Core Java(TM) 2, Volume II--Advanced Features (7th Edition) [Paperback]

Cay S. Horstmann (Author), Gary Cornell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131118269 | ISBN-13: 978-0131118263 | Publication Date: December 2, 2004 | Edition: 7

An indispensible companion to Core Java 2 Volume I, Seventh Edition, thisbook delivers the real-world guidance Java programmers need to solve even themost challenging programming problems. While many new editions tack onnew material, Horstmann actually rewrites all exisiting chapters and reworks allof the existing programs and examples featured in the book. The authorsindentify the problems experienced Java developers encounter most often anddelivers insightful, expert-level guidance for addressing them. The book alsoincludes all-new chapters on key features of J2SE 5.0 (formerly J2SE 1.5 or"Tiger") including generics and multi-threading. It has been three years sincethe last edition of Core Java Volume II and Java programmers have beenanxiously awaiting the arrival of the updated revision of one of their favoritebooks!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The fifth edition of Core Java 2: Volume II--Advanced Features brings a classic Java text up to date for developers tackling JDK 1.3 and 1.4, with a fast-moving and example-based tutorial. Perfect for those who want to learn programming through small, complete demos, this new version is still an excellent choice for mastering the more advanced topics in Java.

The salient feature of this tutorial is that authors provide small, complete programs that demonstrate each area of functionality in "core" Java along with reference material on essential APIs. Beginning with using multiple threading (and synchronization, which allow threads to communicate), the authors provide an engaging tour of advanced Java. The focus here is on client-side Java based on the Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE), both versions 1.3 and 1.4, including APIs for building applets and applications with Swing and JavaBeans. As in the previous edition, sections on the Java collections do little to simplify the complexity here. Coverage of JDBC is very good, though, with a fine mix of examples showing off basic SQL and queries, plus transactions and newer JDBC features. Later on, this text turns to Swing, including how to extend three powerful Swing controls (lists, trees, and tables), plus improved J2SE 1.4 support for progress controls, plus drag-and-drop and clipboard support.

Besides providing source code and APIs, this book is filled with tips and gotchas to avoid. A robust section on security covers the entire spectrum of security issues in Java, including signing JAR files (along with good practical details). Though it's probably rare enough today, the authors go into good detail about creating custom JavaBean components. Examples make use of Sun Forte Community Edition, a capable Java tool (bundled on the accompanying CD-ROM).

Standout later chapters include an excellent tour of Java's strong support for internationalization (illustrated with a "retirement saving calculator" in English, German, and Chinese). A final section on XML introduces this powerful new standard, plus some essential Java APIs for getting starting with parsing and transforming XML. Chock-full of examples and useful advice, the latest edition of Core Java 2--Volume II is a worthy update to an already successful Java tutorial. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Programming with multiple threads (states and priorities, daemon threads); thread synchronization; avoiding deadlocks; using threads with Swing (dos and don'ts); introduction to collections (including lists, sets, trees, and maps); the collections framework; algorithms (sorting and searching); legacy collections; Java network programming (sending e-mail, using sockets and URLs, basic Web programming); JDBC and databases (quick SQL tutorial, connecting and querying data, metadata, and transactions); new JDBC 3.0 features; remote method invocation (RMI); Java and CORBA; advanced Swing tutorial (JList, JTree, and JTable, including custom rendering options); advanced AWT and Java 2-D graphics (including image manipulation and graphics filters); clipboard and drag-and-drop support; JavaBeans (properties and events, property editors and customizers); Java security (class loaders and bytecode verification, digital signatures, signing JAR files, encryption); internationalization (including date and time and multiple character sets); the Java Native Interface (JNI); Java and C interoperability; and a quick tutorial to XML (SAX and XSL in Java). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

The #1 advanced guide for serious programmers is fully updated for JDK 1.3 release and JDK 1.4 release. An indispensable companion to the best-selling Core Java 2, Vol. I--Fundamentals, Core Java 2, Volume II: Advanced Features is now available in a revised and expanded fifth edition. It delivers the same real-world guidance you need to solve even the most challenging programming problems and offers an all-new chapter on XML and Java, plus thoroughly revamped coverage of many advanced features--from collections to native methods, security to Swing.

Cay Horstmann identifies the problems experienced Java platform developers encounter most often, and delivers insightful, expert-level guidance for addressing them--together with even more of the robust, sample code that have made Core Java an international bestseller for five straight years. You'll gain new insights into networking, remote objects, JDBC API, internationalization, and a whole lot more.

For experienced programmers, this book provides the answers that they need to take full advantage of the power of Java technology and to get the job done as efficiently as possible. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1024 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 7 edition (December 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131118269
• ISBN-13: 978-0131118263
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,008,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding programming resource, and a massive one., May 20, 2008

By 

Michael Ernest "JavaRanch Sheriff" (Corte Madera, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Core Java, Vol. 2: Advanced Features, 8th Edition (Paperback)

In my review of Professional Java JDK 6 Edition, I said I didn't think one book could cover such a wide variety of topics and expect to do a good job overall. This volume is, I think, an exception that proves the rule.

