Preface

This handbook is a desktop quick reference for Java programmers; it covers version 1.1 of the Java language and API. It also includes introductory and tutorial material for C and C++ programmers who want to learn Java. It was written to sit faithfully by your keyboard for easy reference while you program. The wild success of the first edition has shown that this is exactly what Java programmers want, and I've retained the "no fluff" explanations and the to-the-point reference material in this second edition. I hope that new readers will find this book useful, and that old readers will find it even more useful than the last one!

Contents of This Book

This book is divided into five parts:

Part I: Introducing Java

This first part of the book introduces Java and Java programming, with a particular emphasis on helping C and C++ programmers make the transition to Java. If you are already familiar with Java 1.0 programming, you can skip the three chapters in this part.

Part II: Introducing Java 1.1

This second part of the book contains two chapters that introduce the new features of the Java 1.1 API and the new language features in Java 1.1.

Part III: Programming with the Java 1.1 API

This part contains example programs that demonstrate many of the new features of Java 1.1. You may find that these examples are a good starting point for your own programs, and you should feel free to adapt them for your own use. As explained below, this example section has changed a lot since the first edition of this book.

Part IV: Java Language Reference

This part of the book contains reference material that describes the syntax of the Java language and the tools provided with the Java Development Kit (JDK), among other things.

Part V: API Quick Reference

This part is a quick reference for the Java API; it forms the bulk of the book. Please be sure to read the How To Use This Quick Reference material, which appears at the beginning of the part. It explains how to get the most out of the reference material.