathways, as well as visual pathways and deeper thought. The book even provides alternative ways to experience the book-users can read a chapter start-to-finish, or simply skim the visual story of the chapter, and still learn! Because Java 5.0, the latest version of the Java language and development platform, is a major update with many changes, the learning method in this book's new edition takes on even greater significance.

Author Biography

Kathy Sierra has been interested in learning theory since her days as a game developer (Virgin, MGM, Amblin'). More recently, she's been a master trainer for Sun Microsystems, teaching Sun's Java instructors how to teach the latest technologies to customers, and a lead developer of several Sun certification exams. Along with her partner Bert Bates, Kathy created the Head First series. She's also the original founder of the Software Development/Jolt Productivity Award-winning javaranch.com, the largest (and friendliest) all-volunteer Java community.

Bert Bates is a 20-year software developer, a Java instructor, and a co-developer of Sun's upcoming EJB exam (Sun Certified Business Component Developer). His background features a long stint in artificial intelligence, with clients like the Weather Channel, A&E Network, Rockwell, and Timken.

Table of Contents

Intro Your brain on Java
Who is this book for?	xxii
What your brain is thinking	xxiii
Metacognition	xxv
Bend your brain into submission	xxvii
What you need for this book	xxviii
Technical editors	xxx
Acknowledgements	xxxi
Breaking the Surface
Java takes you to new places
The way Java works	2	(5)
Code structure in Java	7	(1)
Anatomy of a class	8	(1)
The main() method	9	(2)
Looping	11	(2)
Conditional branching (if tests)	13	(1)
Coding the ``99 bottles of beer'' app	14	(2)
Phrase-o-matic	16	(2)
Fireside chat: compiler vs. JVM	18	(2)
Exercises and puzzles	20	(8)
A Trip to Objectville
I was told there would be objects
Chair Wars (Brad the OO guy vs. Larry the procedural guy)	28	(3)
Inheritance (an introduction)	31	(1)
Overriding methods (an introduction)	32	(2)
What's in a class? (methods, instance variables)	34	(2)
Making your first object	36	(2)
Using main()	38	(1)
Guessing Game code	39	(3)
Exercises and puzzles	42	(8)
Know Your Variables
Variables come in two flavors: primitive and reference
Declaring a variable (Java cares about type)	50	(1)
Primitive types (``I'd like a double with extra foam, please'')	51	(2)
Java keywords	53	(1)
Reference variables (remote control to an object)	54	(1)
Object declaration and assignment	55	(2)
Objects on the garbage-collectible heap	57	(2)
Arrays (a first look)	59	(4)
Exercises and puzzles	63	(10)
How Objects Behave
State affects behavior, behavior affects state
Methods use object state (bark different)	73	(1)
Method arguments and return types	74	(3)
Pass-by-value (the variable is always copied)	77	(2)
Getters and Setters	79	(1)
Encapsulation (do it or risk humiliation)	80	(3)
Using references in an array	83	(5)
Exercises and puzzles	88	(8)
Extra-Strength Methods
Let's put some muscle in our methods
Building the Sink a Dot Com game	96	(2)
Starting with the Simple Dot Com game (a simpler version)	98	(2)
Writing prepcode (pseudocode for the game)	100	(2)
Test code for Simple Dot Com	102	(1)
Coding the Simple Dot Com game	103	(3)
Final code for Simple Dot Com	106	(5)
Generating random numbers with Math.random()	111	(1)
Ready-bake code for getting user input from the command-line	112	(2)
Looping with for loops	114	(3)
Casting primitives from a large size to a smaller size	117	(1)
Converting a String to an int with Integer.parseInt()	117	(1)
Exercises and puzzles	118	(8)
Using the Java Library
Java ships with hundreds of pre-built classes
Analying the bug in the Simple Dot Com Game	126	(6)
ArrayList (taking advantage of the Java API)	132	(6)
Fixing the DotCom class code	138	(2)
Building the real game (Sink a Dot Com)	140	(4)
