The Essential Java Class Reference for Programmers [Paperback]

Brian Durney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2002

Appropriate as a supplementary or reference text for any course teaching Java programming or using Java as a programming language in departments of Computer Science, Engineering, CIS, MIS, IT, and Continuing Education. Whether it is used as a supplement to any Java programming book, or as a stand-alone reference, this text clearly and concisely presents the essentials of Java class libraries without overwhelming students with difficult-to-use information. Its user-friendly approach shows students how to use key class libraries and presents exactly the information they need to write effective, error-free programs.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Essential Java Class Reference is a hands-on introduction to powerful Java programming resources available from Sun Microsystems. This accessible reference to the key class libraries used for everyday programming is superb as a stand-alone guide for beginning or intermediate Java programmers or can be used to supplement Java programming books. The book contains descriptions of the 125 most-used Java classes, with approximately 100 short code examples and five complete programs.

Features/Benefits

• Accompanying CD-ROM includes: Java 2 SDK v1.4, Forte for Java, 3.0, and more!
  Readers can install the latest Sun Java tools without time-consuming downloads. Provides an integrated development environment (IDE), including an editor, compiler, debugger, and other development aids.
• Detailed descriptions and examples of commonly used classes and methods presented as complete examples
  Readers can quickly and easily get the information they need to use libraries and methods in their programs and how the methods and classes are used.
• Examples of Java applets and applications
  Readers can build on the examples instead of starting from scratch.
• Tutorial-Style Introduction to HTML
  Readers can use the instructions on including Java applets in web pages, along with a basic HTML guide.
• Explanation of Error Messages
  Readers have access to the explanation of error messages, along with likely causes, to reduce the frustration of getting a program to compile.

About the Author

Brian Durney worked for AT & T Bell Laborartories and earned his Master's degree in Computer Science at Stanford University. Brian completed his Ph. D. in Computer Science at the University of Oregon and teaches introductory programming courses at Utah Valley State College.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education (April 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130933856
• ISBN-13: 978-0130933850
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,558,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars useful, but perhaps not for Applets?, May 12, 2005

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essential Java Class Reference for Programmers, The (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

As Java has gotten built out, the default SDK has a huge number of packages. Can be overwhelming. Typically you don't need to know all or even most of these. But which should you know? Durney supplies one such choice of packages in his book. It does not cover those packages or classes involving elementary syntax. You should already have these down.

Instead, he offers certain packages of high utility. Take the NumberFormat class as an example. It lets you control the number of digits in an output. Then there are the far more complex Date and Calendar classes. These deal with various different conventions for showing the date, as well as a host of language dependent issues. For example, in most of the world, a date is written in the format day-month-year. But the US uses month-day-year. So you might need to customise your displays accordingly. These classes are also deal with the non-metric nature of the many time divisions. As a programmer, you can use the classes instead of having to re-invent a lot of functionality.

But the book's chapter on Applet usage may be less useful to many readers. As Java has developed, Applets have gotten steadily downplayed. Little serious programming appears to be done with these. Before some of you get irate and berate me, take a look at the latest Sun documentation. Sun has pushed Java steadily into server-side applications, where it is doing quite well.