Java Programming Guide

[DBdude]

Hey

I need to pick up Java quickly for a project I am on. I am going to be reading a sql database and creating HTML docs and creating PDFs from rtf docs stored as text and scanned images

I have programmed a lot of VB6, can someone recommend a good book or two?

thank you

[caulfield]

If a straight up intro book is what you're looking for, I like Building Java Programs by Reges & Stepp, but it's $$ and full disclosure, Reges was my prof. Complement an intro book with some kind of object-oriented design book because OO is probably going to be your biggest leap coming from vb.

You should be ok with a getting an older version of any book, just read up on the stuff that was introduced with Java 8 (and 9 if you're on the bleeding edge), lambda expressions in particular.

You'll be able to find all the syntax you need in the official documentation and stack overflow, so if you want to save money, get an OO book first - I'll look around and see if I can come back with a good recommendation.

[DBdude]

If a straight up intro book is what you're looking for, I like Building Java Programs by Reges & Stepp, but it's $$ and full disclosure, Reges was my prof. Complement an intro book with some kind of object-oriented design book because OO is probably going to be your biggest leap coming from vb.

You should be ok with a getting an older version of any book, just read up on the stuff that was introduced with Java 8 (and 9 if you're on the bleeding edge), lambda expressions in particular.

You'll be able to find all the syntax you need in the official documentation and stack overflow, so if you want to save money, get an OO book first - I'll look around and see if I can come back with a good recommendation.

please try not to laugh but you can shoe horn vb6 into OO and that is how I learned the language

thanx for the recommendation - checking it out

[RShea]

Head over to Amazon, read a few of the reviews and pick one of the books with good reviews and good used condition if you want paper versions.

There are a good number of free ebook offerings that you could download and start with while the Amazon order is being sent.

http://www.freebookcentre.net/JavaTe...aCategory.html
http://bookboon.com/en/java-programming-language-ebooks
http://www.onlinevideolecture.com/ebooks/?subject=Java

Probably need to narrow down your search from Java programming to whether you want help with commands and syntax or Object Oriented coding with Java, etc.

[DBdude]

I know OO. i need good clear explanations of syntax and examples. My project is reading discrete data to create HTLM docs of patient data and reading formatted text out of a varchar field in sql to create a JSON Doc and to stitch together multiple .TIFF files from an image warehouse into a PDF

connecting to sql databases, creating html docs (preferably with a style sheet) and PDFs and saving to file

[caulfield]

You could do all of that just by googling "java how to connect to sql database" etc. I can't think of any books that will give you the specific examples you need, and if they existed, they're probably out of date or not tailored to your exact case.

If you just want a book to flip through and see what's possible/common in java, I have a 2nd edition copy of Effective Java that I'd send you for shipping + 6-pack $

edit: looks like you can get the ebook for $10, so let's say half a sixer