Internet Applications with the Java 2 Platform

Chapter 1 includes preliminaries, which may be postponed until needed in later chapters. It starts with exception handling, which is required for I/O, which in turn is required for networking. The event-handling section may be review. I include mouse and key events in Appendix A, because I do not use them in other chapters. I cover threads, used in networking and animation, and concurrent programming. The gridbag layout occurs in a few examples including the GUI for database access. I use vectors in a few places, and they provide an introduction and contrast to the Collections chapter.

Networking, in Chapter 2, starts with URLs, which hide the details of the protocols. I explain the HTTP protocol, and use a URLConnection to customize the connection. At a lower level, sockets handle the protocol directly to communicate. I use sockets to develop rudimentary browsers and web servers. The last section covers RMI, a high-level basis for distributed computing.

Chapter 3 contains a thorough guide to databases using Java. To make it self-contained, I cover the basic SQL commands. The examples use Microsoft Access, but will work with any database that has a JDBC driver, and many will work with text files. The chapter covers SQL, connecting, creating tables, queries, metadata, prepared statements, and transactions. It concludes with an extended example of a GUI to query a database.

Servlets and JavaServer Pages add functionality to a web server. In Chapter 4, I use the JRun application server (found on the included CD). The chapter starts with HTML forms on web clients that call servlets to handle processing on the server. I discuss server-side includes and the new JavaServer Pages which are superceding them. The last three sections are essential for web applications. I illustrate a three-tiered architecture by connecting to a servlet, which in turn connects to a database. Session tracking enables the server to maintain client information. The new JavaServer pages technology makes it easier to separate content and presentation.

The next few chapters turn to client-side development. Chapter 5 presents the Swing components for building graphical user interfaces including text, images, buttons, borders, lists, toggle buttons, menus, dialogs, tabs, and tables. Swing has much to offer. This introduction will enable readers to use Swing effectively with the understanding that there is much more than could be covered here.

Java 2D provides the tools to make fabulous presentations incorporating text and graphics. Chapter 6 covers geometric shapes, the rendering of graphics and text, and printing.

The World Wide Web is worldwide. Internationalization enables applications to adapt to the customs of the user's locale. Chapter 7 treats number, currency, date and time formatting, collation, localizing user interfaces, and message formatting. A few examples use simple Spanish words and phrases that could be replaced by ENGLISH, which is English with all upper-case letters, if desired.

As bandwidth increases, multimedia applications are becoming more prevalent. Chapter 8 covers animation and sound, and introduces the Java Media Framework, which can play and capture audio and video in many formats. Two sections delve into the powerful Java 3D API.

The next two chapters present component technology. Chapter 9 covers JavaBeans, components that can be configured and combined using a visual application building tool. I use the bean box included with the Beans Development Kit . After using predefined beans in the bean box, I show how to write and deploy a bean, and use BeanInfo to make a bean more user friendly. The chapter concludes by showing how to use beans in a program rather than a visual tool.

Chapter 10 treats the new and popular Enterprise JavaBeans, using the J2EE reference implementation from Sun. Enterprise JavaBeans are server components that allow developers to build applications focusing on the business problems while the server handles the low-level details of concurrency, transactions, and scaling. This chapter covers entity and session beans, and uses standalone as well as servlet and JavaServer Page clients.

The Collections hierarchy provides data structures and algorithms. Chapter 11 covers collections, sets, lists, maps, and iterators. It shows how to handle ordered data, and introduces algorithms.

Each Java release enhances the security features. Chapter 12 discusses the use of a security manager, policy files, and digital signatures. It concludes with a survey of the instruction set for the Java Virtual Machine and the structure of Java class files.

Art Gittleman has been programming in Java since it began it 1995. He is a professor is the Computer Science department at California State University Long Beach. His books include Computing with Java(TM): Programs, Objects, and Graphics, and Objects to Components with the Java(tm) Platform