Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies, 6th Edition

Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies, 6th Edition

by Barry Burd
Released September 2021
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119806912

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Book description

Become a Java wizard with this popular programming guide 

Consider Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies your indispensable guide to learning how to program in one of the most popular programming languages—Java! Java is an invaluable language to master, as it’s widely used for application development, including Android, desktop, and server-side applications.  

Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies is written specifically for newbies to programming. The book starts with an overview of computer programming and builds from there; it explains the software you need, walks you through writing your own programs, and introduces you to a few of the more-complex aspects of programming in Java. It also includes step-by-step examples you can try on your own (and email the author if you need help).  As you work through the book, you’ll get smart about these Java features:  

  • Object-oriented programming (OOP), a Java mainstay 
  • IntelliJ IDEA, an integrated development environment (IDE), that gives you one place to do all your programming, including debugging code 
  • Loops, branches, and collections 
  • Variables and operators 
  • Expressions, statements, and blocks 

Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies translates all this foreign programming and computer syntax into plain English, along with plenty of helpful examples and tips. Learning a new language—and coding is definitely its own language—should be a fun endeavor. With this book as your handy interpreter, you’ll be on your way to fluency, speaking the language of coders everywhere! 

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  5. Part 1: Getting Started with Java Programming
    1. Chapter 1: The Big Picture
      1. What’s It All About?
      2. From Your Mind to the Computer’s Processor
      3. Your Java Programming Toolset
    2. Chapter 2: Setting Up Your Computer
      1. Let's Get Started
      2. If You Need More Details …
      3. What's Next?
    3. Chapter 3: Running Programs
      1. Running a Canned Java Program
      2. Some Programs Don't Come in Cans
      3. What's All That Stuff in the IntelliJ IDEA Window?
  6. Part 2: Writing Your Own Java Programs
    1. Chapter 4: Exploring the Parts of a Program
      1. Checking Out Java Code for the First Time
      2. The Elements in a Java Program
      3. Understanding a Simple Java Program
    2. Chapter 5: Composing a Program
      1. Computers Are Stupid
      2. Building an Echo Chamber
      3. Make IntelliJ Do All the Work
      4. Expecting the Unexpected
    3. Chapter 6: Using the Building Blocks: Variables, Values, and Types
      1. Various Variables and Ways in Which They Vary
      2. What Do All Those Zeros and Ones Mean?
      3. Reading Decimal Numbers from the Keyboard
      4. Variations on a Theme
      5. Experimenting with JShell
    4. Chapter 7: Numbers and Types
      1. Using Whole Numbers
      2. Creating New Values by Applying Operators
      3. Size Matters
    5. Chapter 8: Numbers? Who Needs Numbers?
      1. A Brief Character Study
      2. The Moment of Truth (and Falsehood)
      3. The Remaining Primitive Types
  7. Part 3: Controlling the Flow
    1. Chapter 9: Forks in the Road
      1. Decisions, Decisions!
      2. Making Decisions (Java if Statements)
      3. Variations on the Theme
    2. Chapter 10: Which Way Did He Go?
      1. Forming Bigger and Better Conditions
      2. Building a Nest
      3. Enumerating the Possibilities
      4. When One Line Isn't Enough
    3. Chapter 11: Around and Around It Goes
      1. Repeating Instructions Again and Again and Again and Again
      2. Where Does Each Statement Belong?
      3. Priming the Pump
    4. Chapter 12: Circling Back to Java Loops
      1. Repeating Statements a Certain Number of Times (Java for Statements)
      2. Repeating Until You Get What You Need (Java do Statements)
  8. Part 4: The Inside ScOOP
    1. Chapter 13: Programming with Objects and Classes
      1. The Class Is Always Cleaner
      2. From Classes Come Objects
      3. Another Way to Think about Classes
      4. What's Next?
    2. Chapter 14: Using Methods and Fields from a Java Class
      1. Long Live the String!
      2. Using an Object's Methods
      3. How to Achieve Static Equilibrium
      4. The View from On High
    3. Chapter 15: Creating New Java Methods
      1. Defining a Method within a Class
      2. Let the Objects Do the Work
      3. Passing the Buck
      4. Getting a Value from a Method
      5. What Next?
  9. Part 5: Smart Java Techniques
    1. Chapter 16: Piles of Files: Dealing with Information Overload
      1. Running a Disk-Oriented Program
      2. Writing a Disk-Oriented Program
      3. Writing, Rewriting, and Re-Rewriting
    2. Chapter 17: How to Flick a Virtual Switch
      1. Meet the switch Statement
      2. A Switch in Time
      3. Your Grandparents' switch Statement
      4. Using a Conditional Operator
    3. Chapter 18: Creating Loops within Loops
      1. Paying Your Old Code a Little Visit
      2. Nested Development
      3. Using Nested for Loops
    4. Chapter 19: Out of Many, One
      1. Some Loops in Action
      2. Reader, Meet Arrays; Arrays, Meet the Reader
      3. Working with Arrays
      4. Looping in Style
      5. When Good Arrays Go Bad
      6. What to Do When Arrays Go Awry
    5. Chapter 20: Oooey-GUI Was a Worm
      1. Put Some Swing in Your Step
      2. Drag-and-Drop for GUI Greatness
  10. Part 6: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 21: Ten Useful Classes in the Java API
      1. ArrayList
      2. File
      3. Integer
      4. JFrame
      5. JOptionPane
      6. Math
      7. NumberFormat
      8. Scanner
      9. String
      10. System
    2. Chapter 22: Ten Bits of Advice for New Software Developers
      1. How Long Does It Take to Learn Java?
      2. Which of Barry's Books Should I Read?
      3. Are Books Other than Barry's Good for Learning Java and Android Development?
      4. Which Computer Programming Language(s) Should I Learn?
      5. What Skills Other than Computer Coding Should I Learn?
      6. How Should I Continue My Learning as a Software Developer?
      7. How Else Should I Continue My Learning as a Developer?
      8. How Can I Get a Job Developing Software?
      9. I Still Don't Know What to Do with My Life
      10. If I Have Other Questions, How Can I Contact Barry Burd?
  11. Index
  12. About the Author
  13. Advertisement Page
  14. Connect with Dummies
  15. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Beginning Programming with Java For Dummies, 6th Edition
  • Author(s): Barry Burd
  • Release date: September 2021
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119806912