Calendar/Outline for First Course in Java

This session covers the reading in Day 1: 21st Century Java

lecture notes

Demonstration of the “Hello World” Java application

Demonstration of the Java Glossary applet

What is Programming?

• Applications (and applets)
• Syntax and semantics
• Computer architecture
• Java compared to C/C++
  • Platform independence
  • Source code compiled to byte code and interpreted by the Java virtual machine (JVM)

Sun’s web site

• How to download Java
• How to install Java
• How to use Sun’s Java tutorial

[working code]

This session covers the reading in Day 3: ABCs of Java, and Day 5: Lists, Logic, and Loops

lecture notes

Basics of (Java) Programming Language

• Variables, Constants, and Data Types
  • boolean, char, int, double, float
  • arrays
  • constants are “final”
• Declarations and Assignments
  • Data type + variable name
  • Equals (=)
• Operators (arithmetic, logical, and binary)
• Control and Flow Constructs
  • Conditional expressions (“if”, “else”)
  • Loops (“for”, “while”, “do … while”)

See this session's lecture notes

[working code]

This session covers the reading in Day 2: A Taste of Object-Oriented Programming

lecture notes

Object-Oriented Programming (basics)

• Objects
  • OOP versus Procedural Programming
  • embody a level of abstraction that is closer to everyday reality than are procedures
  • Advantages of object-oriented programming
    • Division of labor
    • Reusability/maintainability
  • Challenges of object-oriented programming
    • Need for up-front design
    • Overhead at compile-time and run-time
• Classes
  • “Hello World” application uses a class
  • Real-world style objects: customer and book
• Methods and Attributes
  • Methods: the “behavior” of an object
  • Attributes: the “state” of an object
  • Simple method calls, recursive calls
  • Example of methods for customer and book

Tower of Hanoi design exercise

[see lecture notes]

Homework 2.

This session covers the readings in  and Day 4: Working with Objects and Day 6: Creating Classes and Methods

lecture notes

Object-Oriented Programming (continued)

• Inheritance
• Polymorphism
  • using an array
  • Vector (self-sizing array)
  • Example: geometric shapes
• Encapsulation
  • visibility
  • security; division of work
• Interfaces
  • enhancing single-inheritance
  • specifying a set of methods for later implementation
  • advantages for the workflow of a software development organization

• Reference Book and Book
• Graduate Student and Student

[design exercise]

This session covers the reading in Day 15: Packages, Interfaces, and Other Features and Day 16: Error Handling and Security

lecture notes

Inheritance: When To Use and Not Use It

• Good: broad and shallow hierarchies, such as geometric shapes
• Bad: narrow and deep hierarchies, such as Java’s input/output package

Input/Output (io package)

• Use the API to learn about Input/Output
• FileStream, Buffered Input Stream for a Buffered Reader
• Why Input/Output does NOT use inheritance

Exception Handling 

• built-in best practices/management
• a case of inheritance
• throw, throws
• try, catch, finally

Packaging System: import statement

• Performance benefits
• Overview of the key packages
• io, util, applet, awt
• how to use the API to learn about the packages

This session covers the JavaDoc material in Appendix C, pp. 598 - 602

Lecture Notes

Midterm Exam

Review of the midterm

Overview of JavaDoc as used in Sun’s Java APIs

Commenting Your Code With JavaDoc

• What is JavaDoc? (HTML pages)
• How to make comments
• How to run JavaDoc
• Examples of helpful and unhelpful comments (“The Elements of Java Style”)

This session covers the reading in Day 7: Writing Java Applets, and Day 12: Color, Fonts, and Graphics

Lecture Notes

individual or team of two presentations of 5-10 minutes each on a topic such as:
--any package in the SDK http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/docs/api/index.html

--jsp (Java Server Pages), such as JRun
http://www.allaire.com/Products/JRun/ 
or TomCat http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/index.html

--ant (Open Source build tool) at http://jakarta.apache.org/ant/index.html

Introducing Applets

• What is an applet?
• How does an applet run?
• Basic HTML to embed an applet in a web page
• Creating an applet
  • extend the applet class
  • Swing applets versus AWT applets
  • Basic methods: paint(), init()
  • Demonstration
• More advanced features
  • parameters
  • size

[working code]

This session covers the reading in Day 8: Working with Swing, and Day 11: Responding to User Input in an Applet

Lecture Notes

Applets and Event-driven programming in a Graphical User Interface (GUI)

• AWT package
• Event-driven programming
• Demonstration: Unit Conversion Applet

Short Quiz

Make your existing applet interactive

[working code]

This session covers the reading in Day 9: Building a Swing Interface, and Day 10: Arranging Components on a User Interface

Lecture Notes

Polymorphism and Inheritance in a GUI

• Lists, dialogs, panels, frames
• Arranging components in a GUI
  • Simple layouts
  • Advanced layouts, including the "grid bag" layout

Final Exam

Review of the final

How you can teach yourself more advanced topics using the APIs:

• Networking (Client/Server)
• Threads (background printing)
• Swing (advanced GUI)