The Java(TM) Class Libraries: Supplement for the Java(TM) 2 Platform, v1.2; Parts A and B(Volume 1, Standard Edition) - Softcover

Chan, Patrick; Lee, Rosanna; Kramer, Douglas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0201485524 ISBN 13: 9780201485523

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional, 1999

Synopsis

Best-selling authors Patrick Chan, Rosanna Lee, and Doug Kramer provide a timely 1.2 companion book to The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume 1. Used together, these books provide complete documentation for the Volume 1 set of packages. Important new packages have been added, including: java.lang.reflect, and java.util.jar. The Supplement includes complete documentation for all packages, classes, and members that are new or have been changed. Material that has not been changed from Java 1.1 and Java 1.2 is not covered in the supplement. However, all class descriptions in the supplement include member summaries that indicate which book contains which member desriptions. Moreover, the supplement features an integrated index that covers both books.

This definitive reference to the Java 1.2 class libraries is an essential resource for both novice and experienced Java programmers. The information is presented in an easy-to-use, dictionary-like format. The packages covered in this book are: java.io, java.lang, java.lang.reflect, java.math, java.text, java.util, java.util.jar, and java.util.zip.

The extensive class and member descriptions contain details crucial for developing robust and professional applets and applications. Each description is supplemented by an example which demonstrates the class or member in a relevant context.

Each class description includes:

a class hierarchy diagram showing its connection to related classes detailed overview describing its purpose and key concepts a convenient member summary that briefly describes each member and arranges the members into related groups an example demonstrating the class in a "real-world" context comprehensive descriptions and an example for each member

About this title

About the Author

Patrick Chan is an original member of the team that created the Java language. He is also a coauthor of the Java Class Libraries books and is the chief architect at Composite Software.

Rosanna Lee is a former Senior Staff Engineer at Sun Microsystems, Inc.,where she led the design and development of the JNDI technology and theX/Open Federated Naming (XFN). She is also coauthor of the Java Class Libraries books and posters in the Java Series.

Doug Kramer is a lead writer for the Java Development Kit and Senior Technical Writer at JavaSoft, Sun Microsystems, Inc. He previously worked at Kaleida Labs and Macromind, documenting multimedia technology and designing graphical user interfaces.

From the Back Cover

Continuing the successful format of The Java Class Libraries, the supplement contains descriptions of the new pacakges and classes introduced in the Javao 2 Platform, Standard Edition, version 1.2. It also provides details on how the classes and methods have changed from JDKo 1.1. Together, this supplement and The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume 1, provide a complete reference to the following packages: java.io, java.lang, java.lang.ref, java.lang.reflect, java.math, java.net, java.text, java.util, java.util.jar, and java.util.zip.

The extensive class and member descriptions contain details crucial for developing robust and professional applets and applications. Each description is supplemented by an example that demonstrates the class or member in a relevant context. Numerous examples facilitate learning-by-example and provide useful code for your projects. The information is presented in an easy-to-use, dictionary-like format. Each class description includes:

• a class hierarchy diagram showing its connection to related classes
• a detailed overview describing its purpose and key concepts
• a convenient member summary that briefly describes each member and arranges the members into related groups
• an example demonstrating the class in a "real-world" context
• comprehensive descriptions and an example for each member

0201485524B04062001

From the Inside Flap

How to Use This Book

This book is a companion to The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume

1. It contains descriptions of the new packages and classes in the Java™

2 Platform, Standard Edition, Version 1.2. It also provides details of how the

classes and methods have changed from the Java™ Developement Kit (JDK™) Version

1.1 to Version 1.2. It is important to understand that some of the material

in this book is not complete and refers to material in The Java Class Libraries,

Second Edition, Volume 1.

Like The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume 1. this book

is intended as a reference rather than a tutorial. Its format is similar to

a dictionary’s in that it is designed to optimize the time it takes for you

to look up information about a class or class member. For a tutorial-style presentation

of the class libraries, see The Java™ Tutorial by Mary Campione and Kathy

Walrath. The Java™ Class Libraries does not explain any part of the Java

language. There are several books you can use to learn the language. These include

The Java™ Programming Language, by Ken Arnold and James Gosling, and

The Java™ Language Specification, by James Gosling, Bill Joy, and Guy

Steele.

