Lecture Topics

PowerPoint
Slides

Course Introduction

• General Course Information
• Course Website 
• About the Instructor

Chapter 1: Introduction

• Computer Systems 
  • Hardware 
  • Software 
  • Platforms 
  • Features of a useful program 
• Programming Languages 
  • Why using Java instead of compiled languages such C++? 
  • Basic steps in creating and deploying a program 
    • Source code 
    • Compiling (byte code) 
    • Interpreting the byte code (JVM) 
    • Pros and cons of Compiled versus Interpreter code 
• Programming Editors
  • Text Editors (such as Notepad, etc.) 
  • Integrated Development Environment (such as NetBeans, Eclipse, etc.) 
  • Required programs for this course 
• Setting up Environment variables 
  • JAVA_HOME environment variable 
  • MS Windows PATH environment variable 
  • Testing your settings: 
    • javac -version 
    • java -version 
• Terminal Window - Theory 
  • Terminal Window 
  • Compiling a source code 
  • Running the Java program 
• Terminal Window - Hands-on 
• NetBeans - Introduction and Hands-on
• Java Keywords 

Chapter 2: Java Fundamentals

• Program Parts 
  • Knowing to name each program part is essential for a good communication 
• Naming Convention 
  • Convention on how to name variables, methods, and classes
• Data Types 
  • Real world analogy 
  • Variable type based on Bytes 
  • Logic on how to represent a real number with bits/bytes 
  • Types of variables 
• Java Literals - Theory 
  • Data placed inside a Java Variable 
  • Types of data based on the Variable Type 
  • Casting bigger variables into smaller ones 
  • Managing memory usage 
• Java Literals - Hands-on 
• Arithmetic Operators 
  • Addiction, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division 
  • Be careful with integer division 
    • integer division 
    • remaining of an integer division 
  • Operators Precedence 
  • Hands-on 
• Java API 
  • What Java API is 
  • Where to find its documentation 
  • Math API, hands-on 
    • How to figure out Math methods using the "." 
  • Scanner API 
    • Importing Java API Classes into your program 
• String Class and Variable Scope 
  • The Java String Class 
    • Common String Methods 
    • Hands-on 
  • Variable Scope 
    • Real world example 
    • program world example 
• Comments and Style 
  • Commented Java Statements 
    • single line comment 
    • multiple line comments 
    • java documentation comments 
  • Code Style 
    • Using TABs when needed 
    • the FORMAT tool in NetBeans IDE 
• Ways of Entering data into your program 
  • Hard-coded Input  
  • Main Arguments  
    • Main Args Hands-on
  • Text File Input  
  • Keyboard Input  
  • Dialog Box Input  

Chapter 02 Slides

Chapter 3: Decision Structures

• The IF structure (next class) 
  • IF General Form 
    • Real World Example 
    • Programming World 
    • Execution Path based on the IF condition 
  • IF Condition Types 
    • Boolean variables 
    • Boolean expressions 
    • Methods that return boolean values 
    • IF Condition Hands-on 
  • String Comparisons 
    • Wrong way of comparing Strings 
    • How Strings are saved in Memory 
    • Methods for comparing Strings 
      • String equals() 
      • String equalsIgnoreCase() 
      • String compareTo() 
  • IF-ELSE-IF 
    • Flow diagrams to understand IF-ELSE-IF structures 
  • IF hands-on 
    • A waiter tip calculator 
• Logical Operators 
  • Real World Examples 
    • AND operator (&&) 
    • OR operator (||) 
    • NOT operator (!)  
    • True/False Tables 
  • Programming Examples  
  • Logic Operators Hands-on 
• Switch Structures  
  • General Form  
  • Comparison with the IF structure  
  • The importance of the BREAK  
  • The importance of the DEFAULT  
• Number Formatting  
  • The problem of not having a formatted number in the program output  
  • Java API DecimalFormat class  
    • How to create an object of the DecimalFormat  
    • How to define the format style  
    • Examples  
    • Hints for aligning numbers on a restaurant bill  
• Magic Numbers and Enum 
  • What is a magic number  
  • Why is magic number bad  
  • Ways of avoiding magic numbers  
    • Creating constant (final) variables  
    • Creating enumerators 
  • Magic Num and Enum Hands-on

