Covers the 12 most commonly used packages of Java 2 SDK, version 1.3: Java language, utility, I/O, network programming classes, and GUI development using the Abstract Windowing Toolkit and Swing, applets, event handling, and Java Beans.

Review:

Grant Palmer's Java Programmer's Reference provides an efficiently organized guide to the most important Java classes and APIs. With a basic tutorial and a nicely organized listing of Java methods (grouped by specific packages), this text is a great resource to have on one's desktop and is suitable for anyone who programs with Java on a day-to-day basis.

This small-format book (measuring 9 by 6 inches) will fit into a briefcase--despite having more than 1,200 pages of reference material. Organized by Java package, the book tours the most common Java APIs, centering on the "core" and user-interface classes in Java (for instance, AWT and Swing). Early sections explain the basics of Java, including data types, keywords, and language constructs. Sections on the newer Java 2 collection classes are notably useful and concise. The rule of thumb in this text is both to list all methods associated with a class and describe all arguments and return types. Most entries also contain sample code.

Java Programmer's Reference successfully organizes information for quick searches. But this volume is much more than a listing of APIs. The explanations and the sample code will fill you in on newer Java 2 features, and let you review the language quickly. The focus on "core" Java instead of Enterprise APIs (like RMI, JNDI, or Jini) keeps this guide manageable and puts the classes used most for everyday tasks close at hand. Besides its general index, the book includes a separate listing of all included Java classes to let readers find what they need in a hurry.

Java APIs continue to grow by leaps and bounds. Whether you are a new or experienced Java programmer, this truly handy reference helps you be more productive by putting the most important APIs at your fingertips quickly. --Richard Dragan

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