Java Documentation

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Java Documentation

• Gary Greer

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Where did Java come from?

• starting in 1991 a group at Sun Microsystems was
  working to produce a technology to run cable
  television equipment
• the cable angle didnt seem to have a future, but
  the language they developed seemed like a good
  fit for something new called the Internet
• Java was introduced and has become rather big

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Where do I find information?

• when you are writing a program, often you need
  information on the language
• of course there are lots of books out there to
  help
• however, most of what you need is available on
  the web for free
• however, you need to think about basic
  programming information in different categories

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The Java Language

• the first category is the Java language itself
• all the basic Java statements are included here
  (if, for, else, etc.)
• it is defined in a highly academic way by the Sun
  and available at their website at
  http//java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edition/
  html/j.title.doc.html
• this is called the Java Language Specification,
  however it is a bit difficult to read

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Easier Language Information

• well, there is the Java Tutorial at
• http//java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/index.html
  
• there are also many other pages like
• http//leepoint.net/notes-java/
• http//chortle.ccsu.ctstateu.edu/CS151/cs151java.h
  tml
• http//www.cis.upenn.edu/7Ematuszek/cit591-2004/i
  ndex.html

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The APIs

• the next category is the Application Program
  Interface (API)
• this gives us information on all the Java classes
  that we can import and use
• one example is Swing, which provides us with
  JButtons
• these web pages explain all you need to know
  about using JButtons

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What is in the APIs?

• details on the methods, constructors, etc. for
  all the common objects that you can use to build
  your programs
• they take some time to learn to use, but they are
  worth the work
• some even have links to tutorials that will help
  you
• as you become more proficient with Java they are
  even more useful

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Where do I find the APIs?

• http//java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/api/index.html
  
• use the alphabetical list on the left hand side
  to locate the subject you are interested in
• take some time and do some reading as there is a
  lot to learn

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What else is there?

• Sun Microsystems maintains a staggering amount of
  documentation for Java at http//java.sun.com/j2se
  /1.5.0/docs/
• much of this tends to be pretty technical

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The Sun site is pretty complex

• yes, most new programmers find the Sun site very
  complex
• so it might be easier to look at sites like
  http//leepoint.net/notes-java/ which are
  designed more with students (and teachers) in
  mind
• there are also lots of other sites on the Internet