Course Overview
TOPIntroduction to Programming and Java Basics for Non-Developers is a skills-focused, hands-on coding course that teaches students the fundamentals of programming object oriented (OO) applications with Java to a basic level, using sound coding skills and best practices for OO development. This course is presented in a way that enables you to embrace the fundamentals of coding as well as an introduction to Java, in a gentle paced environment that focuses on coding basics.
Throughout the course, you’ll explore the application development cycle, structure of programs, and specific language syntax. The course introduces important algorithmic constructs, string and character manipulation, dynamic memory allocation, standard I/O, and fundamental object-oriented programming concepts. The course explains the use of inheritance and polymorphism early on so you can practice these skills extensively in the hands-on labs. Structured programming techniques and error handling are emphasized. The course includes the processing of command line arguments and environment variables, so you’ll be able write flexible, user-friendly programs. You’ll leave this course armed with the required skills to begin your learning journey as a Java programmer using modern coding skills and technologies.
Scheduled Classes
TOPWhat You'll Learn
TOPWorking in a lab-intesive hands-on learning environment, guided by our expert team, you’ll explore:
- The steps involved in the creation and deployment of a computer program
- What OO programming is and what the advantages of OO are in today's world
- To work with objects, classes, and OO implementations
- The basic concepts of OO such as encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and abstraction
- The basic constructs that all programming languages share
- The basic Java constructs supporting processing as well as the OO orientation
- How to use Java exception handling
- About and how to use classes, inheritance and polymorphism
- About use collections, generics, autoboxing, and enumerations
- How to take advantage of the Java tooling that is available with the programming environment being used in the class
Outline
TOPPlease note that this list of topics is based on our standard course offering, evolved from typical industry uses and trends. We’ll work with you to tune this course and level of coverage to target the skills you need most.
Session: Computer Programming Basics
Lesson: Programming Tools
- Explain why we use various tools when programing
- Define the four major types of tools
- Lab: Setup the 'Java Development Environment'
- Lab: The HelloWorld 'Application' (optional)
Session: Getting Started with Programming
Lesson: Programming Basics
- Explain why different languages have different syntax
- Understand some basic features of any program
- Explain why we would break a program apart
- Lab: Using an Integrated Development Environment
Lesson: Thinking About Objects
- Define what an object is
- Explain the difference between an object and a class
- Design a class using a class diagram
- Understand how to define a basic class
- Explain how to compile and run a Java application
Lesson: Programming Constructs
- Explain what variables and constants are and when to use the
- Explain what arrays are and why they are used
- Explain what a method is
- Write if statements
- Write loops
- Lab: Modeling the Television Object
Session: Java: A First Look
Lesson: The Java Platform
- Java Platforms
- Lifecycle of a Java Program
- Responsibilities of JVM
- Documentation and Code Reuse
Lesson: Using the JDK
- Setting Up Environment
- Locating Class Files
- Compiling Package Classes
- Source and Class Files
- Java Applications
- Lab: Exploring MemoryViewer
- Lab: Exploring ColorPicker (optional)
Lesson: Getting Started with IDEs / Eclipse
- Become more familiar with Eclipse workbench concepts
- Explore the paradigm used by Eclipse, consisting of editors, views and perspectives in detail
- Introduce some commonly used views
- Explain Perspectives
- Tutorial: Setup Projects in Eclipse
Lesson: Writing a Simple Class
- Classes in Java
- Class Modifiers and Types
- Class Instance Variables
- Primitives vs. Object References
- Creating Objects
- Lab: Create a Simple Class
Lesson: Adding Methods to the Class
- Passing Parameters into Methods
- Returning a Value from a Method
- Overloaded Methods
- Constructors
- Optimizing Constructor Usage
- Lab: Create a Class with Methods
Session: Getting Started with OO
Lesson: Object-Oriented Programming
- Real-World Objects
- Classes and Objects
- Object Behavior
- Methods and Messages
- Lab: Define and use a New Java class
Lesson: Inheritance, Abstraction, and Polymorphism
- Encapsulation
- Inheritance
- Method Overriding
- Polymorphism
- Lab: Define and use Another Java Class
Session: Getting Started with Java
Lesson: Language Statements
- Operators
- Comparison and Logical Operators
- Looping
- Continue and Break Statements
- The switch Statement
- The for-each() Loop
- Lab: Looping
- Lab: Language Statements
Lesson: Using Strings
- Create an instance of the String class
