Java in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference

by Benjamin Evans, David Flanagan

Overview

The latest edition of Java in a Nutshell is designed to help experienced Java programmers get the most out of Java 7 and 8, but it's also a learning path for new developers. Chock full of examples that demonstrate how to take complete advantage of modern Java APIs and development best practices, the first section of this thoroughly updated book provides a fast-paced, no-fluff introduction to the Java programming language and the core runtime aspects of the Java platform.

The second section is a reference to core concepts and APIs that shows you how to perform real programming work in the Java environment.

• Get up to speed on language details, including Java 8 changes
• Learn object-oriented programming, using basic Java syntax
• Explore generics, enumerations, annotations, and lambda expressions
• Understand basic techniques used in object-oriented design
• Examine concurrency and memory, and how they're intertwined
• Work with Java collections and handle common data formats
• Delve into Java—s latest I/O APIs, including asynchronous channels
• Use Nashorn to execute JavaScript on the Java Virtual Machine
• Become familiar with development tools in OpenJDK

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449370824
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/06/2014
Edition description:	Sixth Edition
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Ben Evans is theCo-founder and Technology Fellow of jClarity, a startup which delivers performance tools to help development & ops teams. He helps to organise the London Java Community, and represents them on the Java Community Process Executive Committee where he works to define new standards for the Java ecosystem. He is a Java Champion; JavaOne Rockstar; co-author of “The Well-Grounded Java Developer” and a regular public speaker on the Java platform, performance, concurrency, and related topics.

David Flanagan is a computer programmer who spends most of his time writing about JavaScript and Java. His books with O'Reilly include Java in a Nutshell, Java Examples in a Nutshell, Java Foundation Classes in a Nutshell, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, and JavaScript Pocket Reference. David has a degree in computer science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He lives with his wife and children in the U.S. Pacific Northwest bewteen the cities of Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia. David has a blog at www.davidflanagan.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface xi

Part I Introducing Java

1 Introduction to the Java Environment 3

The Language, the JVM, and the Ecosystem 3

A Brief History of Java and the JVM 7

The Lifecycle of a Java Program 9

Java Security 11

Comparing Java to Other Languages 11

Answering Some Criticisms of Java 13

2 Java Syntax from the Ground Up 17

Java Programs from the Top Down 18

Lexical Structure 18

Primitive Data Types 22

Expressions and Operators 30

Statements 46

Methods 66

Introduction to Classes and Objects 72

Arrays 77

Reference Types 84

Packages and the Java Namespace 88

Java File Structure 93

Defining and Running Java Programs 94

Summary 95

3 Object-Oriented Programming in Java 97

Overview of Classes 97

Fields and Methods 100

Creating and Initializing Objects 106

Subclasses and Inheritance 110

Data Hiding and Encapsulation 121

Abstract Classes and Methods 128

Modifier Summary 132

4 The Java Type System 135

Interfaces 136

Java Generics 142

Enums and Annotations 151

Nested Types 155

Lambda Expressions 171

Conclusion 174

5 Introduction to Object-Oriented Design in Java 177

Java Values 177

Important Methods of java.lang.Object 178

Aspects of Object-Oriented Design 183

Exceptions and Exception Handling 193

Safe Java Programming 195

6 Java's Approach to Memory and Concurrency 197

Basic Concepts of Java Memory Management 197

How the JVM Optimizes Garbage Collection 201

The HotSpot Heap 203

Finalization 206

Java's Support for Concurrency 208

Working with Threads 218

Summary 219

Part II Working with the Java Platform

7 Programming and Documentation Conventions 223

Naming and Capitalization Conventions 223

Practical Naming 225

Java Documentation Comments 226

Conventions for Portable Programs 235

8 Working with Java Collections 239

Introduction to Collections API 239

Lambda Expressions in the Java Collections 258

Conclusion 266

9 Handling Common Data Formats 267

Text 267

Numbers and Math 275

Java 8 Date and Time 280

Conclusion 287

10 File Handling and I/O 289

Classic Java I/O 289

Modern Java I/O 295

NIO Channels and Buffers 298

Async I/O 301

Networking 304

11 Classloading, Reflection, and Method Handles 311

Class Files, Class Objects, and Metadata 311

Phases of Classloading 313

Secure Programming and Classloading 315

Applied Classloading 317

Reflection 320

Dynamic Proxies 325

Method Handles 326

12 Nashorn 331

Introduction to Nashorn 331

Executing JavaScript with Nashorn 332

Nashorn and javax.script 340

Advanced Nashorn 342

Conclusion 347

13 Platform Tools and Profiles 349

Command-Line Tools 349

VisualVM 362

Java 8 Profiles 367

Conclusion 372

Index 373