Course Description:

Practical Java™ Language Topics

The Java platform has many powerful capabilities to help developers in the day to day tasks of creating good software systems. Some of this are built into the langauge, and some are separate tools that have become widely adopted because of their usefulness.

This one day course looks at the following three tools that can be of enoromous help to programmers that are writing Java systems:

ant: A Java-based build tool that uses XML configuration files to control the build
JUnit: A testing framework that simpleifies writing and maintaing test code. This course uses JUnit 4, and the Java 5 annotations associated with it.
Logging with log4J, Commons Logging, or Java logging: Logging packages that make logging efficient and easy to use

These technologies are very powerful, yet it is easy to learn the basics in a very short time. This one day course provides those basics, and gives programmers the experience necessary to use these tools to be more productive and create better software systems.

All labs can be done with the Eclipse IDE or a simple editor, and the lab instructions include detailed directions on both environments.

Course Information

Duration: 1 day

Hands-on: 50% hands-on, 50% lecture

Supported Platforms:

Skills Gained:

Understand how ant and buildfiles work
Use ant to control a build; create buildfiles
Be familiar with testing and test-driven development
Use JUnit to create good testing structures for your Java code
Be aware of the different logging choices available in Java
Use the most popular Java logging frameworks to create good logging structures

Course Details:

ant: Basics

ant Overview
Installing and Running ant
Buildfiles, Projects, Targets and Tasks
Properties
Creating Build Files
Paths(e.g. CLASSPATH, PATH)
Resource Collections - FileSets, DirSets, Files, PatternSets
Other Resource Collections and Selectors
LABS:
- Running ant
- Creating and Using Buildfiles
- Using Basic ant Tasks
- Working with Paths
- Using Resource Collections

ant: Tasks

Overview of ant Tasks
The <javac> Task in Depth
The <java> Task in Depth
Creating Java Archives - <jar>, <war>, <ear>
File Related Tasks
Other Useful Tasks
LABS:
- Working with <javac> and <java>
- Creating Archives
- Working With File Tasks

ant: Modularity

Properties Files
The <ant> Task and SubProjects
The <import> Task For Importing Buildfiles
LABS:
- Working With Properties Files
- Creating Modular Buildfiles

JUnit: Basics

JUnit Overview, Test Driven Development
Tests and Assertions
Running Tests
Working With Exceptions
LABS:
- Writing Tests
- Running Tests
- Testing Exceptions

JUnit: Organizing Tests

Writing Fixtures - @Before, @After
Test Suites
Other Capabilities
The ant <junit> Task
LABS:
- Using Fixtures
- Using Suites

Logging: Basics

Logging Overview
log4j Overview
Loggers, Appenders, Layouts
Configuring log4j
Using log4j
LABS:
- Setting Up log4j
- Using Basic log4j Logging

Logging: More On log4j

Logger Heirarchy
Logging Levels
Working With Appenders
Using PatternLayout
LABS:
- Working With Loggers
- Working With Appenders
- Using Layouts

Logging: Other Logging Frameworks

Java Logging
Apache Commons Logging