Your one-stop guide to programming with Java If you've always wanted to program with Java but didn't know where to start, this will be the java-stained reference you'll turn to again and again. Fully updated for the JDK 9, this deep reference on the world's most popular programming language is the perfect starting point for building things with Java and an invaluable ongoing reference as you continue to deepen your knowledge. Clocking in at over 900 pages, Java All-in-One For Dummies takes the intimidation out of learning Java and offers clear, step-by-step guidance on how to download and install Java tools; work with variables, numbers, expressions, statements, loops, methods, and exceptions; create applets, servlets, and JavaServer pages; handle and organize data; and so much more. * Focuses on the vital information that enables you to get up and running quickly with Java * Provides details on the new features of JDK 9 * Shows you how to create simple Swing programs * Includes design tips on layout, buttons, and labels Everything you need to know to program with Java is included in this practical, easy-to-use guide!

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 4 Where to Go from Here 4 Book 1: Java Basics 5 Chapter 1: Welcome to Java 7 What Is Java, and Why Is It So Great? 8 Java versus Other Languages 12 Important Features of the Java Language 13 On the Downside: Java’s Weaknesses 16 Java Version Insanity 17 What’s in a Name? 19 Chapter 2: Installing and Using Java Tools 21 Downloading and Installing the Java Development Kit 22 Using Java’s Command-Line Tools 26 Using Java Documentation 32 Chapter 3: Working with TextPad 35 Downloading and Installing TextPad 35 Editing Source Files 36 Compiling a Program 39 Running a Java Program 40 Book 2: Programming Basics 43 Chapter 1: Java Programming Basics 45 Looking at the Infamous Hello, World! Program 46 Dealing with Keywords 49 Working with Statements 51 Working with Blocks 53 Creating Identifiers 55 Crafting Comments 55 Introducing Object-Oriented Programming 57 Importing Java API Classes 63 Chapter 2: Working with Variables and Data Types 65 Declaring Variables 66 Initializing Variables 70 Using Final Variables (Constants) 72 Working with Primitive Data Types 73 Working with Strings 82 Converting and Casting Numeric Data 85 Thinking Inside the Box 87 Understanding Scope 87 Shadowing Variables 89 Printing Data with System.out 90 Getting Input with the Scanner Class 92 Getting Input with the JOptionPane Class 96 Using enum to Create Your Own Data Types 97 Chapter 3: Working with Numbers and Expressions 99 Working with Arithmetic Operators 99 Dividing Integers 102 Combining Operators 104 Using the Unary Plus and Minus Operators 105 Using Increment and Decrement Operators 106 Using the Assignment Operator 108 Using Compound Assignment Operators 110 Using the Math Class 111 Formatting Numbers 121 Recognizing Weird Things about Java Math 124 Chapter 4: Making Choices 129 Using Simple Boolean Expressions 130 Using if Statements 132 Using Mr Spock’s Favorite Operators (Logical Ones, of Course) 141 Using the Conditional Operator 148 Comparing Strings 149 Chapter 5: Going Around in Circles (Or, Using Loops) 151 Using Your Basic while Loop 152 Breaking Out of a Loop 154 Looping Forever 154 Using the continue Statement 157 Running do-while Loops 159 Validating Input from the User 161 Using the Famous for Loop 163 Nesting Your Loops 173 Chapter 6: Pulling a Switcheroo 179 Battling else-if Monstrosities 179 Using the switch Statement 183 Creating Character Cases 186 Intentionally Leaving Out a Break Statement 188 Switching with Strings 191 Chapter 7: Adding Some Methods to Your Madness 193 The Joy of Methods 194 The Basics of Making Methods 195 Methods That Return Values 199 Methods That Take Parameters 206 Chapter 8: Handling Exceptions 213 Understanding Exceptions 214 Catching Exceptions 216 Handling Exceptions with a Preemptive Strike 220 Catching All Exceptions at Once 221 Displaying the Exception Message 223 Using a finally Block 223 Handling Checked Exceptions 226 Throwing Your Own Exceptions 231 Catching Multiple Exceptions 232 Book 3: Object-Oriented Programming 233 Chapter 1: Understanding Object-Oriented Programming 235 What Is Object-Oriented Programming? 