Java SE Base API - Intermed

String Manipulation

• Discuss the basic usage of the following classes:
  • java.lang.String
  • java.lang.StringBuffer
  • java.util.StringTokenizer
  • java.lang.StringBuilder
  • java.util.Scanner
• Discuss that the StringTokenizer class is a legacy class that is retained for compatibility reasons although its use is discouraged in new code and instead split() method or the Scanner class should be used.
• Develop code that uses the methods String.substring() and split().
  
• Use the Scanner class with simple regular expressions to parse a text.

Wrapper

• Explain the legal casts between the different wrapper classes.
• Write code that uses Autoboxing/Unboxing.
• Use the convenience methods in Character, Integer and Long (e.g. toHexString() and isLetter()).

Date, Calendar, Timezone, Locale, Currency

The basic knowledge about Internationalization is covered in the Sun Tutorial and Java Internationalization Homepage.

• Work with the following classes to handle dates, time, locales, timezones and currencies:
  • java.util.Date
  • java.sql.Date
  • java.sql.Time
  • java.sql.Timestamp
  • java.util.Calendar
  • java.util.GregorianCalendar
  • java.util.TimeZone
  • java.util.SimpleTimeZone
  • java.util.Locale
  • java.util.Currency
• Explain the difference between Time and Timestamp.
• Create Calendar objects and manipulate them with set(), add(), and roll().
• Create code that compares Calendar objects by using the methods before(), after(), and compareTo().
• Discuss and use lenient and non-lenient Calendar objects.
• Use of ISO Language Code (lower-case two-letter words) and ISO Country Code (upper-case two-letter words) to create a Locale.
• Identify code that displays content for different Locale.
• Explain what Internationalization and Localization is.
• Develop code that gets the ISO currency identifier and symbol for a given Locale.

Not covered: All valid ISO Language Codes and/or ISO Country Codes.

Format

• Identify the abstract and concrete classes of the following list:
  • Format
  • DateFormat
  • MessageFormat
  • NumberFormat
  • SimpleDateFormat
  • DecimalFormat
  • ChoiceFormat.
• Create code that use MessageFormat together with ChoiceFormat.
• Explain the connection between printf() and java.util.Formatter.
• Create code that shows the basic use of printf() and make use of conversions(only d,f for numbers and D,F,c for dates) and flags (only '0' and ',').

Not covered: Synchronized problems with Format. All Date/Time Conversions, other Conversions, and flags for printf().

Math

• Identify valid methods of the Math class.
• Discuss the appropriate use of BigDecimal and BigInteger.
• Explain the difference between Math and StrictMath.
• Identify the constant values NaN, NEGATIVE_INFINITY, POSITIVE_INFINITY (from java.lang.Double and java.lang.Float).

Not covered: Special things about sin, cos, tan, log, ...

Logging

• Create code that makes simple use of the java.util.logging package (e.g. Simple Logging Example).
• Identify the different log levels and explain the appropriate use of them.

ZIP / JAR

• Write code that uses java.util.zip to create and read ZIP files. (A sample could be found here.)
• Create code that uses Deflater and Inflater to compress and uncompress data.
• Use the java.util.jar package to create and read JAR files.

Not covered: The jar command line tool, this is covered in the Tools exam. The Pack200 class.

System

• Use some of the methods in java.lang.System (like gc(), exit(), getEnv(), and getProperties()).
• Explain the connection between java.lang.System and java.lang.Runtime.
• Write code that uses the standard input, standard output, and standard error streams.
• Create code that changes the standard input, standard output, and standard error streams by using setIn(), setOut(), and setErr() and discuss why a SecurityException could be thrown.

Regular Expression Simple usage of Regular Expressions is required for this category.

• Use a regular expression to scan for a telephone number.
• Write code to match a valid email address.