Following is an overview of this book. Package Overviews

This part briefly describes each package and all of the classes in it. Also

included are diagrams that show the inheritance hierarchy of the classes that

appear in a package.

Each overview contains not only a general description about the package, but

also descriptions of the changes in the package for Version 1.2. Each class

that has been introduced in Version 1.2 is labeled with a

tag. Each class that has been changed for Version 1.2 is labeled with a

tag. Alphabetical Reference of Classes

This part covers the alphabetical listing of the classes from the following

packages:

java.io

java

java.lang

java.text

java.lang.ref

java.util

java.lang.reflect

java.util.jar

java.math

java.util.zip

Only those classes that have been changed or added in Version 1.2 are included.

Moreover, within the changed classes, only those members that have been changed

or added are included. See the Table of Contents for a list of the classes and

members in this book. For information about the classes that are changed, see

The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume 1.

Like The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume 1, the classes

are ordered alphabetically without regard to package name or version.

Each class is described in its own chapter. Each chapter contains a picture

of the class hierarchy, a class description, a “Changes for Version 1.2” section

for classes that have changed, a class example, a member summary, and descriptions

for each member that is changed or new in Version 1.2. Chapters for classes

that have changed (as opposed to those that were introduced in Version 1.2)

have the label CHANGES FOR VERSION 1.2 in their footer. Class Hierarchy Diagram

Each chapter starts with a class diagram. The class diagram shows all of the

ancestors of the class, its siblings, its immediate descendents, and any interfaces

that the class implements. In these diagrams, if a package name precedes a class

or interface name, the class or interface is not in the same package as the

current class.

In the diagrams, the different kinds of Java entities are distinguished visually

as follows:

The interface: A rounded rectangle

The class: A rectangle

The abstract class: A rectangle with an empty dot

The final class: A rectangle with a black dot

Classes with subclasses: A rectangle with a small black triangle in the

lower-right corner

Most of these elements are shown in Figure i. The class or interface being

described in the current chapter is shaded grey. A solid line represents extends,

while a dotted line represents implements.

Class Description

In the class description, we describe all of the properties of the class. For

example, the properties of the Graphics class include the current

color, font, paint mode, origin, and clipping area. Describing in one place

all of a class's available properties and how the properties behave makes learning

all of the capabilities of a class much easier than if the property descriptions

were scattered throughout the member descriptions.

Any terminology used in the member descriptions is introduced and described

in the class descriptions. If you find that the member description lacks detail,

go to the class description for more information.

If the class is newly introduced in Version 1.2, its class description is

complete. If the class is one that is changed in Version 1.2, the class description

is only a summary of the class; the complete class description is in The

Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume 1. Changes for Version 1.2

If the class is one that is changed in Version 1.2, the chapter contains a

“Changes for Version 1.2” section that describes the changes, including the

new methods that have been added and how existing methods have changed. Class Example

Most of the chapters for new classes have a class example that illustrates

how to use the class. Some of the chapters for the changed classes have a class

example. For some of the changed classes, the changes are so minor that the

class example in The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume 1 is

still relevant. Member Summary

The member summary is intended to help the reader quickly grasp the key points

of the class. It groups the members of the class into categories that are specific

to that class. For example, in the List class the Selection Methods category

lists all methods having to do with selections. It is meant to be a quick summary

of the class’s members, so it does not contain any syntax information other

than the name of the member.

The member summary for both changed and new classes is complete. In a changed

class, changed members are labeled with a

tag, while new members are labeled with a

tag. Only those members with one of these two tags are documented in the chapter.

The documentation for unlabeled members in is The Java Class Libraries, Second

Edition, Volume 1.

For example, following is the member summary for ZipInputStream.

In Version 1.2, ZipInputStream has one new member, createZipEntry(),

and one changed member, available(). The chapter for ZipInputStream

contains member descriptions for createZipEntry() and available().

