Key to the authors' teaching style are carefully designed graphics. Rather than explain class inheritance (to cite one example) primarily with text, the authors use a series of tree diagrams that clarify the mechanism far more succinctly. The diagrams are carefully annotated with arrows and notes. Also characteristic of the unique teaching strategy is heavy reliance on exercises, in which the reader is asked to complete partial classes, write whole new code segments and do design work. Though there's little discussion of why the exercises' correct answers are what they are, it's clear that the practice work was carefully designed to reinforce the lesson at hand. If you've waited this long to give Java a try, this book is a great choice. --David Wall

Topics covered: The Java programming language for people with no Java experience, and even people with no programming experience at all. Key concepts read like a list of Java features: Object oriented design, variable type and scope, object properties and methods, inheritance and polymorphism, exceptions, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), network connectivity, Java archives (JAR files), and Remote Method Invocation (RMI). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description
Learning a complex new language is no easy task especially when it s an object-oriented computer programming language like Java. You might think the problem is your brain. It seems to have a mind of its own, a mind that doesn't always want to take in the dry, technical stuff you're forced to study. The fact is your brain craves novelty. It's constantly searching, scanning, waiting for something unusual to happen. After all, that's the way it was built to help you stay alive. It takes all the routine, ordinary, dull stuff and filters it to the background so it won't interfere with your brain's real work--recording things that matter. How does your brain know what matters? It's like the creators of the Head First approach say, suppose you're out for a hike and a tiger jumps in front of you, what happens in your brain? Neurons fire. Emotions crank up. Chemicals surge. That's how your brain knows. And that's how your brain will learn Java. Head First Java combines puzzles, strong visuals, mysteries, and soul-searching interviews with famous Java objects to engage you in many different ways. It's fast, it's fun, and its effective. And, despite its playful appearance, Head First Java is serious stuff: a complete introduction to object-oriented programming and Java. You'll learn everything from the fundamentals to advanced topics, including threads, network sockets, and distributed programming with RMI. And the new. second edition focuses on Java 5.0, the latest version of the Java language and development platform. Because Java 5.0 is a major update to the platform, with deep, code-level changes, even more careful study and implementation is required. So learning the Head First way is more important than ever. If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect--a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. You'll see why people say it's unlike any other Java book you've ever read. By exploiting how your brain works, Head First Java compresses the time it takes to learn and retain--complex information. Its unique approach not only shows you what you need to know about Java syntax, it teaches you to think like a Java programmer. If you want to be bored, buy some other book. But if you want to understand Java, this book's for you.

Professional Ajax discusses the range of request brokers (including the hidden frame technique, iframes, and XMLHttp) and explains when one should be used over another. You will also learn different Ajax techniques and patterns for executing client-server communication on your web site and in web applications. By the end of the book, you will have gained the practical knowledge necessary to implement your own Ajax solutions. In addition to a full chapter case study showing how to combine the book's Ajax techniques into an AjaxMail application, Professional Ajax uses many other examples to build hands-on Ajax experience. Some of the other examples include:

• web site widgets for a news ticker, weather information, web search, and site search
• preloading pages in online articles
• incremental form validation
• using Google Web APIs in Ajax
• creating an autosuggest text box

This book discusses the range of request brokers (including the hidden frame technique, iframes, and XMLHttp) and explains when one should be used over another. You will also learn different Ajax techniques and patterns for executing client-server communication on your web site and in web applications. Each chapter builds on information in the previous chapters so that by the end of the book, you will have gained the practical knowledge necessary to implement your own Ajax solutions.

What you will learn from this book

• Different methods for achieving Ajax communication and when to use each
• A variety of Ajax design patterns to use in specific data retrieval circumstances
• Techniques for using Ajax with RSS and Atom to produce a web-based news aggregator
• How to use JavaScript Object Notation as an alternate data transmission format for Ajax communications
• How to create Ajax widgets, such as a weather display and news ticker, that can be included in your web site

Who this book is for

This book is for web developers who want to enhance the usability of their sites and applications. Familiarity with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS is necessary, as is experience with a server-side language such as PHP or a .NET language.

Wrox Professional guides are planned and written by working programmers to meet the real-world needs of programmers, developers, and IT professionals. Focused and relevant, they address the issues technology professionals face every day. They provide examples, practical solutions, and expert education in new technologies, all designed to help programmers do a better job.

