Doug Lowe - Java All-in-One For Dummies

Java All-in-One For Dummies, 5th Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017934999

ISBN: 978-1-119-24779-1 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-24780-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-24781-4 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

Welcome to Java All-in-One For Dummies, 5th Edition the one Java book thats designed to replace an entire shelf full of the dull, tedious titles youd otherwise have to buy. This book contains all the basic information you need to know to get going with Java programming, starting with writing statements and using variables and ending with techniques for writing programs that use animation and play games. Along the way, you find plenty of not-so-basic information about programming user interfaces, working with classes and objects, creating web applications, and dealing with files and databases.

You can (and probably should, eventually) buy separate books on each of these topics. It wont take long before your bookshelf is bulging with 10,000 or more pages of detailed information about every imaginable nuance of Java programming. But before youre ready to tackle each of those topics in depth, you need to get a birds-eye picture. Thats what this book is about.

And if you already own 10,000 pages or more of Java information, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of detail and wonder, Do I really need to read 1,200 pages about JSP just to create a simple web page? And do I really need a six-pound book on JavaFX? Truth is, most 1,200-page programming books have about 200 pages of really useful information the kind you use every day and about 1,000 pages of excruciating details that apply mostly if youre writing guidance-control programs for nuclear missiles or trading systems for the New York Stock Exchange.

The basic idea here is that Ive tried to wring out the 100-or-so most useful pages of information on these different Java programming topics: setup and configuration, basic programming, object-oriented programming, programming techniques, JavaFX, file and database programming, web programming, and animation and game programming. Thus you get a nice, trim book.

So whether youre just getting started with Java programming or youre a seasoned pro, youve found the right book.

Java All-in-One For Dummies, 5th Edition, is a reference for all the great things (and maybe a few not-so-great things) that you may need to know when youre writing Java programs. You can, of course, buy a huge 1,200-page book on each of the programming topics covered in this book. But then, who would carry them home from the bookstore for you? And where would you find the shelf space to store them? And when will you find the time to read them?

In this book, all the information you need is conveniently packaged for you in-between one set of covers. And all of the information is current for the newest release of Java, known as JDK 9. This book doesnt pretend to be a comprehensive reference for every detail on every possible topic related to Java programming. Instead, it shows you how to get up and running fast so that you have more time to do the things you really want to do. Designed using the easy-to-follow For Dummies format, this book helps you get the information you need without laboring to find it.

Java All-in-One For Dummies, 5th Edition, is a big book made up of nine smaller books minibooks, if you will. Each of these minibooks covers the basics of one key element of programming, such as installing Java and compiling and running programs, or using basic Java statements, or using JavaFX to write GUI applications.

Whenever one big thing is made up of several smaller things, confusion is always a possibility. Thats why this book has multiple access points. At the beginning is a detailed table of contents that covers the entire book. Then each minibook begins with a minitable of contents that shows you at a miniglance what chapters are included in that minibook. Useful running heads appear at the top of each page to point out the topic discussed on that page. And handy thumbtabs run down the side of the pages to help you find each minibook quickly. Finally, a comprehensive index lets you find information anywhere in the entire book.