Java Jumpstart

Need to program in Java? This course will teach you how.

You'll learn object-oriented techniques, how to use the compiler and class libraries, how to handle exceptions, and, by the end of the second day, how to build applets.

With no fluff, theory, or history, this course gets your hands-on right away. It focuses on the practical knowledge and survival skills you need to get useful work done in the real world. It covers the essentials at an accelerated pace so you can get back to your desk as quickly as possible.

• The courseware is available on the web at http://www.keller.com/java
• web-based class

• Emphasis on practical skills
• Hands-on
• Instructor-led
• Classroom-based
• Printed workbooks
• On-screen (web) materials

Chapter 1: Classes and Methods

Chapter 2: Variables and Fields

Chapter 3: Doc Comments

Chapter 4: Arrays and Control Flow

Chapter 5: Inheritance

Chapter 6: The I/O Package

Chapter 7: Exceptions

Chapter 8: Packages

Chapter 9: Applets

Chapter 10: Graphical User Interfaces

• Write and run Java:
• Compile programs using javac.
• Run programs in the Java Virtual Machine.
• Write Java applets.
• Apply good object-oriented programming techniques:
• Use classes from the core API in Java 1.1.
• Design classes.
• Use inheritance to extend classes.
• Write a graphical user interface with the AWT classes.
• Create a reusable class library using packages.
• Use Java data structures, control flow and I/O:
• Send output to the screen and to files.
• Apply the correct Java syntax.
• Handle errors using exceptions.
• Use strings and arrays in Java.
• Use flow control statements in Java.
• Exploit Java's unique and advanced features:
• Use access control to hide implementation details.
• Understand the Java security model.
• Document your programs with its built-in tools.

The course consists of ten chapters, each culminating in an in-depth hands-on lab. In the lab, you are given a complete -- or nearly complete -- working Java program that you modify or adapt in order to apply the principles discussed in the chapter. Thus, without having to do a lot of typing, you demonstrate that you have grasped and can use the concepts and techniques presented in the course.

The language features presented are independent for the version of the Java Development Kit (JDK). So this course is appropriate both for JDK 1.1 and 1.2.

• classroom
• a textbook (the Arnold/Gosling book referenced above) for each student
• a whiteboard or flipchart
• a PC or workstation for each student (Unix, Windows 95, or Windows NT)
• a PC or workstation for the instructor
• a data projector for the instructor's computer
• a web browser on each computer
• connection to the Internet
• any text editor
• the Java Development Kit (JDK) installed on each computer
• the JDK documentation for the core API (via either the web or a locally mounted file system)
• Detailed system configuration instructions are available at http://www.keller.com/curric/java-setup.html