Some Java Fundamentals

Chapter 2

Chapter Contents
Chapter Objectives 2.1 Example: A Payroll Program 2.2 Types, Variables, and Constants Part of the Picture: Data Representation 2.3 Some Basic Program Features 2.4 Java Documentation 2.5 Introduction to GUIs: A GUI Greeter

Chapter Objectives
Observe

Java primitive types and their

literals Explain Java syntax rules Contrast primitive types and reference types Study variables and constants Investigate internal representation of primitive types

Chapter Objectives
Observe

the structure and declaration of

classes Discover need for import statements Note how to use methods Study Java API organization Look at designing and building simple GUI applications

2.1 Example: A Payroll Program

Computerize the calculation of employee wages.

Employees are paid a fixed hourly rate They can work any number of hours No overtime is paid

Use object-oriented design

Describe behavior Identify objects Identify operations Organize objects & operations in an algorithm

Behavior
Display
hours

on the screen a prompt for

worked hourly rate

Enter

values via keyboard Compute wages Display calculations with descriptive label

Objects
Description of Object
the program screen prompt for hrs & rate

Type
??
Screen String double double Keyboard

Kind
?? variable constant

Name
??
theScreen

none
hoursWorked hourlyRate theKeyboard

number hrs worked

hourly pay rate keyboard

variable
variable variable

wages
descriptive label

double
String

variable
constant

wages

none

Operations
Display

strings (prompts) on screen Read numbers for hours and rate (restrict to non negatives) Compute wages Display real value (wages) and a string on screen

Algorithm
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Construct theScreen and theKeyboard objects Ask theScreen to display prompt for hours Ask theKeyboard to read value and store in

hoursWorked Ask theScreen to display prompt for rate Ask theKeyboard to read value and store in hourlyRate Compute wages = hoursWorked x hourlyRate Ask theScreen to display wages and
descriptive label

Coding, Testing, Maintenance

Note

Figure 2.1
runs

Code Sample

Maintenance
Enhance

to include overtime wages Display output using $999.99 style format

Note

revision Figure 2.2

2.2 Types, Variables, and Constants

Types

of objects must be declared before they are used

Declaration

of variables requires a certain syntax declaration, the name of a variable is associated with a type

In

Types

void

denotes the absence of any type

in general, a sequence of characters associated to the Input and Output (I/O) devices normally used associated with real (numbers with fractions) values

String [ ]

Keyboard, Screen

double

Primitive Types

byte, short, int, and long

for integer values of various sizes for real (rational) values of differing accuracy for logical (true/false) values

float and double

boolean

char

for individual characters

Reference Types

Built of other types

Example: String, Screen, Keyboard

Also considered class types Reference types

begin with uppercase letter not known to Java compiler, must be explained
begin with lower case letter are known to Java compiler

Contrast primitive types

Literals Examples

Integers

4, 19, -5, 0, 1000

3.14, 0.0, -16.123 Hi Mom Enter the number : 'A' 'X' '9' '$' '\n'

Doubles

Strings

Character

Boolean

true, false

Identifiers

Names given to variables, objects, methods Must not be a Java keyword

See Appendix B for list of keywords

May begin with a letter or the underline character _ Followed by any number of characters, digits, or _ (note, no blanks) Identifiers should be well chosen

use complete words (even phrases) this helps program documentation

Conventions for Identifiers

Classes

Names given in lowercase except for first letter of each word in the name
Same as classes, except first letter is lowercase All caps with _ between words like variable names but followed by parentheses

Variables

Constants

Methods

Declaration Statements

Purpose is to provide compiler with meaning of an identifier Accomplished in declaration statement Some declarations (classes and methods) are provided and must be imported
import ann.easyio.*;

Variables to store values must be declared

they can be initialized at time of declaration initialized with a literal or even with keyboard input if not explicitly initialized, the default initial value is zero

Values Held by Variables

Primitive-type
store

variables

a value of the specified type (int, double)

Reference-type
store

variables

an address of memory location where value is stored thought of as a handle for the object that actually stores the values

Variable Declaration Syntax

Syntax:
type variable_name;

or

type variable_name = expression;

Note

type must be known to the compiler variable_name must be a valid identifier expression is evaluated and assigned to variable_name location In the first form, a default value is given (0, false, or null, depending on type)

Constants

Value of object cannot be changed

for oft used math values such as PI for values which will not change for a given program improve readability of program facilitate program maintenance

Declaration syntax:

final type CONSTANT_NAME = expression; final is a Java keyword, makes a constant type must be known by compiler CONSTANT_NAME must be valid identifier expression evaluated should be placed at beginning of class or method

Part of the Picture: Data Representation

How literals of the primitive types are represented and stored in memory.

