Essential Java Class Reference for Programmers

This manual has been written to meet the demand for an easy-to-use guide to the rich resources available from Sun Microsystems to support the Java programming language. The programming tools presented in this manual are very powerful, but often are not easily accessible to beginning programmers. In addition, descriptions of how to use these tools cannot easily be integrated into introductory textbooks. The manual is a perfect supplement to programming textbooks that focus on the Java language and its features. Here the focus is a hands-on and tutorial-style introduction to programming tools and resources. Let's now look at the tools and resources covered in this manual. One of the great features of the Java programming language is that it is available for free. You can download the Java Software Development Kit (SDK) from: http://java.sun.com Another great feature of Java is the Java API, which is a large library of classes that you can use in your programs. The classes in the API are useful because they make lots of things easier, including graphics and network communication, but there are many classes, with many methods, that can be confusing to beginning and intermediate Java programmers. TheJava Class Referencesection of this manual will help you find your way around the Java API. In the class reference, you'll find descriptions of the most commonly used classes and methods. In fact, the classes and methods presented were chosen by Prentice Hall textbook authors specifically because they will be the most useful for the beginning and intermediate Java programmer. Even the best description can leave you wondering how to use a method in your program, so the class reference includes plenty of code examples, ranging from a single line of code to 10 or 20 lines. If you want to write a Java program and don't know where to start, turn to theComplete Exampleschapter of the book. This chapter includes examples of both applications and applets. There is a GUI (Graphic User Interface) application and a text-interface application, so whatever kind of Java program you're writing, you'll find a starting point in this section. If you like to show off your programs, you can put them on a Web site. Anyone in the world who has an Internet connection and a Java-enabled browser can try out your programs. Of course, a great applet deserves a great Web page, and theHTML Tutorialsection will teach you how to put a Web page together and add your applet. If you're new to programming, you've probably encountered a lot of unfamiliar terms or familiar terms used in unfamiliar ways. TheJava Programming Glossarycan help you figure out just what people are talking about when they mention "objects," "references," or any number of things related to Java programming. If you have some programming experience, but are new to Java, the glossary will help you learn terms that you might not be familiar with, like "exception" or "final." Unfortunately, compilers are notorious for giving error messages that make no sense. Eventually you'll figure them all out, but until then you'll want to turn to theJava Error Messages with Explanationssection of the book. There you'll find descriptions of errors that are more than one line long, as well as likely causes of the error.Durney, Brian is the author of 'Essential Java Class Reference for Programmers', published 2005 under ISBN 9780131856455 and ISBN 0131856456.