This is the .NET 2.0 edition of Murach’s best-selling C# book. As its title implies, it teaches you how to develop Windows business applications from scratch, integrating all of the new 2005 features like data sources, generics, code snippets, refactoring, partial and static classes, and anonymous methods. But most C# 2005 books cover the same things. So here are several ways this book differs from the others.

#1: There’s a 5-chapter section on database programming
This is crucial in business applications, and it’s an area that’s changed dramatically from earlier versions of C#. So this section shows you how to use the new SQL data sources and the DataGridView control to develop database applications with little or no C# code. Then, to understand what’s going under the surface, you’ll learn to code ADO.NET to work directly with databases. Finally, you’ll learn how to create and use object data sources, also new in C# 2.0, to create 3-layer applications that keep the presentation code separate from the data access code, while providing the data binding that’s one of the key benefits of using data sources.

#2: The OOP section deals with business objects, not cats and dogs
Knowing how object-oriented programming works is key to being a top C# developer. Many books explain OOP by using examples that are meant to be easily understood, like illustrating objects with animal classes such as mammals, cats, and dogs. However, the analogy breaks down as you try to figure out how to apply it to business applications. So this book presents business objects like customers, invoices, and products to show you how OOP is applied in the real world.

#3: It teaches development the way it should be done today, using Visual Studio
Today, no developer should miss out on the productivity features of Visual Studio 2005. So we don’t waste your time showing you how to code programs using limited tools like text editors. Instead, chapters 1-3 teach you how to set up and use VS 2005 to develop Windows applications so that you can take advantage of time-savers like refactoring and the interactive debugger right from the start. Then, later chapters cover VS tools for specific tasks, like one-click deployment.

#4: Complete applications show how all the pieces interact
The key to mastering C# development is to have plenty of real-world examples that guide you in using the new features you’re learning interact…and that help you avoid the problems that you can run into as you build complex applications. That’s why this book gives you complete applications for functions like order entry (these can be downloaded for free from the Murach web site).

#5: The paired-pages format lets developers set their own pace
Murach books have a distinctive format, where each two-page spread presents a single topic. Both beginning and experienced developers find that this format makes it easy to focus on the information they need, whether they’re using the book for training or reference. To see how this works, you can download sample chapters for free from the Murach web site.

Publisher Description

During the last 30 years, many customers have asked me how it is that a small publisher in Fresno can make the best programming books. The short answer is that no other publisher works the way we do.

Instead of using freelance writers who get no training, we use a small staff of programmers who are trained in our proven writing and teaching methods. Instead of publishing 40+ books each year, we focus on just a few. Instead of showing pieces of code, we provide complete applications that have been checked and re-checked for accuracy. And instead of rushing books to market, we refuse to let schedule or budget interfere with quality. As I see it, that's the only way to make sure that every book we publish is the best one on its subject.

That's why people often tell me that our books are the ones that they look for whenever they need to learn a new subject. Why not try this book and see for yourself!

The Ultimate Guide to Crystal Reports 10

Covers new features--Format Painter, business Views, upgrades to the repository, Java and .NET support, and more

Create visually appealing reports and publish them on the Web with Crystal Reports 10 and help from this comprehensive resource. Whether you’re a beginner or a power user looking for answers to quick questions, many examples and tips, along with clear discussions of the new and improved features, make this a must-have workplace companion. You’ll learn to produce compelling, professional-looking reports that communicate content effectively using helpful features such as charts, complex formulas using custom functions, sorting and grouping, the updated repository, new business Views, and more. Then, discover how to integrate your reports with Visual Basic, Visual Studio .NET, and Java. Plus, schedule and view your reports on the Web with Crystal Enterprise 10.

• Design and develop page-published quality reports
• Customize your report data using formulas--from simple math computations to full Basic-like formulas
• Store report objects in the updated repository for organization-wide sharing
• Simplify complex database structures with new version 10 business Views
• Fulfill sophisticated reporting requirements with subreports
• Schedule and view reports on the Web with Crystal Enterprise 10
• Create interactive reports using parameter fields, drill-down, hyperlinks, and managed navigation
• Export reports to common file formats like microsoft Word or Excel, Acrobat PDF, HTML, XML, and others
• Develop custom Web and Windows applications to integrate reports using Visual Basic, Visual Studio .NET, or Java
• Create reports based on unique data sources, such as OLAP databases, microsoft Outlook folders, Web server logs, and XML data

George Peck is an internationally recognized consultant, educator, developer, speaker, and best-selling author of Crystal Reports Professional Results and four previous editions of Crystal Reports: The Complete Reference. He is president of The Ablaze Group, a consultation and education firm specializing in Crystal Reports and Crystal Enterprise.

