SCJP Exam for J2SE 5 Platform: A Concise And Comprehensive Study Guide for the Sun Certified Java Programmer Exam

by Sanghera, Paul

• ISBN13: 9781590596975
• ISBN10: 1590596978
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-05
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York Inc

Summary

Best selling author, Paul Sanghera, offers cohesive, concise, yet comprehensive coverage of all the topics included in the Sun Certified Programmer for Java 5 exam (CX 310-055). With a laser sharp focus on the exam objectives, the Study Guide goes beyond just being an "exam cram." The material is presented in a logical learning sequence: a section builds upon previous sections and a chapter on previous chapters. All concepts, simple and complex, are defined and explained when they appear the first time. There is no hopping from topic to topic and no technical jargon without explanation. No prior knowledge of Java programming is assumed. The single most difficult aspect of this exam is to read and understand the code in the exam questions in a limited amount of time. To help you get fluent and comfortable with the code, the book offers complete runnable code examples distributed over all the chapters and a codewalk quicklet feature at the end of each chapter. Although the primary purpose of the book is to help you pass the SCJP exam, it will also serve as a good reference after the exam.

Table of Contents

About the Author	xvi
About the Technical Reviewer	xvii
Acknowledgments	xviii
Introduction	xix
PART 1 Scratching the Surface
Fundamentals of Java Programming	3	(20)
Learning Objectives	3	(1)
Computers and Computer Programming	4	(2)
How a Computer Works	4	(1)
How a Computer Program Works	5	(1)
Writing and Executing a Java Program	6	(3)
Writing a Java Program	6	(1)
Compiling a Java Program	7	(1)
Executing a Java Program	7	(2)
Elements of a Java Program	9	(4)
Classes and Objects	9	(1)
Methods	10	(1)
Variables and Data Types	11	(1)
Execution Flow of a Program	12	(1)
Features of Java	13	(2)
Platform Independence	13	(1)
Object-Oriented Programming	14	(1)
Accessing the Classes and Class Members	15	(1)
The Memory Usage by a Java Program	16	(1)
Living on the Stack	17	(1)
Living on the Heap	17	(1)
When Will the Error Occur?	17	(1)
What's in a Name?	18	(2)
A Brief History of Java Versions	18	(1)
Java Buzzwords	19	(1)
Summary	20	(3)
PART 2 Basic Java Programming
Data Types and Operators	23	(34)
Exam Objectives	23	(1)
Data-Related Concepts	23	(3)
Understanding Variables, Data Types, and Operators	23	(1)
Naming the Variables: Legal Identifiers	24	(1)
Reserved Names: The Keywords	25	(1)
Working with Primitive Data Types	26	(1)
Declaring and Initializing Primitive Variables	27	(4)
Syntax for Declaring Variables	27	(1)
Accessing Variables	27	(1)
Literals	28	(2)
Default Initial Values	30	(1)
Working with Nonprimitive Data Types	31	(5)
Objects	31	(1)
Arrays	32	(1)
The Data Type enum	33	(3)
Understanding Operations on Data	36	(1)
Arithmetic Operators	36	(4)
The Unary Arithmetic Operators	37	(1)
Basic Arithmetic Operators	38	(2)
Relational Operators	40	(1)
Logical Operators	41	(4)
Bitwise Logical Operators	41	(2)
Short-Circuit Logical Operators	43	(2)
Using Assignment Operators	45	(2)
Shortcut Assignment Operators	45	(1)
Arithmetic Promotion	46	(1)
Advanced Operators	47	(2)
The Shortcut if-else Operator: ?:	47	(1)
The Cast Operator: (<type>)	47	(1)
The new Operator	48	(1)
The instanceof Operator	48	(1)
Equality of Two Objects or Two Primitives	49	(1)
Codewalk Quicklet	49	(1)
Summary	50	(1)
Exam's Eye View	51	(1)
Review Questions	52	(5)
Classes, Methods, and Interfaces	57	(32)
Exam Objectives	57	(1)
Using Methods	58	(6)
Defining a Method	58	(1)
The Static Methods and Variables	59	(2)
Methods with a Variable Number of Parameters	61	(2)
JavaBeans Naming Standard for Methods	63	(1)
Working with Classes and Objects	64	(5)
Defining Classes	64	(1)
Creating Objects	65	(2)
Nested Classes	67	(2)
Understanding Enums	69	(4)
Methods of the Enum Class	70	(1)
