Chapter 18

Ten Ways to Avoid Mistakes

IN THIS CHAPTER

check Checking your capitalization and value comparisons

check Watching out for fall-through

check Putting methods, listeners, and constructors where they belong

check Using static and non-static references

check Avoiding other heinous errors

“The only people who never make mistakes are the people who never do anything at all.” One of my college professors said that. I don’t remember the professor’s name, so I can’t give him proper credit. I guess that’s my mistake.

Putting Capital Letters Where They Belong

Java is a case-sensitive language, so you really have to mind your p’s and q’s — along with every other letter of the alphabet. Here are some details to keep in mind as you create Java programs:

  • Java’s keywords are all completely lowercase. For instance, in a Java if statement, the word if can’t be If or IF.
  • When you use names from the Java API (Application Programming Interface), the case of the names has to match what appears in the API.
  • You also ...

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