Chapter 1 key terms Java Programming 10th edition

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.

windowed applications

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

Whitespace

any combination of nonprinting characters; for example, spaces, tabs, and carriage returns (blank lines).

Void

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

variable

a named memory location whose contents can be altered during program execution.

upper camel casing

the style of using an uppercase letter to begin an identifier and to start each new word in an identifier. Also called Pascal casing.

Unicode

an international system of character representation.

system software

the set of programs that manage the computer. Contrast with application software.

syntax error

a programming error that occurs when a program contains typing errors or incorrect language use; a program containing syntax errors cannot be translated into an executable program.

syntax

the rules that define how language elements are used together correctly to create usable statements.

String class

a Java class that can be used to hold character strings.

static

a keyword that means a method is accessible and usable even though no objects of the class exist.

state

the values of the attributes of an object.

standard output device

usually the monitor.

source code

programming statements written in a high-level programming language.

software

the general term for computer programs.

semantic errors

the type of errors that occur when a correct word is used in the wrong context in program code.

SDK

a software development kit, or a set of tools useful to programmers; the Java EE Development Kit.

runtime error

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

public

a Java keyword that describes how methods can access a field or method.

properties

the characteristics that define an object; an instance variable, field, or attribute of a class.

program statements

similar to English sentences; instructions that carry out the tasks that programs perform.

program comments

nonexecuting statements added to a Java file for documentation.

program

a set of instructions that tells a computer what to do; software. See also computer program.

procedures

sets of operations performed by a computer program.

procedural programming

a style of programming in which sets of operations are executed one after another in sequence. Contrast with object-oriented pro

polymorphism

the feature of languages that allows the same word to be interpreted correctly in different situations based on the context; the act of using the same method name to indicate different implementations.

passing arguments

the act of sending arguments to a method

Pascal casing

the style of using an uppercase letter to begin an identifier and to start each new word in an identifier. Contrast with camel casing. Compare to upper camel casing.

parsing

the process of breaking something into its component parts.

package

a named collection or library of classes. See also library of classes

object-oriented programs

programs that use a style of programming that involves creating classes, creating objects from those classes, and creating applications that use those objects. Contrast with procedural programming.

object

an instance of a class.

method header

the declaration or first line of a method that contains information about how other methods interact with it.

method

a program module that contains a series of statements that carry out a task.

machine language

circuitry-level language; a series of on and off switches. Compare with low-level programming language.

machine code

machine language

low-level programming language

a language that corresponds closely to a computer processor's circuitry. Contrast with high-level programming language. Compare with machine language.

logic error

a programming bug that allows a source program to be translated to an executable program successfully, but that produces incorrect results.

logic

describes the order of program statements that produce correct results.

literal string

a series of characters that appear exactly as entered; in Java, a literal string appears between double quotation marks.

line comments

comments that start with two forward slashes ( // ) and continue to the end of the current line. Line comments can appear on a line by themselves or at the end of a line following executable code. Contrast with block comments.

keywords

the words that are part of a programming language.

K & R style

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

JDK

the Java Standard Edition Development Kit.

Javadoc

a documentation generator that creates Application Programming Interface (API) documentation in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format from Java source code.

Java Virtual Machine (JVM)

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

Java interpreter

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

Java API

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

Java

an object-oriented programming language used both for general-purpose business applications and for interactive, Web-based Internet applications.

interpreter

a program that translates language statements into machine code. An interpreter translates and executes one statement at a time. Contrast with compiler.

instantiation

refers to the process of creating an object, and also describes one tangible object created from a class.

instance

an existing object of a class.

inheritance

a mechanism that enables one class to inherit, or assume, both the behavior and the attributes of another class.

import statement

a Java statement that allows access to a built-in Java class that is contained in a package.

identifier

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

high-level programming language

a language that uses a vocabulary of reasonable terms, such as read, write, or add, instead of referencing the sequences of on and off switches that perform these tasks. Contrast with low-level programming language.

hardware

the general term for computer equipment.

graphical user interfaces (GUIs)

environments that allow users to interact with a program in a graphical environment.

FAQs

acronym for Frequently Asked Questions.

executing

the act of carrying out a program statement or program.

encapsulation

the act of hiding data and methods within an object

documentation comments

comments that automatically generate well-formatted program documentation.

dialog box

a GUI object resembling a window that displays messages. See also input dialog box and confirm dialog box.

development environment

a set of tools that helps programmers by providing such features as displaying a language's keywords in color.

debugging

the process of locating and repairing a program's errors.

console applications

programs that support character or text output to a computer screen.

computer simulations

programs that attempt to mimic real-world activities so that their processes can be improved or so that users can better understand how the real-world processes operate.

computer program

a set of instructions that tells a computer what to do; software. See also program.

compiler

a program that translates language statements into machine code, translating an entire program before executing it. Contrast with interpreter.

compile-time error

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

comment out

the technique of turning a program statement into a comment so the compiler will not execute its command.

commands

program statements.

clean build

a compilation that is created after deleting all previously compiled versions of a class.

class header

the first line of a class that contains an access specifier, the keyword class, and the class identifier.

class definition

a description of attributes and methods of objects instantiated from a class.

class body

the set of data items and methods between the curly braces that follow the class header.

class

a group or collection of objects with common properties.

call a procedure

to invoke a method.

bytecode

programming statements that have been compiled into binary format.

bugs

flaws or mistakes in a computer program.

block comments

comments that start with a forward slash and an asterisk ( / ) and end with an asterisk and a forward slash ( / ). Block comments can appear on a line by themselves, on a line before executable code, or on a line after executable code. Block comments also can extend across as many lines as needed. Contrast with line comments.

attributes

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

at run time

describes the period of time during which a program executes.

arguments

data items sent to methods in a method call.

architecturally neutral

describes the feature of Java that allows a program to run on any platform.

application software

programs that perform tasks for users. Contrast with system software.

Allman style

the indent style in which curly braces are aligned and each occupies its own line; named for Eric Allman, a programmer who popularized the style. Contrast with K & R style.

access specifier

defines the circumstances under which a class can be accessed; often used interchangeably with access modifier.