All other members of ZipInputStream are described in The Java

Class Libraries, Second Edition, Volume 1. Member Descriptions

The member descriptions appear in alphabetical order within a class chapter

regardless of what kind of method or field they are. This is done to make locating

a member proceed as fast as possible.

Overloaded methods are placed together in one member description because they

share very similar functionality. The different overloaded forms are typically

provided as a convenience for the programmer when specifying parameters. For

instance, some overloads eliminate parameters by providing common defaults.

To describe overloads with missing parameters, we use a phrase of the form “if

the parameter p is not specified, it defaults to the value 3.14.”

Other overloads take different representations of a value. For example, one

overload could take a particular parameter as an integer, while another could

take the same parameter as a string containing an integer.

In a changed class, each member heading is labeled with either a

or a tag.

indicates a member whose behavior has changed in Version 1.2. The changes might

include an addition of an overloaded form, deprecation, or any other change

in the semantics of the member.

indicates that the member was introduced in Version 1.2. Following are examples

of each tag.

Each member description contains some or all of the following fields:

PURPOSE

A brief description of the purpose of this member

SYNTAX

The syntactic declaration of this member

DESCRIPTION

A full description of this member

PARAMETERS

The parameters accepted by this member, if any, listed in alphabetical

order

RETURNS

The value and its range returned by this member, if any

EXCEPTIONS

The exceptions and errors thrown by this member, if any, listed in alphabetical

order

SEE ALSO

Other related classes or members, if any, listed in alphabetical order

OVERRIDES

The method that this member overrides, if any

EXAMPLE

A code example that illustrates how this member is used. This is sometimes

a reference to an example that illustrates the use of this method in another

member example or class example.

If an overloaded form has been added to an existing member, the overloaded

form has a SINCE 1.2 tag. For example, in Version

1.1 the String class has a form of compareTo() that

accepts a String parameter. In Version 1.2, the

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Preface
How to Use This Book
This book is intended as a reference rather than a tutorial. Its format is
similar to a dictionary's in that it is designed to optimize the time it takes
for you to look up information on a class or class member. For a
tutorial-style presentation of the class libraries, see The JavaTM
Tutorial, by Mary Campione and Kathy Walrath. The JavaTM Class
Libraries does not explain any part of the Java language. There are
several books you can use to learn the language. These include The
JavaTM Programming Language, by Ken Arnold and James Gosling,
and The JavaTM Language Specification, by James Gosling, Bill Joy,
and Guy Steele.
Following is an overview of this book.
Supplement Overview
Provides a summary of changes between Java 1.1 and Java 1.2.
Package Overviews
This part briefly describes each package and all of the classes in it. Also
included are diagrams that show the inheritance hierarchy of the classes
that appear in a package.
Alphabetical Reference of Classes
This part covers the alphabetical listing of the classes from the following
packages:
java.io
java.lang
java.lang.reflect
java.math
java.net
java.text
java.util
java.util.zip
Probably the most notable aspect about the structure of this book is the
order in which the classes appear. Most Java books that contain an API
alphabetically order the classes within a package and then alphabetically
order the packages. The problem with this format is that it always takes
two or more steps to locate a class. If you do not know which package
contains the class you're looking for, you basically need to review each
package looking for the class. If you do know which package, you first
need to find the package and then find the class.
The classes in this book are ordered alphabetically without regard to
package name. This makes looking up a class as straightforward as
looking up a word in a dictionary.
Each class is described in its own chapter. Each chapter contains a
picture of the class hierarchy, a class description, a class example, a
member summary, and descriptions for every member in the class.
Class Hierarchy Diagrams
We include a class diagram for each class in the Java API. The class
diagram shows all of the ancestors of the class, its siblings, its immediate
descendents, and any interfaces that the class implements. In these
diagrams, if a package name precedes a class or interface name, the
class or interface is not in the same package as the current class.
In the diagrams, we visually distinguish the different kinds of Java
entities, as follows:
1.The interface: A rounded rectangle
2.The class: A rectangle
3.The abstract class: A rectangle with an empty dot
4.The final class: A rectangle with a black dot
5.Classes with subclasses: A rectangle with a small black triangle on the lower right corner
Most of these elements are shown in Figure i. The class or interface
being described in the current chapter is shaded grey. A solid line
represents extends, while a dotted line represents implements.