Representing Integers

Binary digits used to represent base 10 numbers 58 ten = 111010two

The 1s and 0s are stored as binary digits in specified number of bits (32 shown in text)

Negative numbers often stored in "two's complement" representation

All opposite values, switch 1s for 0s and 0s for 1s Leading bit specifies the sign (0 for +, 1 for -)

If a number is too large for the number of bits allocated, the condition is overflow

Representing Reals

Consider 22.625ten = 10110.101two = 1.0110101two x 24

The 1.0110101 is stored as the "mantissa" The 4 is stored as the exponent or "characteristic"

IEEE format

Leftmost bit is sign for mantissa 8 bits for exponent Rightmost 23 bits store mantissa
Overflow number too large for exponent Underflow number too small for exponent Roundoff error conversion between decimal & binary

Problems include

Representing Characters
A

numeric code is assigned to each symbol to be represented ASCII uses 8 bits

Very

common for programming languages Limited to 128 characters

Unicode
newer,

uses 16 bits

used by Java Allows 65,536 different symbols

Representing Booleans
Only Only

two possible values

and false

true

need two possible numbers, 0 and 1 Single bit is all that is needed

2.3 Some Basic Program Features

Comments Classes Importing

and documentation

packages Using Methods

Comments and Opening Documentation

Opening documentation should include:

description of what program does input needed, resulting output special techniques, algorithms used instructions for use of program Name of programmer, date, modification history
between /* */ character pairs

Opening documentation is multiline

Inline comments

following // double slashes

Comments ignored by compiler

Classes

Classes built for real world objects that cannot be represented using available types A class is an "extension" of Java Definition of class: "a group or category of things that have a set of attributes in common." In programming: a pattern, blueprint, or template for modeling real world objects which have similar attributes

Class Declaration

Syntax:

class className extends existingClassName { // Attributes (variables & constants) // and behaviors (methods) }

Where

className is the name of a new reference type existingClassName is any class name known to the compiler

{ and } mark the boundaries of the declaration

Purpose of Class Declaration

Creates a new type that the compiler can use to create objects This new type inherits all attributes and behaviors of existingClassName Note:

Object is often used for existingClassName in this case the extends object may be omitted

Importing Packages

Related classes grouped together into a container called a "package"

program specifies where to find a desired class

Fully-qualified name
package_name1.ClassName or package_name1.package_name2.ClassName By using the import package_name1 the prefixes using the dot notation can be omitted Syntax import package_name.* ; or import package_name.ClassName; where ClassName is any class stored with package_name

Using Methods
Call,

invoke, or send a message to the method of an existing object theScreen.print(" "); theScreen is the object print ( ) is the method being called of the call
of the object
the any name the

Syntax

name of the method

dot .

required parameters or arguments

Value Returning Methods

Some

methods return a value Programmer must also do something with the value to be returned
assign send

the value to a variable

variable_name = objectName.methodName(arguments);

the value to another method as the parameter

2.4 Java Documentation API

Note the sample programs so far

For several tasks, we found a Java method to solve it Other times the programmer writes the class and methods required

Java designers have provided over 1600 classes

Called the Java Application Programmer's Interface or API Each class provides variety of useful methods Classes grouped into packages

API Documentation
Finding

needed package or class Hypertext-based documentation system, accessible on World Wide Web First page of web site has 3 frames
Alphabetical

list of packages Alphabetical list of classes A "main" frame that initially lists the Java packages

Web Based Documentation

Clicking on the name of the package in the "main" frame produces a list of the classes in that package Click on name of a class displays information about that class

List of fields (variables, constants) List of methods for the class

Click on a method for a detailed description of the methods

This is an important reference source and you should learn to use it effectively

2.5 Introduction to GUIs: A GUI Greeter

Problem Scenario Write a program with graphical user interface that

displays a window with prompt for name box to enter name OK and Cancel buttons User enters name, clicks OK Second window gives greeting, uses name, displays a button for terminating program

Objects
Description of Problem's Objects
the program window for prompt prompt for user's name window to display greeting user's name a personalized greeting inputdialog String message -dialog String String varying varying name constant

Type

Kind

Name
GUIGreeter

Operations
Display

a window containing a prompt and a text box Read a String from the window's text box Hide the window Display second window with personalized greeting Terminate program

Coding in Java
Note

source code in Figure 2.3 Application GUIGreeter Note run of program

Window

for prompt and input Window for Greeting

Note

improved version, Figure 2.4

Input Dialog
Input

dialogs are GUI widgets

used

to get text input from user Example

showInputDialog(prompt);

prompt can be a string a graphic image another Java Object

Message Dialog
A

GUI widget for displaying information Example

showMessageDialog(null, message, title, messageKind);

Message
can

kind

be: error, information, warning, question, or plain used by interface manager to display proper icon