Pro Java Programming

by Terrill Brett Spell

Overview

Pro Java Programming, Second Edition covers the J2SE 5.0 platform and the core Java development kit. It takes advantage of the finer points of the core and standard edition of Java 2. You'll discover the particulars of working with the Java language and APIs to develop applications in many different contexts.

You will also delve into more advanced topics like enums, generics, XML, metadata or the Swing APIs for graphical user interface design and development. By the end of the book, you'll be fully prepared to take advantage of Java's ease of development, and able to create powerful, sophisticated Java applications.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590594742
Publisher:	Apress
Publication date:	06/01/2005
Series:	Experts Voice in Java Series
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	720
Product dimensions:	7.52(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.06(d)

About the Author

Brett Spell has been programming professionally in Java since 1996 and is a Sun-certified Java programmer, developer, and architect. Brett is a regular contributor to Java Pro magazine and former columnist on design patterns for the Intel Developer Services web site. He currently lives in Plano, Texas, with his wife, Shari, and daughters, Ashleigh and Kaitlin.

Table of Contents

Going Inside Java.- Designing Libraries, Classes, and Methods.- Using Threads in Your Applications.- Using Collections.- Using Layout Managers.- Using Swing’s JTable.- Using Swing’s JTree.- Adding Cut-and-Paste Functionality.- Adding Drag-and-Drop Functionality.- Printing.- Introducing Java Database Connectivity (JDBC).- Internationalizing Your Applications.- Using XML.- Adding Annotations.

Interviews

1. Java is such a broad topic area these days, how did you decide what to cover in the book and what to leave out?

I selected topics that I believe most programmers will need to be familiar with when using Java to develop real-world applications, and in particular I tried to select topics that haven't been written about very much or about which there is often a lack of understanding. I deliberately avoided going into detail on J2EE technologies such as Enterprise JavaBeans, because trying to provide even moderately in-depth coverage of those subjects could easily have doubled the size of the book, and Wrox already has some very good titles that cover J2EE in detail.

2. Is there a particular philosophy behind the book?

One of the main reasons that I wanted to write this book was due to my perception that there aren't many advanced Java books available, and the ones that do exist tend to focus on single topics. It's appropriate to focus on one topic in some cases, but it's my opinion that many relatively advanced subjects don't warrant an entire book, and I tried to identify those topics and include them in Professional Java Programming. I did also include some chapters on subjects that I couldn't cover exhaustively, but I believe that even in those chapters I provided enough information for the reader to be comfortable with and sufficiently knowledgeable about the topics to be effective at developing Java applications.

3. Do you think there are gaps in the average Java developers knowledge?

Gaps are inevitable given the size and complexity of Java and the rate at which APIs are being created and changed, but there are opportunities even in areas that have already been written about before. For example, GridBagLayout has been described numerous times, but there still seems to be a great deal of confusion about how it works, even on the part of some experienced Java programmers. In chapters like the one on layout managers, I tried to provide the reader with useful information by providing a very in-depth examination of the subject, and by doing so in a way that's easy to understand.

4. Do you think there are things that the Java development community as a whole should be more aware of?

Yes, I think that recent improvements made to Java's user interface capabilities have gone largely unnoticed by the Java community, partly due to the fact that "thin client" applications are fashionable right now. Java was rightly identified long ago as an excellent choice for server-side development, but it's also an appropriate platform for developing a more traditional client-side user interface. Java's capabilities in that area have improved a great deal in the last couple of releases, and it's now possible to provide all the functionality you'd normally expect to be present, such as cut & paste, drag & drop, printing, and help facilities. Author Interview with Brett Spell - author of Professional Java Programming 16/01/01: Provided by Wrox Press