Class Descriptions
In the class descriptions, we describe all of the properties of the class.
For example, the properties of the Graphics class include the current
color, font, paint mode, origin, and clipping area. Describing in one place
all of a class's available properties and how the properties behave makes
learning all of the capabilities of a class much easier than if the property
descriptions were scattered throughout the member descriptions.
Any terminology used in the member descriptions is introduced and
described in the class descriptions. If you find that the member
description lacks detail, go to the class description for more information.
Class Examples
Ideally, we would have included a unique example for every single
member in the Java API. We simply did not have enough time. So we
tried to make sure that every member appeared in at least one example.
We worked to make the examples as useful as possible so that they
demonstrate the member as it would typically be used. For example, in
the example for a button we not only show how a button is created; we
also show how button events are handled. In some cases, we also try to
demonstrate some other class in the Java API. For example, in the
Graphics.draw-Oval() example, we demonstrate not only how to
draw an oval; we also show how to use the BufferedReader class to
read integers from standard input that are used to locate the oval. We
feel that gently introducing other classes in the Java API is a good way
to help you become aware of all available classes in the Java API, as
long as the introduction does not confuse the example.
Member Summaries
The Member Summary section for each class is intended to help the
reader quickly grasp the key points of the class. It groups the members
of the class into categories that are specific to that class. For example, in
the List class the Selection Methods category lists all methods having to
do with selections. It is meant to be a quick summary of the class's
members, so it does not contain any syntax information other than the
name of the member.
Member Descriptions
The member descriptions appear in alphabetical order within a class
chapter regardless of what kind of method or field they are. This was
done to make locating a member proceed as fast as possible.
Overloaded methods are placed together in one member description
because they share very similar functionality. The different overloaded
forms are typically provided as a convenience for the programmer when
specifying parameters. For instance, some overloads eliminate
parameters by providing common defaults. To describe overloads with
missing parameters, we use a phrase of the form "if the parameter p is
not specified, it defaults to the value 3.14." Other overloads take different
representations of a value. For example, one overload could take a
particular parameter as an integer, while another could take the same
parameter as a string containing an integer.
Each member description contains some or all of the following fields:
PURPOSE
A brief description of the purpose of this member
SYNTAX
The syntactic declaration of this member
DESCRIPTION
A full description of this member
PARAMETERS
The parameters accepted by this member, if any, listed in alphabetical order
RETURNS
The value and its range returned by this member, if any
EXCEPTIONS
The exceptions and errors thrown by this member, if any, listed in alphabetical order
SEE ALSO
Other related classes or members, if any, listed in alphabetical order
OVERRIDES
The method that this member overrides, if any
EXAMPLE
A code example that illustrates how this member is used. This is sometimes a reference to an example that illustrates the use of this method in another member example or class example.
Deprecation
A method or class is deprecated if its use is no longer recommended. A
deprecated method appears in the Member Summary under the
Deprecated Methods section. In the chapter body, the deprecated
method is annotated by a "deprecated" tag in its method heading. For
example, Component.size() is a deprecated method. It has the
following method heading:
size()
DEPRECATED
If not all of the overloaded forms of the method are deprecated, a
"deprecated" tag appears beside the syntax of the deprecated forms. For
example, one of the two forms of
BorderLayout.addLayoutComponent() is deprecated. The second
form shown below--the one with the "deprecated" tag--is deprecated.
SYNTAX
public void addLayoutComponent(Component comp, Object location)
DEPRECATED
public void addLayoutComponent(String location, Component comp)
The method description contains a deprecation section with instructions
on how to replace the usage of the deprecated method, like this:
DEPRECATION

A description of how to replace the usage of this
deprecated method

Edition details

• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0201485524
• ISBN 13: 9780201485523
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 1200