Head First Java: A Brain-Friendly Guide

by Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates, Trisha Gee

Overview

What will you learn from this book?

Head First Java is a complete learning experience in Java and object-oriented programming. With this book, you'll learn the Java language with a unique method that goes beyond how-to manuals and helps you become a great programmer. Through puzzles, mysteries, and soul-searching interviews with famous Java objects, you'll quickly get up to speed on Java's fundamentals and advanced topics including lambdas, streams, generics, threading, networking, and the dreaded desktop GUI. If you have experience with another programming language, Head First Java will engage your brain with more modern approaches to coding—the sleeker, faster, and easier to read, write, and maintain Java of today.

What's so special about this book?

If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect—a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. With Head First Java, you'll learn Java through a multisensory experience that engages your mind, rather than by means of a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781491910771
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/21/2022
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	752
Sales rank:	361,161
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Kathy has been interested in learning theory since her days as a game designer for Virgin, MGM, and Amblin', and a teacher of New Media Authoring at UCLA. She was a master Java trainer for Sun Microsystems, and she founded JavaRanch.com (now CodeRanch.com), which won Jolt Cola Productivity awards in 2003 and 2004.

In 2015, she won the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award for her work creating skillful users and building sustainable communities. Kathy's recent focus has been on cutting-edge, movement science and skill acquisition coaching, known as ecological dynamics or Eco-D. Her work using Eco-D for training horses is ushering in a far, far more humane approach to horsemanship, causing delight for some (and sadly, consternation for others). Those fortunate (autonomous!) horses whose owners are using Kathy's approach are happier, healthier, and more athletic than their fellows who are traditionally trained.You can follow Kathy on Instagram @pantherflows

Before Bert was an author, he was a developer, specializing in old-school AI (mostly expert systems), real-time OSes, and complex scheduling systems. In 2003, Bert and Kathy wrote Head First Java and launched the Head First series. Since then, he's written more Java books and consulted with Sun Microsystems and Oracle on many of their Java certifications. He trains authors and editors to create books that teach well. Of the hundreds of authors he's trained, many have gone on to write best-selling books. Bert's a Go player, and in 2016 he watched in horror and fascination as AlphaGo trounced Lee Sedol. Recently he's been using Eco-D (ecological dynamics) to improve his golf game and to train his parrotlet Bokeh. You can email Bert at CodeRanch.com.

Trisha Gee is a Java Champion, published author, and leader of the Java developer advocacy team at JetBrains. She’s developed Java applications for companies of all sizes in the finance, manufacturing, and nonprofit industries and beyond. Trisha has expertise in Java high-performance systems, dabbles with open source development, and is a leader of the Sevilla Java User Group.

