Java Programming: From the Beginning

Suitable for the classroom or for self-study, Java Programming from the Beginning puts basic Java development and object-oriented design into the hands of any computer-literate reader. Assuming no knowledge of computers--except, of course, an aptitude for programming and a willingness to learn--this textbook is one of the more accessible and well-presented introductions to Java available today.

The author is an experienced college teacher, and the book's effective presentation style is arguably its major strength. Early chapters rely on simple mathematical examples (such as converting temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius, or averaging grades). Other examples look at parsing social security numbers or storing entries from a telephone book. Java Programming does a good job of presenting the basics of object-oriented design in terms of both designing custom classes and taking advantage of existing Java classes, such as String, StringBuffer, and Vector objects. Of course, along the way, the basics of Java syntax are covered, including many of its keywords, operators, and data types.

Although it's suitable for a college classroom, this textbook is never academic or dull. The colloquial and friendly writing style presents the essentials of Java without ever getting bogged down in theory. Besides command-line programs, you'll learn also how to do basic graphics in Java, and even play simple games (like blackjack). The custom classes that are presented in this book make it simpler to work with Java, even for beginners. Every chapter provides extensive review summaries of the important points that are demonstrated in each section, as well as a handful of exercises that'll let you try out material on your own.

Now that Java is used routinely as a first programming language in many colleges, Java Programming from the Beginning fills a useful niche. It's also an excellent home-study choice for the reader who appreciates a patient and thorough teaching style. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered:

1. Basics of computer hardware and software
2. Graphical user interfaces vs. text-based interfaces
3. General introduction to programming languages
4. Basic Java language features and syntax
5. Calculations
6. Constants
7. Methods
8. Console I/O
9. Computing averages
10. Syntax errors and debugging
11. Introduction to object-oriented design: classes, objects, and instance methods
12. Working with the Java String and StringBuffer classes
13. Basic control structures
14. Comparison
15. Relational and equality operators
16. Operator precedence
17. Loops and counting variables
18. Decoding social security numbers
19. Using Java arrays and the Vector class
20. Using arrays for a database
21. Arrays of objects
22. Sample case study for a telephone directory
23. Drawing basic shapes, colors, and text
24. A message window example
    
25. Class variables and methods
26. Passing arguments to methods
27. Helper methods
28. Principles for designing methods in Java
29. Exception-handling basics
30. The switch statement
31. Using the Java primitive types
32. Writing custom classes
33. The this keyword
34. Constructors
35. Code reuse
36. Sample code for blackjack
37. Inheritance and subclasses
38. Polymorphism
39. Abstract classes
40. The final classes
41. Introduction to the Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT)
42. Frames and event handlers
43. Layout managers
44. Data structures, sorting, and searching
45. Using sets (and bit sets)
46. File I/O in Java (opening, reading, and writing files)
47. Installing the Sun JDK
48. Custom classes for simplified introductory Java programming