• This new edition of the definitive guide to JavaScript has been revamped to cover the latest browsers, language updates, extensions, and JavaScript standards
• Part tutorial and part reference, the book serves as a learning tool for building new JavaScript skills and a detailed reference for seasoned JavaScript developers
• Danny Goodman's exclusive interactive workbench, The Evaluator, makes it easy to master JavaScript and DOM concepts
• Offers deployment strategies that best suit the user's content goals and target audience
• Bonus CD-ROM is packed with advanced content for the reader who wants to go an extra step

Thankfully, Cavaness opens with an overview of the MVC pattern with a focus on how you're meant to implement it under Struts. For anyone thinking that implementing MVC sounds like more trouble than it's worth, this clarifies why such design usually pays off in the long run. After that, it's into the particulars, which include code listings (lots of them, delightfully commented) and crystal-clear block diagrams that show the flow of messages among objects. There are also many database schema charts that show how the authors structure data in the storefront and shopping cart application that spans the whole of this volume. --David Wall

Topics covered: The Jakarta Struts Framework 1.1 and how to use it to implement the Model-View-Controller (MVC) software design pattern. All the important features of Struts 1.1 get attention, including exception handling, the validation framework, internationalization, logging, and templating with the Tiles framework. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Description
While the look and feel of an enterprise web application is certainly important, developers usually find themselves spending far too much time on the front-end presentation before they can get to coding the good stuff--the business logic at the heart of the program. Jakarta Struts addresses this issue by combining Java Servlets, Java ServerPages (JSP), custom tags, and messaging resources (like Java Message Service) into a unified, re-usable framework. The result is a cooperative, synergistic platform that's efficient and suitable for independent developers, large development teams, and everyone in between. The Struts Framework has become a highly popular open source project, but there's still woefully little documentation on the technology. What does exist is far too basic and lacks critical information for developers like you writing today's complex web applications. The revised and expanded Programming Jakarta Struts, 2nd Edition covers everything the successful earlier edition did--including an overview of the concepts involved in writing web applications; installation and configuration instructions for getting Struts up and running; a thorough discussion of how Struts implements the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design paradigm (known as the Model 2 approach) and how to interface with that pattern in your own applications; Logging, Validation, and Exception Handling with Struts; using Tiles; writing internationalization and localization code using Struts; and practical, real-world best practices for web applications--as well as plenty more: now fully up to date with Struts 1.1, this edition covers the latest material on tag libraries and the new JavaServerFaces (JSF) APIs and even includes all-new chapters on JSF, JSTL/EL, and security. With each enterprise system he s developed, author Chuck Cavaness has spent many grueling hours learning invaluable lessons about Struts and figuring out the dos and the don'ts of building web applications. He saves you time and headaches by sharing that invaluable real-world experience here, with his realistic, practical, here's how to do it approach to using the Struts Framework to its fullest potential.

Schildt’s classic Java reference--updated and expanded for J2SE 5. The ultimate resource for Java programming.

Java 2 Platform Standard Edition, version 5 (J2SE 5) is the most extensive upgrade to Java yet and Herb Schildt, the world’s leading programming author, has updated and expanded his best-selling reference on Java to cover it. Whether you’re a beginning Java programmer or an experienced pro, the answers to all your Java questions can be found in this one-stop resource. With expertly crafted explanations, insider tips, and hundreds of examples, this book fully explains the entire Java language and its core libraries. Of course, in-depth coverage of all the new features added by J2SE 5, such as generics, autoboxing, varargs, enumerations, metadata, and the enhanced for loop, is included. Essential for every Java programmer, this comprehensive resource offers the clear, crisp, uncompromising style that has made Herb Schildt the choice of millions worldwide. Coverage includes:

• Data types and operators
• Control statements
• Classes and objects
• Constructors and methods
• Interfaces and packages
• Method overloading and overriding
• Inheritance
• Exception handling
• Multithreading
• The I/O classes
• Networking
• The Collections Framework
• Applets and servlets
• AWT and layout managers
• JavaBeans and Swing

Plus, in-depth descriptions of Java’s newest features:

• Generics
• Autoboxing
• Enumerations
• Metadata (Annotations)
• The enhanced for loop
• Static import
• Varargs (variable-length arguments)
• The Formatter and Scanner classes.
• The Concurrent API

Herbert Schildt is the leading authority on Java, C, C++, and C#. His programming books have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide and have been translated into all major foreign languages. Find out more at HerbSchildt.com.