Table of Contents

	Intro: Your brain on Java
	Who is this book for?	xx
	What your brain is thinking	xxi
	Metacognition	xxiii
	Bend your brain into submission	xxv
	What you need for this book	xxvi
	Technical editors	xxviii
	Acknowledgements	xxix
1	Breaking the Surface: Java takes you to new places
	The way Java works	2
	Code structure in Java	5
	Anatomy of a class	6
	The main() method	7
	Looping	8
	Conditional branching (if tests)	11
	Coding the "99 bottles of beer" app	12
	Phrase-o-matic	14
	Fireside chat: compiler vs. JVM	16
	Exercises and puzzles	18
2	A Trip to Objectville: I was told there would be objects
	Chair Wars (Brad the OO guy vs. Larry the procedural guy)	26
	Inheritance (an introduction)	29
	Overriding methods (as introduction)	30
	What's in a class? (methods, instance variables)	32
	Making your first object	34
	Using main()	36
	Guessing Game code	37
	Exercises and puzzles	40
3	Know Your Variables: Variables come in two flavors: primitive and reference
	Declaring a variable (Java cares about type)	48
	Primitive types ("I'd like a double with extra foam, please")	49
	Java keywords	51
	Reference variables (remote control to an object)	52
	Object declaration and assignment	53
	Objects on the garbage-collectible heap	55
	Arrays (a first look)	57
	Exercises and puzzles	61
4	How Objects Behave: State affects behavior, behavior affects state
	Methods use object state (bark different)	71
	Method arguments and return types	72
	Pass-by-value (the variable is always copied)	75
	Getters and Setters	77
	Encapsulation (do it or risk humiliation)	78
	Using references in an array	81
	Exercises and puzzles	86
5	Extra-Strength Methods: Let's put some muscle in our methods
	Building the Sink a Dot Com game	94
	Starting with the Simple Dot Com game (a simpler version)	96
	Writing prepcode (pseudocode for the game)	97
	Test code for Simple Dot Com	100
	Coding the Simple Dot Com game	101
	Final code for Simple Dot Com	104
	Generating random numbers with Math.random()	109
	Ready-bake code for getting user input from the command-line	110
	Looping with for loops	112
	Casting primitives from a large size to a smaller size	114
	Converting a String to an int with Integer.parseInt()	114
	Exercises and puzzles	115
6	Using the Java Library: Java ships with hundreds of pre-built classes
	Analying the bug in the Simple Dot Com Game	122
	ArrayList (taking advantage of the Java API)	128
	Fixing the DotCom class code	134
	Building the real game (Sink a Dot Com)	136
	Prepcode for the real game	140
	Code for the real game	142
	Boolean expressions	147
	Using the library (Java API)	150
	Using packages (import statements, fully-qualified names)	151
	Using the HTML API docs and reference books	154
	Exercises and puzzles	157
7	Better Living in Objectville: Plan your programs with the future in mind
	Understanding inheritance (superclass and subclass relationships)	164
	Designing an inheritance tree (the Animal simulation)	166
	Avoiding duplicate code (using inheritance)	167
	Overriding methods	168
	IS-A and HAS-A (bathtub girl)	173
	What do you inherit from your superclass?	176
	What does inheritance really buy you?	178
	Polymorphism (using a supertype reference to a subclass object)	179
	Rules for overriding (don't touch those arguments and return types!)	186
	Method overloading (nothing more than method name re-use)	187
	Exercises and puzzles	188
8	Serious Polymorphism: Inheritance is just the beginning
	Some classes just should not be instantiated	196
	Abstract classes (can't be instantiated)	197
	Abstract methods (must be implemented)	199
	Polymorphism in action	202
	Class Object (the ultimate superclass of everything)	204
	Taking objects out of an ArrayList (they come out as type Object)	207
	Compiler checks the reference type (before letting you call a method)	209
	Get in touch with your inner object	210
	Polymorphic references	211
	Casting an object reference (moving lower on the inheritance tree)	212
	Deadly Diamond of Death (multiple inheritance problem)	219
	Using interfaces (the best solution!)	220
	Exercises and puzzles	225
9	Life and Death of an Object: Objects are born and objects die
	The stack and the heap, where objects and variables live	232
	Methods on the stack	233
	Where local variables live	234
	Where instance variables live	235
	The miracle of object creation	236
	Constructors (the code that runs when you say new)	237
	Initializing the state of a new Duck	239
	The compiler can make a default (no-arg) constructor	241
	Overloaded constructors	243
	Superclass constructors (constructor chaining)	246
	Invoking overloaded constructors using this()	252
	Life of an object	254
	Garbage Collection (and making objects eligible)	256
	Exercises and puzzles	262
10	Numbers Matter: Do the Math
	Math class (do you really need an instance of it?)	270
	Static methods	271
	Static variables	273
	Constants (static final variables)	278
	Math methods (random(), round(), abs(), etc.)	282
	Wrapper classes (Integer, Boolean, Character, etc.)	283
	Number formatting	284
	Date formatting	288
	Exercises and puzzles	291
11	Risky Behavior: Stuff happens
	Making a music machine (the BeatBox)	298
	What if you need to call risky code?	301
	Exceptions say "something bad may have happened..."	302
	The compiler guarantees (it checks) that you're aware of the risks	303
	Catching exceptions using a try/catch (skateboarder)	304
	Flow control in try/catch blocks	308
	The finally block (no matter what happens, turn off the oven!)	309
	Catching multiple exceptions (the order matters)	311
	Declaring an exception (just duck it)	317
	Handle or declare law	319
	Code Kitchen (making sounds)	321
	Exercises and puzzles	330
12	A Very Graphic Story: Face it, you need to make GUIs
	Your first GUI	337
	Getting a user event	339
	Implement a listener interface	340
	Getting a button's ActionEvent	342
	Putting graphics on a GUI	345
	Fun with paintComponent()	347
	The Graphics2D object	348
	Putting more than one button on a screen	352
	Inner classes to the rescue (make your listener an inner class)	358
	Animation (move it, paint it, move it, paint it, move it, paint it...)	364
	Code Kitchen (painting graphics with the beat of the music)	368
	Exercises and puzzles	376
13	Work on your Swing: Swing is easy
	Swing Components	382
	Layout Managers (they control size and placement)	383
	Three Layout Managers (border, flow, box)	385
	BorderLayout (cares about five regions)	386
	FlowLayout (cares about the order and preferred size)	390
	BoxLayout (like flow, but can stack components vertically)	393
	JTextField (for single-line user input)	395
	JTextArea (for multi-line, scrolling text)	396
	JCheckBox (is it selected?)	398
	JList (a scrollable, selectable list)	399
	Code Kitchen (The Big One - building the BeatBox chat client)	400
	Exercises and puzzles	406
14	Saving Objects: Objects can be flattened and inflated
	Saving object state	413
	Writing a serialized object to a file	414
	Java input and output streams (connections and chains)	415
	Object serialization	416
	Implementing the Serializable interface	419
	Using transient variables	421
	Deserializing an object	423
	Writing to a text file	427
	java.io.File	432
	Reading from a text file	434
	StringTokenizer	438
	CodeKitchen	442
	Exercises and puzzles	446
15	Make a Connection: Connect with the outside world
	Chat program overview	453
	Connecting, sending, and receiving	454
	Network sockets	455
	TCP ports	456
	Reading data from a socket (using BufferedReader)	458
	Writing data to a socket (using PrintWriter)	459
	Writing the Daily Advice Client program	460
	Writing a simple server	463
	Daily Advice Server code	464
	Writing a chat client	466
	Multiple call stacks	470
	Launching a new thread (make it, start it)	472
	The Runnable interface (the thread's job)	473
	Three states of a new Thread object (new, runnable, running)	475
	The runnable-running loop	476
	Thread scheduler (it's his decision, not yours)	477
	Putting a thread to sleep	481
	Making and starting two threads	483
	Concurrency issues: can this couple be saved?	485
	The Ryan and Monica concurrency problem, in code	486
	Locking to make things atomic	490
	Every object has a lock	491
	The dreaded "Lost Update" problem	492
	Synchronized methods (using a lock)	494
	Deadlock!	496
	Multithreaded ChatClient code	498
	Ready-bake SimpleChatServer	500
	Exercises and puzzles	504
16	Release Your Code: It's time to let go
	Deployment options	510
	Keep your source code and class files separate	512
	Making an executable JAR (Java ARchives)	513
	Running an executable JAR	514
	Put your classes in a package!	515
	Preventing package name conflicts	516
	Packages must have a matching directory structure	517
	Compiling and running with packages	518
	Compiling with -d	519
	Making an executable JAR (with packages)	520
	Java Web Start (JWS) for deployment from the web	525
	The jnlp file	527
	How to make and deploy a JWS application	528
	Exercises and puzzles	529
17	Distributed Computing: Being remote doesn't have to be a bad thing
	Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI), hands-on, very detailed	552
	Servlets (a quick look)	553
	Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB), a very quick look	559
	Jini, the best trick of all	560
	Building the really cool universal service browser	564
	The End	576
A	Appendix A: The final Code Kitchen project
	BeatBoxFinal (client code)	578
	MusicServer (server code)	585
B	Appendix B: The Top Ten Things that didn't make it into the book
	Bit manipulation	588
	Immutability	589
	Assertions	590
	Block scope	591
	Linked invocations	592
	Overriding equals()	593
	Access levels and access modifiers (who sees what)	594
	String and StringBuffer methods	596
	Multidimensional arrays	597
	Collections	598
	Index	607

