HELP HELP HELP

[Rupinder Bains]

I am never ever going to get the hang off java
I really need advise and help
could someone help me.
Is there any other good sites and books that someone could reccommend
I hav 3 weeks to understand
im going mad here!!!

[Michael Morris]

Hi Rupinder,
Why do you only have three weeks to understand? I had over twenty years programming experience and at least five in Objected Oriented programming before I started Java and it took me longer than three weeks to understand more than just the fundamentals. So if you could just explain exactly what you need to understand about Java and why you are so limited on time, maybe we can give you some guidance.
Michael Morris

[Rupinder Bains]

in three to four weeks i have an exam on java
i have been learning java just for a while
less then a year
but failed my exam
i am a student
so im taking notes and asking questions to revise from.
some questions in the exam may even be related to loops which we have not covered much, being my first time try to code it and understand it
the java exam will be based on fundamental, intermediate and advanced coding. Classes that will require gui, applet etc. All this will be done on visual cafe.
Too much stress for a first year student hey??
if I fail this exam then my whole degree and entire career is over.
I have to understand as much as possible

[Max Habibi]

Hey Rup,
First, no one's career is ever over because of a mistake: consider a recent American President who shall remain nameless.
Second, if you're intimidated by loops, then I have serious doubts that you'll be ready for a test that will be hitting swing and applets.
But you don't need that right now: you need some advice to go forward with.
OK, here it is.
Study your basic constructs like Loops, if-statements, While-statements, for-loops, etc.
Figure out what an array is.
Figure what what the Object class is, and how it interacts with other classes.
Figure out boolean, Boolean, int, Integer, long, Long, etc. Yes, the case is important.
Get comfortable with the String class, and about 10 of it's methods at least.
look over Sets, ArrayLists, Vectors, Maps, HashMaps, etc. You'll want the entire collections framework, but you probably don't have enough time.
Look over IO.
Figure out how try/cath/finally statements work.
figure out how the garbage collector works.
Learn how to use the FileInputStream, FileOutputStream, and RandomAccessFiles.
Good luck: this is all possible if you're very, very smart, very, very desperate, and have access to some good books.
Good luck,
M, author
The Sun Certified Java Developer Exam with J2SE 1.4

ps-Ivor horton and John Zukowski(www.apress.com) have written excellent beginer books for java programmers, but you probably don't have the time to absorb them.
[ August 07, 2002: Message edited by: Max Habibi ]

[Michael Morris]

Hey Rupinder,
Bummer! Do you have any previous programming experience? It seems to me, that if you are a first year student, you should first learn a procedural language like C or Basic, just to get the feel for programming. Learning on an IDE instead of the good ol' command line doesn't seem like a well thought out plan either. Since we only have a little bit of time, start firing off questions where you feel that you are particularly weak and we'll see how far we can get. If you like, you can email me directly at [e-mail] with your questions. But it may be best to post them here so all of the many expert coders can have a shot at helping you.
Michael Morris

[Barkat Mardhani]

Hi Rupindar:
I am also beginner in Java. In about 4-5 weeks I have understood the fundamentals. I used a variety of material but I found Thinking in Java by Bruce Eckel excellent resource. It is detailed and logical and it is free. As you have time constraint, I would say whenever you hit a snag, consult this book for that topic only. Also, posting your question on JavaRanch is very beneficial. Good luck.
Barkat Mardhani

[Dirk Schreckmann]

Here are three free on-line Java tutorials with lots of great information:

Sun's Java Tutorial

Bradley Kjell's Introduction to Computer Science using Java

David J. Eck's Introduction to Programming Using Java

Good Luck.

[Anthony Villanueva]

Cram advice!
1. Find out exactly the scope of the exam. Down to the nitty gritty.
2. Gauge for yourself what topics you fairly know ("passable" is the word) and you don't. Allot the time to what you don't know. If extra time ever comes up (which never does), review what's left.
3. Get a single resource which covers the scope and is understandable to you.
4. Do read, code and test, while the idea is still unclear. If it's intractable, post it here. Chances are, somebody will has a solution/explanation.
5. Don't ever cram again.
Good luck, mate.

[Rupinder Bains]

Thank you t everyone, epecially Micheal, Max, Barkat, Dirk and Anthony. You are all very helpful and supportive, and i really do appreciate this. Im at the stage where I am about to have a nervous breakdown, but im trying to do my very best in this and work very hard. I have little experience in Visual Basics, but I believe that the programming type is very different to java. Practise and good knowledge is what I need.

[Robert Paris]

Only 3 weeks? get the book "Idiot's Guide to Java 1.2", or go read it at Barnes and Noble.
It's a good intro to alot of Java, and you can do the book in a week.
[ August 08, 2002: Message edited by: Robert Paris ]

[Jamie Robertson]

I agree with Anthony. With 3 weeks left ( which is plenty of time ), you should be trying to gauge what will be on the exam. It sounds like you've been taking notes, so try to understand topic covered in the notes. The more coverage/depth the professor covered a topic, the more likely it will be on the exam( so know this stuff first ). If you have already written a midterm or test with the same professor, then you should know what types of questions to expect, and how the lecture material translates into test questions. Another resource is to find a previous year's exam if the professor has taught the class before( if another professor taught the class, don't rely much on the previous exam as different professors emphasize different content, and have different test styles ). The best advice is to NOT PANIC!! You won't be able to get any work done until you convince yourself that it can be done. With 3 weeks left ( again, lots of time ) you could also go to your schools Learning Center to get a tutor. If you are stuck on one point or concept, I would approach the instructor and ask for assistance
Good luck, and don't panic!
Jamie
[ August 08, 2002: Message edited by: Jamie Robertson ]