235 Understanding Objects 237 Understanding the Life Cycle of an Object 240 Working with Related Classes 241 Designing a Program with Objects 243 Diagramming Classes with UML 244 Chapter 2: Making Your Own Classes 249 Declaring a Class 249 Working with Members 253 Using Getters and Setters 255 Overloading Methods 257 Creating Constructors 259 Finding More Uses for the this Keyword 263 Using Initializers 265 Chapter 3: Working with Statics 267 Understanding Static Fields and Methods 267 Working with Static Fields 269 Using Static Methods 269 Counting Instances 270 Preventing Instances 273 Using Static Initializers 274 Chapter 4: Using Subclasses and Inheritance 277 Introducing Inheritance 277 Creating Subclasses 281 Overriding Methods 283 Protecting Your Members 284 Using this and super in Your Subclasses 284 Understanding Inheritance and Constructors 286 Using final 287 Casting Up and Down 289 Determining an Object’s Type 290 Poly What? 292 Creating Custom Exceptions 294 Chapter 5: Using Abstract Classes and Interfaces 299 Using Abstract Classes 299 Using Interfaces 302 More Things You Can Do with Interfaces 306 Using Default Methods 311 Chapter 6: Using the Object and Class Classes 315 The Mother of All Classes: Object 316 The toString Method 319 The equals Method 322 The clone Method 328 The Class Class 338 Chapter 7: Using Inner Classes, Anonymous Classes, and Lambda Expressions 341 Declaring Inner Classes 342 Using Static Inner Classes 345 Using Anonymous Inner Classes 347 Using Lambda Expressions 351 Chapter 8: Working with Packages and the New Java Module System 353 Working with Packages 354 Putting Your Classes in a JAR File 358 Using JavaDoc to Document Your Classes 363 Using the Java Module System 368 Book 4: Strings, Arrays, and Collections 373 Chapter 1: Working with Strings 375 Reviewing Strings 376 Using the String Class 378 Using the StringBuilder and StringBuffer Classes 387 Using the CharSequence Interface 391 Chapter 2: Using Arrays 393 Understanding Arrays 393 Creating Arrays 394 Initializing an Array 395 Using for Loops with Arrays 396 Solving Homework Problems with Arrays 397 Using the Enhanced for Loop 400 Using Arrays with Methods 401 Using Two-Dimensional Arrays 401 Working with a Fun but Complicated Example: A Chessboard 408 Using the Arrays Class 416 Chapter 3: Using the ArrayList Class 423 Understanding the ArrayList Class 424 Creating an ArrayList Object 427 Adding Elements 428 Accessing Elements 429 Printing an ArrayList 430 Using an Iterator 430 Updating Elements 432 Deleting Elements 434 Chapter 4: Using the LinkedList Class 437 Understanding the LinkedList Class 438 Creating a LinkedList 442 Adding Items to a LinkedList 443 Retrieving Items from a LinkedList 445 Updating LinkedList Items 446 Removing LinkedList Items 447 Chapter 5: Creating Generic Collection Classes 449 Why Generics? 450 Creating a Generic Class 451 A Generic Stack Class 453 Using Wildcard-Type Parameters 457 A Generic Queue Class 458 Using the Diamond Operator 462 Chapter 6: Using Bulk Data Operations with Collections 463 Looking At a Basic Bulk Data Operation 464 Looking Closer at the Stream Interface 467 Using Parallel Streams 470 Book 5: Programming Techniques 473 Chapter 1: Programming Threads 475 Understanding Threads 476 Creating a Thread 477 Implementing the Runnable Interface 480 Creating Threads That Work Together 485 Using an Executor 489 Synchronizing Methods 491 Creating a Lock 496 Coping with Threadus Interruptus 497 Chapter 2: Using Regular Expressions 505 Creating a Program for Experimenting with Regular Expressions 506 Performing Basic Character Matching 509 Using Regular Expressions in Java Programs 519 Chapter 3: Using Recursion 523 Calculating the Classic Factorial Example 523 Displaying Directories 526 Writing Your Own Sorting Routine 530 Chapter 4: Working with Dates and Times 539 Pondering How Time is Represented 540 Picking the Right Date and Time Class for Your Application 541 Using the now Method to Create a Date-Time Object 542 Using the parse Method to Create a Date-Time Object 544 Using the of Method to Create a Date-Time Object 545 Looking Closer at the LocalDate Class 548 Extracting Information About a Date 550 Comparing Dates 551 Calculating with Dates 552 Formatting Dates 554 Looking at a Fun Birthday Calculator 556 Book 6: JavaFX 561 Chapter 1: Hello, JavaFX! 