It is indeed a monster book, easily several months of steady work to get through, and an useful reference afterwards as well. It is well put together, clearly written, methodically presented. I wouldn't put it down if that were possible. The coverage is broad and the examples are interesting. The topics also feel complete, not because they are thorough, but because they leave off right where intermediate-level programmers could work out most details on their own.

I read the first and second editions years ago, and I must say this title has become a case study in steady, disciplined, tireless improvement and refinement of the original. It's 990 pages, but I haven't come across a useless sentence yet. The authors haven't just added on. They've refined their examples, improved and replaced others. Most importantly, they've realized a format that puts boilerplate and API tables to the side, allowing the reader to focus on the concept at hand. Complete code listings are in the text, presented in a way that makes it easy to gloss them in favor of the soft copy available by download.

If you need lots and lots of code work on different topics to burn Java into your fingertips -- and there really is no other way to do it -- this book is an excellent choice.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear but brief overview of advanced features of J2SE 1.5, May 28, 2006

By 

calvinnme - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Core Java(TM) 2, Volume II--Advanced Features (7th Edition) (Paperback)

This book does not substitute for all of the specialized books on the subjects that it covers, and it is by no means encyclopedic in scope. However, even in its 7th edition it is still the best and the clearest overview of advanced features of the language for Java 1.5. What is particularly nice is that the author has split his Core Java series up such that if your goal is just to learn the language you need only buy volume one, and if your goal is to get a handle on the changes in the advanced features of the language you need only buy volume 2. They are pretty much independent of one another. Add to that the fact that both of these volumes can be found used for about $20 each, and it is definitely worth the purchase. The writing style is very clear with much sample code. The author even gives a little bit of background showing how each feature of the language has changed over the years. I notice that Amazon only shows the table of contents for the previous edition, so I show the table of contents for the current edition next:
1. MULTITHREADING
What Are Threads?; Interrupting Threads; Thread States; Thread Properties; Synchronization; Blocking Queues; Thread-Safe Collections; Callables and Futures; Executors; Synchronizers; Threads and Swing;

2. COLLECTIONS
Collection Interfaces; Concrete Collections; The Collections Framework; Algorithms; Legacy Collections;

3. NETWORKING
Connecting to a Server; Implementing Servers; Sending E-Mail; Making URL Connections; Advanced Socket Programming;

4. DATABASE PROGRAMMING
The Design of JDBC; The Structured Query Language; JDBC Installation; Basic JDBC Programming Concepts; Query Execution; Scrollable and Updatable Result Sets; Metadata; Row Sets; Transactions; Advanced Connection Management; Introduction to LDAP;

5. DISTRIBUTED OBJECTS
The Roles of Client and Server; Remote Method Invocations; Setup for Remote Method Invocation; Parameter Passing in Remote Methods; Server Object Activation; Java IDL and CORBA; Remote Method Calls with SOAP;

6. ADVANCED SWING
Lists; Trees; Tables; Styled Text Components; Progress Indicators; Component Organizers;

7. ADVANCED AWT
The Rendering Pipeline; Shapes; Areas; Strokes; Paint; Coordinate Transformations; Clipping; Transparency and Composition; Rendering Hints; Readers and Writers for Images; Image Manipulation; Printing; The Clipboard; Drag and Drop;

8. JAVABEANS COMPONENTS
Why Beans?; The Bean-Writing Process; Using Beans to Build an Application; Naming Patterns for Bean Properties and Events; Bean Property Types; BeanInfo Classes; Property Editors; Customizers; JavaBeans Persistence;

9. SECURITY
Class Loaders; Bytecode Verification; Security Managers and Permissions; Digital Signatures; Code Signing; Encryption;

10. INTERNATIONALIZATION
Locales; Number Formats; Date and Time; Collation; Message Formatting; Text Files and Character Sets; Resource Bundles; A Complete Example;

11. NATIVE METHODS
Calling a C Function from the Java Programming Language; Numeric Parameters and Return Values; String Parameters; Accessing Fields; Encoding Signatures; Calling Java Methods; Accessing Array Elements; Handling Errors; Using the Invocation API; A Complete Example: Accessing the Windows Registry;

12. XML
Introducing XML; Parsing an XML Document; Validating XML Documents; Locating Information with XPath; Using Namespaces; Using the SAX Parser; Generating XML Documents; XSL Transformations;

13. ANNOTATIONS
Addition of Metadata to Programs; An Example: Annotating Event Handlers; Annotation Syntax; Standard Annotations; The Apt Tool for Source-Level Annotation Processing; Bytecode Engineering;

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Walkthroughs of the core APIs, January 9, 2005

By 

Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Core Java(TM) 2, Volume II--Advanced Features (7th Edition) (Paperback)

This is a nice set of walkthroughs on the basic APIs that are just outside of the core Java language presented in the first book. These include threading, Swing, AWT, JDBC, Networking, JavaBeans and JNI. Some of the coverage is more in-depth than in other parts. In particular Swing and AWT are covered richly, while networking and JNI get shorter shrift.

Given that Swing and AWT are not at the core of modern Java development I would have liked to have seen more of this tome sized book spent on threading, JDBC and networking. And it would have been nice to see some serious coverage of EJB. That being said, what is there is well written, has good example code, and effective illustrations.