- Test if two strings are equal
- Get the length of a string
- Contrast String, StringBuffer, and StringBuilder
- Lab: Fun with Strings
- Lab: Using StringBuffers and StringBuilders
Lesson: Specializing in a Subclass
- Extending a Class
- implementing equals and toString
- Using instanceof to verify the class type of an object reference
- The Object Class
- Default Constructor
- Implicit Constructor Chaining
- Safely casting references to a more refined type
- Lab: Creating Subclasses
- Lab: Defining the Student Subclass
Session: Essential Java Programming
Lesson: Java Coding and Debugging Tools
- Java Editing Assistance
- The Debug Perspective
- Breakpoints and the Debug View
- Debug Mode
- Refactoring Overview
Lesson: Fields and Variables
- Instance vs. Local Variables: Usage Differences
- Data Types
- Default Values
- Block Scoping Rules
- Final and Static Fields
- Static Methods
- Lab: Field Test
Lesson: Using Arrays
- Declaring an array
- Accessing the Array
- Multidimensional Arrays
- Copying Arrays
- Variable Arguments
- Lab: Creating an Array
- Lab: Defining the Student Array
Lesson: Java Packages and Visibility
- Class Location of Packages
- The Package Keyword
- Importing Classes
- Executing Programs
- Java Naming Conventions
Session: Advanced Java Programming
Lesson: Inheritance and Polymorphism
- Writing a subclass with a method that overrides a method in the superclass
- Grouping objects by their common supertype
- Utilize polymorphism by invoking subclass method implementations through superclass references
- Casting a supertype reference to a subtype reference
- Using the final keyword on methods and classes
- Lab: Salaries - Polymorphism
Lesson: Interfaces and Abstract Classes
- Define supertype contracts using interfaces
- Define supertype contracts using abstract classes
- Implement concrete classes using interfaces
- Implement concrete classes using abstract classes
- Explain the advantage of interfaces over abstract classes
- Explain the advantage of abstract classes over interfaces
- Lab: Mailable - Interfaces
Lesson: Exceptions
- Exception Architecture
- Handling Multiple Exceptions
- Automatic Closure of Resources
- Creating Your Own Exceptions
- Throwing Exceptions
- Checked vs. Unchecked Exceptions
- Lab: Exceptions
Session: Java Developer's Toolbox
Lesson: Utility Classes
- Wrapper Classes
- The Number Class
- Random Numbers
- Autoboxing/Unboxing
- The Date Class
- Lab: Using Primitive Wrappers
Lesson: Enumerations and Static Imports
- Enumeration Syntax
- When You Should Use Enumerations
- Using Static Imports
- When You Should Use Static Imports
- Lab: Enumerations (optional)
Lesson: The new Date/Time API
- Introduce the new Date/Time API
- LocalDate, LocalDateTime, etc.
- Formatting Dates
- Working with time zones
- Manipulate date/time values
- Lab: Agenda
Session: Collections and Generics
Lesson: Introduction to Generics
- Generics and Subtyping
- Bounded Wildcards
- Generic Methods
- Legacy Calls To Generics
- When Generics Should Be Used
- Lab: DynamicArray
- Lab: Adding Generics to Dynamic Array
Lesson: Collections
- Characterizing Collections
- Collection Interface Hierarchy
- Iterators
- The Set, List and Queue Interfaces
- The Map Interface
- Collections and Multithreading
- Lab: Using Hashtable and HashMap
- Lab: Collections Poker
- Lab: Writing a Collection (optional)
Prerequisites
TOPThis course is intended for anyone who is new programming, and wants to start learning how to code using Java. Please note that although this course is for beginner-level students, it is technical in nature. If you're moving from a truly non-technical role into coding for the first time, please reach out to us for some additional guidance or light course prep suggestions which can really be helpful before you jump into this course head-on. We want your experience to be exciting, challenging and useful, without being overwhelming. We're here to help!
Before attending this course, you definitely should be able to:
- Use computers to start programs, open and save files, navigate application menus and interfaces
- Understand logical concepts such as comparisons
- Understand number theory
- Create, understand, and follow structured directions or step-by-step procedures
- Understand and apply abstract concepts to concrete examples
Who Should Attend
TOPAttendees might include:
- Technically-minded attendees who want or who want to begin the process of becoming an OO application developer
- Technical team members from non-development roles, re-skilling to move into software and application development roles within an organization
- Recent college graduates looking to apply their college experience to programming skills in a professional environment, or perhaps needing to learn the best practices and standards for programming within their new organization
- Technical managers tasked with overseeing programming teams, or development projects, where basic coding knowledge and exposure will be useful in project oversight or communications needs
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