563 Perusing the Possibilities of JavaFX 564 Looking at a Simple JavaFX Program 566 Importing JavaFX Packages 567 Extending the Application Class 568 Launching the Application 569 Overriding the start Method 570 Creating a Button 572 Handling an Action Event 573 Creating a Layout Pane 574 Making a Scene 576 Setting the Stage 576 Examining the Click Counter Program 577 Chapter 2: Handling Events 583 Examining Events 584 Handling Events 585 Implementing the EventHandler Interface 587 Handling Events with Inner Classes 591 Handling Events with Anonymous Inner Classes 593 Using Lambda Expressions to Handle Events 596 Chapter 3: Setting the Stage and Scene Layout 603 Examining the Stage Class 604 Examining the Scene Class 607 Switching Scenes 609 Creating an Alert Box 613 Exit, Stage Right 618 Chapter 4: Using Layout Panes to Arrange Your Scenes 625 Working with Layout Panes 626 Using the HBox Layout 628 Spacing Things Out 630 Adding Space with Margins 632 Adding Space by Growing Nodes 633 Using the VBox Layout 635 Aligning Nodes in a Layout Pane 637 Making Nodes the Same Width 638 Using the Flow Layout 639 Using the Border Layout 643 Using the GridPane Layout 645 Chapter 5: Getting Input from the User 659 Using Text Fields 660 Validating Numeric Data 667 Using Check Boxes 668 Using Radio Buttons 671 Looking at a Pizza Order Application 673 Chapter 6: Choosing from a List 681 Using Choice Boxes 681 Working with Observable Lists 685 Listening for Selection Changes 688 Using Combo Boxes 690 Using List Views 694 Using Tree Views 696 Book 7: Web Programming 707 Chapter 1: Using Java Web Start 709 Looking at a Simple JavaFX Program 709 Understanding Java Web Start 712 Creating a JNLP File 713 Creating an HTML File to Launch a Java Application 715 Uploading the Java Web Start Files to Your Web Server 716 Launching the ClickMe Application Using Java Web Start 717 Creating an Exception to Allow Java Web Start Applications to Run 718 Chapter 2: Creating Servlets 721 Understanding Servlets 721 Using Tomcat 723 Creating a Simple Servlet 726 Running a Servlet 730 Improving the HelloWorld Servlet 730 Getting Input from the User 732 Using Classes in a Servlet 735 Chapter 3: Using JavaServer Pages 741 Understanding JavaServer Pages 742 Using Page Directives 743 Using Expressions 744 Using Scriptlets 746 Using Declarations 749 Using Classes 751 Chapter 4: Using JavaBeans 757 Getting to Know JavaBeans 757 Looking Over a Sample Bean 759 Using Beans with JSP Pages 761 Scoping Your Beans 767 Book 8: Files and Databases 775 Chapter 1: Working with Files 777 Using the File Class 777 Using Command-Line Parameters 784 Choosing Files in a Swing Application 785 Using Path Objects 792 Using a File Visitor to Walk a File Tree 795 Chapter 2: Working with File Streams 799 Understanding Streams 800 Reading Character Streams 801 Writing Character Streams 807 Reading Binary Streams 813 Writing Binary Streams 820 Chapter 3: Database for $100, Please 827 Defining a Relational Database 828 Understanding (and Pronouncing) SQL 828 Introducing SQL Statements 829 Creating a SQL Database 829 Querying a Database 832 Updating and Deleting Rows 839 Chapter 4: Using JDBC to Connect to a Database 845 Setting Up a Driver 845 Connecting to a Database 846 Querying a Database 848 Updating SQL Data 855 Using an Updatable RowSet Object 856 Chapter 5: Working with XML 861 Defining XML 861 Using a DTD 865 Processing XML in Two Ways: DOM and SAX 868 Reading a DOM Document 869 Reading DOM Nodes 872 Putting It All Together: A Program That Lists Movies 877 Index 881