Hardcore Java

Robert Simmons, Jr. started programming when floppy disks were really floppy and 64 KB of RAM was considered state-of-the-art. From his early days of programming BASIC and Logo on an Apple IIe, he advanced through Pascal and C to arrive in the object-oriented realm of C++. When Java was first introduced, he knew that the infant language would become a serious player among corporations; Robert learned Java and began using it as his primary language for programming in 1997. He lives and works as a Senior Software Architect in Germany.

• Preface 1. Java in Review Core Concepts Syntax Issues Access Issues Common Mistakes 2. The Final Story Final Constants Final Variables Final Parameters Final Collections Instance-Scoped Variables Final Classes Final Methods Conditional Compilation Using final as a Coding Standard 3. Immutable Types Fundamentals Immutable Problems Immutable or Not 4. Collections Collection Concepts Implementations Choosing a Collection Type Iterating Collections Collection Gotchas 5. Exceptional Code Two Types of Exceptions When to Use Exceptions Finally for Closure Exceptional Traps 6. Nested Classes Inner Classes Limited-Scope Inner Classes Static Nested Classes Double Nested Classes Nested Classes in Interfaces? Nested Interfaces Nested Class Rules 7. All About Constants Substitution Constants Bit Fields Option Constants Constant Objects Constant Encapsulation 8. Data Modeling The Requirements Document Natural Language Modeling Aspects of Well-Designed Data Models Reusable Data Constraints Persistence 9. Practical Reflection The Basics Reflection and Greater Reflection Applying Reflection to MutableObject Performance of Reflection Reflection + JUnit = Stable Code 10. Proxies What Is a Proxy? Two Kinds of Proxies Proxy Gotchas 11. References in Four Flavors The Problem Java Reference Concepts The Java Reference Classes Practical Applications A Weak Listener When to Use References 12. Tiger: JDK 1.5 New Language Features Generics Other Improvements in Tiger Index

"Hardcore Java will help even the most advanced developers move beyond their own limited understanding about Java into truly advanced applications of the language. That transformation of a developer from an intermediate-level programmer to a true guru is the goal of this book which distills years of experience into a cincise but generous compendium of java guru expertise. It reveals the difficult and rarely understood secrets of the language that true master programmers need to know." Industrial Networking and Open Control, June