Prepcode for the real game	144	(2)
Code for the real game	146	(5)
boolean expressions	151	(3)
Using the library (Java API)	154	(1)
Using packages (import statements, fully-qualified names)	155	(3)
Using the HTML API docs and reference books	158	(3)
Exercises and puzzles	161	(7)
Better Living in Objectville
Plan your programs with the future in mind
Understanding inheritance (superclass and subclass relationships)	168	(2)
Designing an inheritance tree (the Animal simulation)	170	(1)
Avoiding duplicate code (using inheritance)	171	(1)
Overriding methods	172	(5)
IS-A and HAS-A (bathtub girl)	177	(3)
What do you inherit from your superclass?	180	(2)
What does inheritance really buy you?	182	(1)
Polymorphism (using a supertype reference to a subclass object)	183	(7)
Rules for overriding (don't touch those arguments and return types!)	190	(1)
Method overloading (nothing more than method name re-use)	191	(1)
Exercises and puzzles	192	(8)
Serious Polymorphism
Inheritance is just the beginning
Some classes just should not be instantiated	200	(1)
Abstract classes (can't be instantiated)	201	(2)
Abstract methods (must be implemented)	203	(3)
Polymorphism in action	206	(2)
Class Object (the ultimate superclass of everything)	208	(3)
Taking objects out of an ArrayList (they come out as type Object)	211	(2)
Compiler checks the reference type (before letting you call a method)	213	(1)
Get in touch with your inner object	214	(1)
Polymorphic references	215	(1)
Casting an object reference (moving lower on the inheritance tree)	216	(7)
Deadly Diamond of Death (multiple inheritance problem)	223	(1)
Using interfaces (the best solution!)	224	(6)
Exercises and puzzles	230	(6)
Life and Death of an Object
Objects are born and objects die
The stack and the heap, where objects and variables live	236	(1)
Methods on the stack	237	(1)
Where local variables live	238	(1)
Where instance variables live	239	(1)
The miracle of object creation	240	(1)
Constructors (the code that runs when you say new)	241	(2)
Initializing the state of a new Duck	243	(4)
Overloaded constructors	247	(3)
Superclass constructors (constructor chaining)	250	(6)
Invoking overloaded constructors using this()	256	(2)
Life of an object	258	(2)
Garbage Collection (and making objects eligible)	260	(6)
Exercises and puzzles	266	(8)
Numbers Matter
Do the Math
Math class (do you really need an instance of it?)	274	(1)
static methods	275	(2)
static variables	277	(5)
Constants (static final variables)	282	(4)
Math methods (random(), round(), abs(), etc.)	286	(1)
Wrapper classes (Integer, Boolean, Character, etc.)	287	(2)
Autoboxing	289	(5)
Number formatting	294	(7)
Date formatting and manipulation	301	(6)
Static imports	307	(3)
Exercises and puzzles	310	(6)
Risky Behavior
Stuff happens
Making a music machine (the BeatBox)	316	(3)
What if you need to call risky code?	319	(1)
Exceptions say ``something bad may have happened...''	320	(1)
The compiler guarantees (it checks) that you're aware of the risks	321	(1)
Catching exceptions using a try/catch (skateboarder)	322	(4)
Flow control in try/catch blocks	326	(1)
The finally block (no matter what happens, turn off the oven!)	327	(2)
Catching multiple exceptions (the order matters)	329	(6)
Declaring an exception (just duck it)	335	(2)
Handle or declare law	337	(2)
Code Kitchen (making sounds)	339	(9)
Exercises and puzzles	348	(7)
A Very Graphic Story
Face it, you need to make GUIs
Your first GUI	355	(2)
Getting a user event	357	(1)
Implement a listener interface	358	(2)
Getting a button's ActionEvent	360	(3)
Putting graphics on a GUI	363	(2)
Fun with paintComponent()	365	(1)
The Graphics2D object	366	(4)
Putting more than one button on a screen	370	(6)
Inner classes to the rescue (make your listener an inner class)	376	(6)
Animation (move it, paint it, move it, paint it, move it, paint it...)	382	(4)
Code Kitchen (painting graphics with the beat of the music)	386	(8)
Exercises and puzzles	394	(6)
Work on your Swing
Swing is easy
Swing Components	400	(1)
Layout Managers (they control size and placement)	401	(2)
Three Layout Managers (border, flow, box)	403	(1)
BorderLayout (cares about five regions)	404	(4)
FlowLayout (cares about the order and preferred size)	408	(3)
BoxLayout (like flow, but can stack components vertically)	411	(2)
JTextField (for single-line user input)	413	(1)
JTextArea (for multi-line, scrolling text)	414	(2)
JCheckBox (is it selected?)	416	(1)
JList (a scrollable, selectable list)	417	(1)
Code Kitchen (The Big One-building the BeatBox chat client)	418	(6)
Exercises and puzzles	424	(7)
Saving Objects
Objects can be flattened and inflated
Saving object state	431	(1)
Writing a serialized object to a file	432	(1)
Java input and output streams (connections and chains)	433	(1)
Object serialization	434	(3)
Implementing the Serializable interface	437	(2)
Using transient variables	439	(2)
Deserializing an object	441	(6)
Writing to a text file	447	(5)
java.io.File	452	(2)
Reading from a text file	454	(4)
Splitting a String into tokens with split()	458	(4)
CodeKitchen	462	(4)
Exercises and puzzles	466	(7)
Make a Connection
Connect with the outside world
Chat program overview	473	(1)
Connecting, sending, and receiving	474	(1)
Network sockets	475	(1)
TCP ports	476	(2)
Reading data from a socket (using BufferedReader)	478	(1)
Writing data to a socket (using PrintWriter)	479	(1)
Writing the Daily Advice Client program	480	(3)
Writing a simple server	483	(1)
Daily Advice Server code	484	(2)
Writing a chat client	486	(4)
Multiple call stacks	490	(2)
Launching a new thread (make it, start it)	492	(2)
The Runnable interface (the thread's job)	494	(1)
Three states of a new Thread object (new, runnable, running)	495	(1)
The runnable-running loop	496	(1)
Thread scheduler (it's his decision, not yours)	497	(4)
Putting a thread to sleep	501	(2)
Making and starting two threads	503	(2)
Concurrency issues: can this couple be saved?	505	(1)
The Ryan and Monica concurrency problem, in code	506	(4)
Locking to make things atomic	510	(1)
Every object has a lock	511	(1)
The dreaded ``Lost Update'' problem	512	(2)
Synchronized methods (using a lock)	514	(2)
Deadlock!	516	(2)
Multithreaded ChatClient code	518	(2)
Ready-bake SimpleChatServer	520	(4)
Exercises and puzzles	524	(9)
Data Structures
Sorting is a snap in Java
Collections	533	(1)
Sorting an ArrayList with Collections.sort()	534	(6)
Generics and type-safety	540	(7)
Sorting things that implement the Comparable interface	547	(5)
Sorting things with a custom Comparator	552	(5)
The collection API---lists, sets, and maps	557	(2)
Avoiding duplicates with HashSet	559	(1)
Overriding hashCode() and equals()	560	(7)
HashMap	567	(7)
Using wildcards for polymorphism	574	(2)
Exercises and puzzles	576	(6)
Release Your Code
It's time to let go
Deployment options	582	(2)
Keep your source code and class files separate	584	(1)
Making an executable JAR (Java ARchives)	585	(1)
Running an executable JAR	586	(1)
Put your classes in a package!	587	(2)
Packages must have a matching directory structure	589	(1)
Compiling and running with packages	590	(1)
Compiling with -d	591	(1)
Making an executable JAR (with packages)	592	(5)
Java Web Start (JWS) for deployment from the web	597	(3)
How to make and deploy a JWS application	600	(1)
Exercises and puzzles	601	(13)
Distributed Computing
Being remote doesn't have to be a bad thing
Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI), hands-on, very detailed	614	(11)
Servlets (a quick look)	625	(6)
Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), a very quick look	631	(1)
Jini, the best trick of all	632	(4)
Building the really cool universal service browser	636	(12)
The End	648	(2)
Appendix A
The final Code Kitchen project
BeatBoxFinal (client code)	650	(7)
MusicServer (server code)	657	(3)
Appendix B
The Top Ten Things that didn't make it into the book
Top Ten List	660	(17)
Index	677