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Head First Java is a beginning Java primer like you’ve never seen before (and believe us, we’ve seen plenty). This book makes Java fun. No, that doesn’t do it justice. Imagine learning Java from Robin Williams. (The comedian, we mean. If you can imagine him as a truly great Java programmer.)

Synapses firing, new ideas, new connections, attitude all over the place: That’s Head First Java. (Where else can you watch Java objects expose their inner secrets on Java Tabloid TV? Or learn why Lucy really keeps her variables private?)

Hilarious captioned photos. Text that’s actually funny (and we don’t mean the kind of “alleged” funny you’ve seen in computer books before -- the kind that makes you cringe). Games. Puzzles. Mysteries. “Be the compiler” exercises. Great analogies.

And all these goodies weren’t bolted on at the end to enliven a deadly narrative or fit a format. They’re here to make the ideas come alive. And it works.

If you prefer to be lectured, if you prefer a rigid format where you know exactly what to expect every time you turn the page…look elsewhere. Head First Java has a surprise waiting on pretty much every spread. Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates, and the gang at O’Reilly figure that people learn best when they’re fully engaged. When they’re being tickled. When they’re on the floor laughing. (And the latest research in cognitive science, neurobiology, and educational psychology backs them up.)

In Chapter 1, you’ll build your first app -- not Hello World, but your own personal Phrase-O-Matic. Then, it’s straight outta main() -- or, as the authors put it, “We’re leaving this dusty old procedural town for good.” You’ll learn why objects are better through an imaginary competition between Larry, the procedural programmer and Brad, the OO guy (winner gets the cool Aeron chair).

Next, it’s on to primitive and reference variables. Think of ‘em as cups. Think of 64 and Double 64 primitives as Starbucks Grande cups. Java cares about type and won’t let you put a Giraffe into a Rabbit variable: “What happens when someone tries to ask the so-called Rabbit to hop()? You’ll get to know life -- and death -- on the garbage collectible heap. There’s a full chapter on object behavior and on encapsulation (“do it or risk humiliation and ridicule”).

One big idea at a time, you make it through every Java fundamental. Solving problems with the Java Library APIs. Inheritance. Object-oriented design. Serious polymorphism, and interfaces: “the caffeine in Java.” Constructors. Memory management. Garbage collection. Java math (static methods and variables, math methods, wrappers, and number formatting). Exception handling. GUIs, event handling, layout managers, and Swing components. Object serialization. File I/O. Networking and threads. Even getting your code ready for release (e.g., code organization, packages, executable JARs, and Java Web Start (which launches your application for the first time as a web browser and then runs it on a stand-alone basis).

Throughout Head First Java, you’ll also find answers to the “dumb questions” other books don’t deign to answer. Oh, and plenty of “Ready-bake code.” You’ll never forget this Java book -- or what you learn from it. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

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