Chapter 4: Loops and Text Files

Loops

• WHILE Loops  
  • WHILE loop General Form
    • Real World Example 
    • Programming World 
    • Code Example 
  • WHILE Loop Hands-on
    • Input validation 
• DO-WHILE Loop (watch video for next class)
  • Differences between WHILE and DO_WHILE loops
  • DO_WHILE loop general form
  • Sample Code
• FOR Loops
  • FOR Loop General Form 
  • Sample Code  
  • WHILE versus FOR loops 
  • Increment operators   
    • ++, --, +=, -=, *=, /= 
  • Nested FOR Loops
    • Real World Examples 
    • Nested FOR loops general form 
    • when to use println and print methods inside a nested FOR loop 
• Continue and Break Statements   
  • Real World Example
  • Programming Example
  • Ways of avoiding them

Processing Text Files 

• Reading Text Files 
  • The mechanics of reading/writing data into a file - Real World Example  
  •  File Types 
    • Binary files 
    • Text files 
  • Reading files 
    • File Class 
    • Scanner Class 
  • Reading Files Hands-on  
    • Sample code  
    • How to read all the contents of a text file  
• Writing Text Files (watch for next class)
  • The PrintWriter class
  • Creating a new output file
  • Appending data to an existing output file
  • Sample code

Java Exceptions

• Introduction to Exceptions 

Chapter 04 Slides

Chapter 7: Arrays

• Introduction to Arrays
  • Real World Example
  • Programming World
    • Creating 1D arrays
    • Accessing a single data from a 1D array
    • How array data is stored in memory
    • Creating and accessing 2D arrays
• Multi-dimensional Arrays
  • 3D Arrays
  • 4D Arrays and beyond
  • Slicing ND arrays into an N(D-1) array
• Array Manipulation
  • Copying an array, the wrong way
  • Copying an array, the right way
  • Increasing an array size (done)
• Array Hands-on / Part 1
  • Creating an array
  • Adding Values into an Array
  • Looping over an array data
• Arrays Hands-on / Part 2
  • Increasing an array size
  • Copying array contents
  • Resetting an array
  • Sorting Elements in an Array
  • Creating Multi-dimensional Arrays

Chapter 5: Methods

• Introduction to Methods
  • The overall Idea about using methods
  • Advantages of using methods
• Method examples
  • Real world situations
  • Functional Abstraction
• Method General Form
  • Permission Types
  • Modifier Types
  • Returning Types
  • Naming conventions
  • Method arguments
• How to use/call methods
• Input arguments passed by Values
  • Examples
  • Be careful when passing arrays
• Java Exceptions in Methods
  • Real world example
  • Programming example (done)
• Global versus local variables
  • review the concept of global and local variables
  • program examples
• Method Documentation
  • Java API documentation
  • Auto-generated documentation

Chapter 05 Slides

 Chapter 15: Recursion

• Learning Recursion by analyzing examples
  • The classical recursion Factorial method
    • The theory about recursion methods
    • the method input
    • the method return
    • the method body contents
    • when to stop the recursion
    • using NetBeans debug feature to observe recursion at its finest moments
  • Using a spreadsheet to practice the path followed by JVM during a recursion activity
• Using recursion to compute the sine Taylor series
  • Analyzing the mathematical equation: Spotting the possibility of using recursion
  • understanding the importance of higher series terms in the precision of the sine value
  • Showing actual results with a Java FMXL program
• Two more useful examples of using recursion
  • Family Tree
    • general idea
    • pseudo code
    • going over all the branches of the family tree
  • Solving mazes
    • the general idea
    • using recursion on different mazes