Java Programming Vocabulary - Chapter 1

dialog box

A GUI object resembling a window in which you can place messages you want to display.

access modifier

Defines the circumstances under which a class can be accessed and the other classes that have the right to use a class.

polymorphism

Describes the features of languages that allows the same word to be interpreted correctly in different situations based on the context.

class definition

Describes what attributes its objects will have and what those objects will be able to do.

Java Virtual Machine (JVM)

A hypothetical (software-based) computer on which Java runs.

void

A keyword used in a method header that indicates that the method does not return any value when it is called.

identifier

A name of a program component such as a class, object, or variable.

debugging

A process that frees a program of all its errors.

Java interpreter

A program that checks the bytecode and communicates with the operating system, executing the bytecode instructions line by line within the Java Virtual Machine.

compiler / interpreter

A program that translates language statements into machine code.

machine language

A program written in circuitry-level language, as a series of on and off switches, is written in _______ ________.

syntax error

A programming error that occurs when you introduce typing errors into your program or use the programming language incorrectly. A program containing these will not compile.

low-level programming language

A programming language which is written to correspond closely to a computer processor's circuitry.

static

A reserved keyword that means that a method is accessible and usable even though no objects of the class exist. (Of course, other classes eventually might have their own, different main() methods.)

method

A self-contained block of program code, similar to a procedure.

literal string

A series of characters that appear exactly as entered. Any one of these in Java appears between double quotation marks.

computer program

A set of instructions that you write to tell a computer what to do.

"Write once, run anywhere" (WORA)

A slogan developed by Sun Microsystems to describe the ability of one Java program version to work correctly on multiple platforms.

SDK

A software development kit, or a set of tools useful to programmers.

javadoc

A special case of block comments that begin with a forward slash and two asterisks and end with an asterisk and a forward slash. You can use these comments to generate documentation with a program named this.

application

A stand-alone, executable program.

procedural programming

A style of programming in which sets of operations are executed one after another in sequence.

high-level programming language

Allows you to use a vocabulary of reasonable terms, such as "read," "write," or "add," instead of the sequences of on and off switches that perform these tasks.

compile-time error

An error in which the compiler detects a violation of language syntax rules and is unable to translate the source code to machine code.

run-time error

An error that occurs when a program compiles successfully but does not execute.

logic error

An error that occurs when a program compiles successfully but produces an error during execution.

instance

An existing object of a class.

Unicode

An international system of character representation.

Java

An object-oriented language used both for general-purpose business applications and for interactive, Web-based Internet applications that was developed by Sun Microsystems.

whitespace

Any combination of nonprinting characters, such as spaces, tabs, and carriage returns (blank lines).

interactive applications

Applications in which a user communicates with a program by using an input device.

executing

Carrying out a statement.

bytecode

Consists of programming statements that have been compiled into binary format.

source code

Consists of programming statements written in a high-level programming language.

package

Contains a group of built-in Java classes.

clean build

Created when you delete all previously compiled versions of a class before compiling again.

passing

Sending arguments to a method.

semantic errors

Errors that occur when you use a correct word in the wrong context in program code.

logic

Executing various statements and procedures in the correct order to produce the desired results.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions.

class

In object-oriented terminology, this term describes a group or collection of objects with common properties.

procedures

Sets of operations performed by a computer program.

arguments

Information passed to a method so it can perform its task.

objects

Instances of a class made up of attributes and methods.

architecturally neutral

Java is _______________ _______, which means that you can use it to write a program that runs on any platform or operating system.

applets

Java programs that are embedded in a Web page.

variables

Named computer memory locations that hold values that might vary.

program comments

Nonexecuting statements that you add to a Java file for the purpose of documentation.

standard output device

Normally the monitor.

encapsulation

Refers to the hiding of data and methods within an object.

program statements

Similar to English sentences, these carry out the tasks that programs perform.

applications

Stand-alone Java programs.

block comments

Start with a forward slash and an asterisk and end with an asterisk and a forward slash. These can appear on a line by themselves, on a line before executable code, or on a line after executable code. They can also extend across as many lines as needed.

line comments

Start with two forward slashes and continue to the end of the current line. They can appear on their own line or follow executable code.

console applications

Support character output to a computer screen in a DOS window.

JDK

The Java Development Kit.

JOptionPane

The Java class that allows you to produce dialog boxes.

inheritance

The ability to create classes that share the attributes and methods of existing classes, but with more specific features.

Java API

The application programming interface; a collection of information about how to use every prewritten Java class.

attributes

The characteristics that define an object as part of a class.

Allman style

The indent style in which curly braces are aligned and each occupies its own line; it is named for Eric Allman, a programmer who popularized the style.

K & R style

The indent style in which the opening brace follows the header line; it is named for Kernighan and Ritchie, who write the first book on the C programming language.

parsing

The process used by the compiler to divide source code into meaningful portions for analysis.

syntax

The rules of the language.

state

The values of the attributes of an object.

Pascal casing

Using an uppercase letter to begin an identifier and starting each new word in an identifier.

calls

What a procedural program does to a series of procedures to input, manipulate, and output values.

import statement

What you use when you want to access a built-in Java class that is contained in a package.

comment out

When you do this, you turn a statement into a comment so the compiler will not execute its command.

object-oriented programs

Writing these involves creating classes, creating objects from those classes, and creating applications that use those objects. Thinking in this manner involves envisioning program components as objects that are similar to concrete objects in the real world; then, you can manipulate the objects to achieve a desired result.

windowed applications

create a graphical user interface (GUI) with elements such as menus, toolbars, and dialog boxes.