Constructors, Methods, and Variables in an enum	70	(3)
Inheritance	73	(2)
Writing and Invoking Constructors	75	(3)
Writing and Using Interfaces	78	(3)
Codewalk Quicklet	81	(1)
Summary	82	(1)
Exam's Eye View	83	(1)
Review Questions	84	(5)
Java Language Fundamentals	89	(32)
Exam Objectives	89	(1)
Organizing Your Java Application	90	(7)
Entering Through the Main Gate	90	(2)
What Is in a Name?	92	(3)
The JAR Files	95	(1)
The Static Import	96	(1)
Passing Arguments into Methods	97	(2)
Passing a Primitive Variable	97	(1)
Passing a Reference Variable	98	(1)
Using Access Modifiers	99	(5)
The public Modifier	100	(1)
The private Modifier	100	(1)
The protected Modifier	101	(1)
The Default Modifier	102	(2)
Understanding Usage Modifiers	104	(6)
The final Modifier	104	(1)
The static Modifier	105	(2)
The abstract Modifier	107	(1)
The native Modifier	108	(1)
The transient Modifier	109	(1)
The Thread-Related Modifiers	110	(1)
Modifiers: The Big Picture	110	(1)
Understanding Garbage Collection in Java	111	(2)
Understanding the Garbage Collector	111	(1)
The finalize() Method	112	(1)
Codewalk Quicklet	113	(1)
Summary	114	(1)
Exam's Eye View	115	(1)
Review Questions	116	(5)
Object-Oriented Programming	121	(32)
Exam Objectives	121	(1)
Understanding Object-Oriented Relationships	122	(3)
The is-a Relationship	122	(1)
The has-a Relationship	122	(1)
Encapsulation and Data Abstraction	123	(1)
Coupling and Cohesion	124	(1)
Implementing Polymorphism	125	(2)
Conversion of Primitive Data Types	127	(7)
Implicit Conversion of Primitive Data Types	127	(6)
Explicit Conversion of Primitive Data Types	133	(1)
Conversion of Object Reference Types	134	(4)
Implicit Conversion of Object Reference Types	134	(3)
Explicit Conversion of Object Reference Types	137	(1)
Using Method Overriding and Overloading	138	(6)
Method Overriding	138	(2)
Method Overloading	140	(3)
Constructor Overloading	143	(1)
Codewalk Quicklet	144	(1)
Summary	145	(1)
Exam's Eye View	146	(1)
Review Questions	147	(6)
Execution Flow Control in Java	153	(22)
Exam Objectives	153	(1)
Using Selection Statements	153	(7)
The if Statements	153	(4)
The switch Statement	157	(3)
Iteration Statements	160	(4)
The while Loop Construct	160	(1)
The do-while Loop Construct	161	(1)
The for Loop Construct	161	(2)
The for-each Loop Construct	163	(1)
Block Breaker Statements	164	(3)
The continue Statement	164	(1)
The break Statement	165	(2)
Codewalk Quicklet	167	(1)
Summary	167	(1)
Exam's Eye View	168	(1)
Review Questions	169	(6)
PART 3 Advanced Java Programming
Exceptions and Assertions	175	(22)
Exam Objectives	175	(1)
Understanding Exceptions in Java	175	(3)
The Exception Tree in Java	176	(1)
Checked Exceptions and Runtime Exceptions	177	(1)
Standard Exceptions	178	(1)
Basics of Exception Handling	178	(5)
Using the try and catch Blocks	179	(1)
Using the finally Block	180	(1)
Using Multiple catch Blocks	181	(2)
Throwing Exceptions	183	(1)
Control Flow in Exception Condition	184	(2)
Declaring Exceptions	186	(2)
Checked Exception: Duck It or Catch It	186	(1)
Declaring Exceptions When Overriding	187	(1)
Assertions	188	(2)
Codewalk Quicklet	190	(1)
Summary	191	(1)
Exam's Eye View	192	(1)
Review Questions	193	(4)
Input and Output in Java	197	(24)
Exam Objectives	197	(1)
Handling Files in Java	197	(5)
Understanding the File Class	198	(2)
Navigating the File System	200	(2)
Understanding Streams	202	(6)
The Low-Level Streams	202	(3)
The High-Level Streams	205	(3)
Readers and Writers	208	(5)
Low-Level Readers and Writers	209	(2)
High-Level Readers and Writers	211	(2)
Exceptions During I/O Operations	213	(1)
Object Streams and Serialization	213	(2)
Writing with ObjectOutputStream	214	(1)
Reading with ObjectInputStream	214	(1)
Codewalk Quicklet	215	(1)
Summary	216	(1)
Exam's Eye View	217	(1)
Review Questions	218	(3)
Strings, Formatters, and Wrappers	221	(38)
Exam Objectives	221	(1)
Using the String Class	222	(5)
Constructing Strings with the String Class	222	(1)
Methods of the String Class	223	(2)
The Immutability of Strings	225	(2)
