Java Programming Fundamentals: IS 247 Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Java basics, exception handling, file I/O streams, inheritance, and object-oriented programming concepts based on lecture materials.

Java Identifier

A sequence of characters consisting of letters, digits, underscores (_), and dollar signs ($) that must start with a letter, underscore, or dollar sign, cannot start with a digit, and cannot be a reserved word, true, false, or null.

Primitive Variable

A variable type in Java that directly stores the actual value assigned to it in memory rather than referencing an object.

Reference Variable

A variable that stores the memory address pointing to an object's location in memory rather than storing the object itself.

int Data Type

A $32\text{-bit}$ primitive data type that serves as the default integer choice in Java.

double Data Type

A $64\text{-bit}$ primitive data type that serves as the default decimal choice in Java.

Augmented Assignment Operator

An operator (such as +=, -=, *=, /=, or %=) that combines an arithmetic operation with assignment into a shorter expression.

while Loop

A pretest loop control structure that evaluates a boolean condition first and executes its loop body zero or more times while the condition remains true.

do-while Loop

A post-test loop control structure that executes its loop body at least once before testing the continuation condition.

for Loop

A compact pretest loop control structure best used when a clear counting variable or fixed iteration pattern is known.

Formal Parameters

Placeholder variables defined in a method header that receive values when the method is called.

Actual Parameters / Arguments

The specific values or expressions passed into a method during a method invocation.

Method Overloading

Defining multiple methods within the same class that share the exact same method name but have different parameter lists.

String Immutability

The property of Java String objects stating that their contents cannot be modified in place after creation; methods that modify text always return a new String object.

Java Array

A fixed-size, zero-indexed reference object used to store multiple elements of the same data type.

File Class (java.io.File)

A wrapper class that provides abstraction for file and directory pathnames, but does not provide direct methods for reading or writing file data.

Character / Text I/O

Java I/O operations and classes (such as Scanner, PrintWriter, FileReader, and FileWriter) designed for handling human-readable text characters.

Byte / Binary I/O

Java I/O operations and classes (such as FileInputStream, DataInputStream, FileOutputStream, and DataOutputStream) designed for processing raw bytes and binary representations.

PrintWriter

A class used to write formatted character data to a file using screen-style methods such as print(), println(), and printf().

RandomAccessFile

A Java class supporting non-sequential file access that allows jumping directly to any byte position using seek().

Object Serialization

The process of converting an object into a sequence of bytes so that its state can be saved to a file and reconstructed later.

Marker Interface

An interface containing no methods or fields (such as java.io.Serializable) used solely to signal compiler capability or authorization for implementing classes.

Exception

An object generated as the result of an error or unexpected event during program execution that alters normal instruction execution.

try-catch Block

An exception handling statement where potentially error-producing code runs in a try block and handler code runs in a catch block if an exception occurs.

finally Block

A block appended to a try-catch statement whose statements execute regardless of whether an exception is thrown or caught.

Checked Exception

An exception class not derived from Error or RuntimeException that Java forces a method to either handle with a try-catch block or declare in its header using a throws clause.

Unchecked Exception

An exception derived from Error or RuntimeException that represents severe error conditions or programming logic errors and is not required to be handled or declared.

throw Keyword

A Java statement keyword used inside a method body to explicitly create and instantiate an exception object.

throws Clause

A keyword clause in a method header listing the checked exceptions that the method might propagate to its caller.

Inheritance

An object-oriented programming feature enabling a specialized subclass to acquire fields and methods from a general superclass using the extends keyword.

super Keyword

A reference keyword in a subclass used to call the superclass constructor or invoke an overridden superclass method.

Method Overriding

Defining a method in a subclass with the exact same name and parameter signature as a method in its superclass to replace its behavior.

Protected Access Specifier

A class member modifier granting access to methods within the same class, subclasses, and classes in the same package.

Object Class

The root superclass located in java.lang from which every class in Java directly or indirectly derives.

Polymorphism

The ability of a reference variable of a superclass or interface type to refer to objects of its various subclasses or implementing classes.

Dynamic Binding

The runtime process where the JVM determines which overridden method to execute based on the actual object type rather than the reference variable type.

Abstract Class

A class declared with the abstract keyword that cannot be instantiated and serves as a generic base superclass.

Abstract Method

A method declared with a header, the abstract keyword, and a semicolon instead of a body, requiring non-abstract subclasses to override it.

Java Interface

A class-like structure containing abstract method headers and constant fields (public static final) that establishes a behavioral contract using the implements keyword.

Class

A user-defined blueprint or template that defines the fields (state) and methods (behavior) common to all created instances.

Encapsulation

Wrapping data fields and functions into a single structure while making fields private and routing access through public getters and setters.

UML Class Diagram Structure

A three-compartment visual structure diagram displaying Class Name, Attributes/Variables, and Operations/Methods.

Constructor

A special class member sharing the class name with no return type that executes automatically when an object is instantiated using new.

this Keyword

An implicit reference variable inside an instance method or constructor pointing to the calling object itself.

Static Member

A field or method declared with static that belongs to the class as a whole and is shared among all instances.

OOP Core Concepts

The foundational principles of Object-Oriented Programming comprising Abstraction, Encapsulation, Inheritance, Polymorphism, Class, and Object.

Checked vs. Unchecked Exception Hierarchy

The inheritance hierarchy under Throwable distinguishing Exception branches into checked exceptions vs RuntimeException and Error branches representing unchecked exceptions.

Interface Implementation in UML

UML class notation where interface implementation is represented by a dashed arrow pointing from the implementing class to the interface name.