Lincoln Daniel - Java For Humans: Learn to Code Life

Java for Humans

Learn to Code Life

Let's take a journey on a path to a new life of developing the software that enables the world.

This book is dedicated to my mom and dad for always inspiring me to be and do more.

Also to my first computer science professor who taught me the foundations of programming in Java. Doctor James Early has been a great professor and adviser to me since we met in that introductory CS course. I am forever grateful to him for building upon my excitement for programming and helping me develop a passion for the software development industry.

I am writing this book as I am by relating Java and programming concepts to human experiences because I learned from Doctor Early that the best way to teach a language to beginners is by learning to speak their language.

Dedication

Java for Humans

Learn to Code Life

ModernNerd

Teaching coding in more

human relatable ways.

Contents

..................................... 3

....................................... 8

About the Author ................................... 9

Motivation ................................... 9

Audience .................................. 9

Learning Goals ............................................. 9

Overlying Project .................................. 10

................................ 11

About Java .................................. 11

How to Read this Book ..................................... 11

Integrated Development Environment ................ 11

Supporting Code ................................................ 12

Side Notes .................................... 12

Inline Code .................................. 12

................................ 13

Variables ........................................................................................................... 13

Datatypes ................................................................................................................. 15

Comments ............................................................................................................ 17

Naming Conventions ...................................................................................... 19

Operators .......................................................................................................... 22

Learning by Googling ...................................................................................................... 26

Java for Humans

.. 30

Classes and Objects ... 30

Static Fields & Methods 34

Control Flow Statements: Decisions ... 38

Methods ...... 42

Dot Notation ...... 47

Access Modifiers & Encapsulation ... 48

.. 53

Generating Random Numbers ... 53

Control Flow Statements: Loops ... 56

String Manipulation ..... 62

Input and Output (I/O) .. 68

.. 73

Class Inheritance .......... 73

Abstract Classes and Interfaces .. 78

... 86

Data Structures ........ 86

Arrays ........... 86

Lists ............... 92

HashMaps ..... 95

Polymorphism .......... 99

.. 104

Building a Fighting Game . 104

Conclusion .............. 106

Fun Projects .... 107

Making Money ... 107

Final Words ..... 108

Contents

Preface

String author = "Lincoln W Daniel";

String bookTitle = "Java for Humans";

System.out.printf("Hello, World! My name is %s, author of %s.", author, bookTitle);

Hello, World! My name is Lincoln W Daniel, a software engineer studying computer science. My passion is in developing software to enable people. I am writing to teach aspiring programmers/coders how to learn Java, my favorite language, in a way people can easily understand and relate to.

About the Author

Lincoln is not a PhD and wasn't born with a knack for math. Nonetheless, in a little over a year of practicing software engineering, programming, coding, or any other term you may know it by, Lincoln managed to interview with companies like AirBnB, Pandora, Box, and LinkedIn. Further, He has received internship offers from some of the more notable companies, including NASA JPL, IBM Watson, and A Medium Corporation among others. Lincoln learned and has reached this point in his young career by doing building. Nonetheless, Lincoln believes there is great value in books that can effectively teach beginners how to learn something in a language they can understand.

When it comes to teaching, Lincoln looks at it this way: the more you teach others a skill, the better you become at that skill. As a tutor and teaching assistant, Lincoln helps students understand concepts by relating them to real human experiences. In Java for Humans, Lincoln employs the same method to help beginners learn how to code as students have expressed that his methods of teaching are more enjoyable and considerably more effective than others.

Java for Humans

Motivation

I am writing this book to teach anybody with the slightest bit of interest in computer science, software engineering, and programming/coding how to begin by learning Java, the most widely used and deployed programming language today. However, Java for Humans won't be like other coding books. My intention is to relate coding to human experiences to make it easier for beginners to learn and have a connection with Java.

Audience

Who is this book for? For the beginner who has never heard of Java before today, this book will get you started on the road to building your first Java application by walking you through the essential components step by step.

For those who have dipped their toes in a little bit but are feeling the coding life is a little too cold for them, too unlike what they are use to, or simply too boring to continue learning, this book is here to slowly pull you in deep. Java for Humans will help you relate coding to your life experiences so you don't feel lost. Your current knowledge will be reinforced through clearer and more thorough explanations.

Not only can an old dog be taught new tricks,

an old dog can also learn how to teach old tricks.

Finally, if you consider yourself an expert in Java or a coder of moderate skill level, Java for Humans will help you reinforce your knowledge of the basics of Java that you may be forgetting. Further, as experienced programmers, we are always learning from one another. Java for Humans will provide you inspiration for new ways of teaching your craft to others who may be beginning and those who need a refresher.

Who isn't this book for? Anybody who knows oneself to be closed to new ways of thinking, this book is not for you. If you do not fall in one of the groups in Who is This Book For, this book may not be for you, yet. However, do feel free to embark on this journey with me.

Learning Goals

By relating programming/coding to your human experiences, Java for Humans will teach you all of the concepts listed in the table of contents. Some of the more noteworthy ones include how to create a class, using encapsulation, using methods and variables, datatypes and data structures, interfaces, and the great polymorphism. You will also learn best practices, design patterns, tips and tricks for programming in Java.

Not only will you learn the above topics, I will teach you how to learn far beyond what any book can ever teach you. You will learn how to use Google & StackOverflow to learn more when

Preface

you're stuck. I will teach you how to learn through doing research, building things, breaking things, and fixing things as you go. Some call this the act of building a plane while you are in midair, but I call it the process of learning by doing. It is one of the most effective ways of learning how to do anything, especially programming.