The StringBuffer Class	227	(2)
Formatting and Parsing for the World	229	(7)
Definitions of Internationalization and Localization	229	(1)
Understanding the Locale Class	229	(3)
Formatting Numbers and Currencies	232	(3)
Formatting Dates	235	(1)
Text Processing with Regular Expressions	236	(4)
Formatting and Parsing Streams	240	(6)
Formatting Streams	240	(4)
Parsing Streams	244	(2)
Wrapping the Primitives	246	(5)
Creating Objects of Wrapper Classes	246	(2)
Methods to Extract the Wrapped Values	248	(1)
The Instant Use of Wrapper Classes	249	(2)
Codewalk Quicklet	251	(1)
Summary	252	(1)
Exam's Eye View	253	(1)
Review Questions	254	(5)
Collections and Generics	259	(32)
Exam Objectives	259	(1)
The Mother of All Classes: Object	260	(3)
The Object Class	260	(1)
The equals() Method	261	(2)
The toString() Method	263	(1)
Understanding Collections	263	(11)
The Collections Interfaces	264	(2)
Implementations of Collections Interfaces	266	(4)
The hashCode Method	270	(4)
Understanding Generics	274	(5)
Generic Collections	274	(2)
Generic Programming	276	(3)
Object Ordering	279	(2)
Natural Ordering	279	(1)
Defining Ordering Using Comparator	280	(1)
Understanding Autoboxing	281	(2)
Codewalk Quicklet	283	(2)
Summary	285	(1)
Exam's Eye View	286	(1)
Review Questions	287	(4)
Threads in Java	291	(26)
Exam Objectives	291	(1)
Multithreaded Programming in Java	291	(6)
Understanding Threads	291	(1)
Creating a Thread Using the Thread Class	292	(2)
Creating a Thread Using the Runnable Interface	294	(2)
Spawning Multiple Threads	296	(1)
Lifecycle of a Thread: An Overview	297	(1)
Understanding Transition Between Thread States	298	(3)
Transition Between Running and Runnable States	299	(1)
Transition Between Runnable and Nonrunnable States	299	(2)
Synchronization and Locks in Concurrent Access	301	(3)
Understanding the Concurrent Access Problem	301	(1)
Object Locks	302	(1)
Class Locks	303	(1)
Monitoring the Wait State	304	(3)
Scheduling Threads	307	(1)
Understanding the Deadlocks	308	(1)
Codewalk Quicklet	309	(1)
Summary	310	(1)
Exam's Eye View	311	(1)
Review Questions	312	(5)
PART 4 Appendixes
APPENDIX A Installing and Testing J2SE 5.0	317	(4)
Installing the Required Java Software	317	(1)
Setting Up the Development Environment Variables	318	(1)
Writing, Compiling, and Executing a Java Program	318	(3)
APPENDIX B SCJP 5.0 Upgrade Exam (CX-310-056)	321	(4)
Essential Information About the Upgrade Exam	321	(1)
Comparison Between the Regular and Upgrade Exams	322	(1)
Upgrade Exam Objectives: Where Are They Covered?	322	(3)
APPENDIX C Answers to Chapter Review Questions	325	(8)
Chapter 2: Data Types and Operators	325	(1)
Chapter 3: Classes, Methods, and Interfaces	326	(1)
Chapter 4: Java Language Fundamentals	327	(1)
Chapter 5: Object-Oriented Programming	327	(1)
Chapter 6: Execution Flow Control in Java	328	(1)
Chapter 7: Exceptions and Assertions	329	(1)
Chapter 8: Input and Output in Java	330	(1)
Chapter 9: Strings, Formatters, and Wrappers	330	(1)
Chapter 10: Collections and Generics	331	(1)
Chapter 11: Threads in Java	332	(1)
APPENDIX D Practice Exam	333	(30)
Questions	333	(25)
Answers and Explanations	358	(5)
APPENDIX E Exam Quick Prep	363	(22)
Chapter 2: Data Types and Operators (Exam Objectives 1.3, 7.6)	363	(1)
Chapter 3: Classes, Methods, and Interfaces (Exam Objectives 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.6)	364	(3)
Chapter 4: Classes, Methods, and Interfaces (Exam Objectives 5.3, 7.1--7.5)	367	(2)
Chapter 5: Object-Oriented Programming (Exam Objectives 1.5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5)	369	(2)
Chapter 6: Execution Flow Control in Java (Exam Objectives 2.1, 2.2)	371	(2)
Chapter 7: Exceptions and Assertions (Exam Objectives 2.3--2.6)	373	(2)
Chapter 8: Input and Output in Java (Exam Objectives 3.2, 3.3)	375	(1)
Chapter 9: Strings, Formatters, and Wrappers (Exam Objectives 3.1, 3.4, 3.5)	376	(2)
Chapter 10: Collections and Generics (Exam Objectives 6.1--6.5)	378	(3)
Chapter 11: Threads in Java (Exam Objectives 4.1--4.4)	381	(4)
Index	385