1. Introducing Java

   1. Chapter 1 Introduction

      1. What Is Java?
      2. Key Benefits of Java
      3. An Example Program

   2. Chapter 2 Java Syntax from the Ground Up

      1. The Unicode Character Set
      2. Comments
      3. Identifiers and Reserved Words
      4. Primitive Data Types
      5. Expressions and Operators
      6. Statements
      7. Methods
      8. Classes and Objects
      9. Array Types
      10. Reference Types
      11. Packages and the Java Namespace
      12. Java File Structure
      13. Defining and Running Java Programs
      14. Differences Between C and Java

   3. Chapter 3 Object-Oriented Programming in Java

      1. The Members of a Class
      2. Creating and Initializing Objects
      3. Destroying and Finalizing Objects
      4. Subclasses and Inheritance
      5. Data Hiding and Encapsulation
      6. Abstract Classes and Methods
      7. Interfaces
      8. Inner Class Overview
      9. Static Member Classes
      10. Member Classes
      11. Local Classes
      12. Anonymous Classes
      13. How Inner Classes Work
      14. Modifier Summary
      15. C++ Features Not Found in Java

   4. Chapter 4 The Java Platform

      1. Java Platform Overview
      2. Strings and Characters
      3. Numbers and Math
      4. Dates and Times
      5. Arrays
      6. Collections
      7. Types, Reflection, and Dynamic Loading
      8. Threads
      9. Files and Directories
      10. Input and Output Streams
      11. Networking
      12. Properties and Preferences
      13. Logging
      14. The New I/O API
      15. XML
      16. Processes
      17. Security
      18. Cryptography

   5. Chapter 5 Java Security

      1. Security Risks
      2. Java VM Security and Class File Verification
      3. Authentication and Cryptography
      4. Access Control
      5. Security for Everyone
      6. Permission Classes

   6. Chapter 6 JavaBeans

      1. Bean Basics
      2. JavaBeans Conventions
      3. Bean Contexts and Services

   7. Chapter 7 Java Programming and Documentation Conventions

      1. Naming and Capitalization Conventions
      2. Portability Conventions and Pure Java Rules
      3. Java Documentation Comments

   8. Chapter 8 Java Development Tools

2. API Quick Reference

   1. Chapter 9 java.beans and java.beans.beancontext

   2. Chapter 10 java.io

   3. Chapter 11 java.lang, java.lang.ref,and java.lang.reflect

   4. Chapter 12 java.math

   5. Chapter 13 java.net

   6. Chapter 14 java.nio and Subpackages

   7. Chapter 15 java.security and Subpackages

   8. Chapter 16 java.text

   9. Chapter 17 java.util and Subpackages

   10. Chapter 18 javax.crypto and Subpackages

   11. Chapter 19 javax.net and javax.net.ssl

   12. Chapter 20 javax.security.auth and Subpackages

   13. Chapter 21 javax.xml.parsers, java.xml.transform, and Subpackages

   14. Chapter 22 org.ietf.jgss

   15. Chapter 23 org.w3c.dom

   16. Chapter 24 org.xml.sax, org.xml.sax.ext,and org.xml.sax.helpers

1. Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Java in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition is a Javan tiger. It is the smallest of the eight subspecies of tiger and has the longest cheek whiskers, which form a short mane across the neck. The encroachment of the growing human population, along with increases in poaching, have led to the near-extinction of the Javan tiger. The Indonesian government has become involved in trying to preserve the tiger. It is to be hoped that the remaining subspecies of tiger will be helped by increasing awareness and stricter protections.

Tigers are the largest of all cats, weighing up to 660 pounds and with a body length of up to 9 feet. They are solitary animals and, unlike lions, hunt alone. Tigers prefer large prey, such as wild pigs, cattle, or deer. Tigers rarely attack humans, although attacks on humans have increased as the increasing human population more frequently comes into contact with tigers. Tiger attacks usually occur when the tiger feels that it or its young are being threatened. In such cases, the tiger almost never eats its human victim. There are some tigers, however, who have developed a taste for human flesh. This is a particularly bad problem in an area of India and Bangladesh called the Sunderbans. Matt Hutchinson was the production editor and copyeditor for Java in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition. Rachel Wheeler and Emily Quill provided quality control. Ellen Troutman-Zaig and Brenda Miller wrote the index. Lenny Muellner provided XML support.

Edie Freedman designed the cover of this book, using a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. David Futato designed the interior layout based on a series design by Nancy Priest. The print version of this book was created by translating the Doc-Book XML markup of its source files into a set of gtroff macros using a filter developed at O'Reilly & Associates by Norman Walsh. Steve Talbott designed and wrote the underlying macro set on the basis of the GNU troff --gs macros; Lenny Muellner adapted them to XML and implemented the book design. The GNU groff text formatter Version 1.11.1 was used to generate PostScript output. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book; the code font is Constant Willison. The hierarchy diagrams that appear in the quick-reference section of this book were produced in encapsulated PostScript format by a Java program written by David Flanagan. This colophon was written by Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary.