Tech Tips Archive

Core Java Technologies Tech Tips (formerly, JDC Tech Tips) is an electronic mailing sent to registered Java DeveloperConnection^SM (JDC) members. Each mailing contains tips, techniques, and sample code on various topics of interest to developers using Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE^TM).

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Read Core Java Technologies Tech Tips from the complete listing of previous issues below, or download recent tips as text files, either individually or in one .zip file.

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2002

September 24, 2002

Locking Files For Shared Access and Changing User Interface Attributes

September 10, 2002

Using ArrayList and LinkedList, and Using Zero-Length Arrays

August 21, 2002

Maintaining a Priority Queue, and Displaying Text in Multiple Styles

August 6, 2002

Generating Prime Numbers, and When Not to Overload Methods

July 23, 2002

Converting Numeric Entries, and Displaying Multiline Text

July 9, 2002

Using the LinkedHashMap Class, and The RandomAccess Interface

June 18, 2002

Reading from Output Streams, and Blending Images

June 4, 2002

Using the CharSequence Interface, and Programming With Buffers

May 21, 2002

Using Swing Timers, and Adding help to Your Applications With JavaHelp^TM Software

May 07, 2002

File Channels, and Stack Trace Elements

April 23, 2002

Pattern Matching, and Creating a HelpSet with JavaHelp^TM software

April 9, 2002

Using Assertions, and Representing Currencies

March 19, 2002

Capturing Audio with the Java^TM Sound API, and Validating Deserialized Objects

March 5, 2002

String Concatenation and Performance, and Improving Java I/O Performance

February 19, 2002

Playing Audio and Video With the Java^TM Media Framework, and Using the JSObject Class in Applets

February 5, 2002

Writing toString Methods, and Using readResolve

January 22, 2002

Retrieving Mail with the JavaMail^TM API and Working with the Java Communications API

January 10, 2002

Using Exceptions and Sizing Text With FontMetrics

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2001

December 20, 2001

Creating Modal Internal Frames -- Approach 1, and Creating Modal Internal Frames -- Approach 2

December 4, 2001

Accessing the Environment from Java Applications, and Working With Number Bases

November 20, 2001

Validating Numerical Input in a JTextField, and Working with Fonts

November 6, 2001

Using Method Pointers, and Abstract Classes vs. Interfaces

October 23, 2001

Sorting Lists, and Sending Mail With the JavaMail^TM API

October 9, 2001

How Arguments are Passed to Java Methods, and Converting C Programs to the Java Programming Language

September 25, 2001

Generating Integer Random Numbers, and Displaying Element-Level Tool Tips for Swing Components

September 4, 2001

Making Defensive Copies of Objects, and Using Iterators

August 21, 2001

Supporting an Unlimited Number of Applet Parameters, and Delivering Dynamic Images from JavaServer Pages^TM (JSP^TM) Technology

August 7, 2001

Performing Exact Calculations With Floating-Point Numbers, and Using Enumerations in Java Programming

July 27, 2001

Introduction to JAAS, and Using JAAS

July 12, 2001

JTabbedPane, and Using Reflection to Test Methods and Classes

June 26, 2001

Improving Code Reuse With Servlet Filters, and Using Filters to Modify the Server's Response

June 12, 2001

Abstract Classes, and Using Peer Classes With the Java^TM Native Interface

May 30, 2001

The Java Network Launching Protocol (JNLP) and Java Web Start

May 18, 2001

Using the PushbackReader Class, Optimizing StringBuffer Usage  and Handling Keyboard Focus

April 24, 2001

Using XPath Expressions in a Simple Transform,  and Using Rule-Based XSLT

April 10, 2001

Making Deep Copies of Objects, Using strictfp  and Optimizing String Performance

March 27, 2001

Deserializing Marshalled Objects  and JNDI Lookup in Distributed Systems

March 6, 2001

Cloning Objects and Using the Serializable Fields API

February 27, 2001

The Lifecycle of an RMI Server and Dynamic Class Loading in RMI

February 8, 2001

Piped Streams and Using Sets

January 30, 2001

Controlling Package Access With Security Permissions and Controlling Package Access With Sealed JAR Files

January 9, 2001

Using the Java.Lang.Character Class and Handling Uncaught Exceptions

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2000

December 22, 2000

A Memory Testbed Application and Controlling Your Memory Manager

December 5, 2000

Returning Multiple Values From a Method and Constructor and Initialization Ordering

November 28, 2000

Using Privileged Scopes and Debugging Class Loading

November 7, 2000

Using Random Numbers for Testing and Simulation and Collection Utilities

October 31, 2000

Class loaders as a namespace mechanism , Relating class loaders to the class path , and
Using class loaders for hot deployment

October 10, 2000

Customizing JToolTips and Shadowing

September 26, 2000

Using SecurityManager and Policies and the Policy File

September 12, 2000

Using Class Methods and Variables and Using Progress Bars and Monitors in Java GUI Applications

August 29, 2000

Getting Started With javap, How Bytecode Protects You From Memory Bugs, and Analyzing Bytecode to Improve Your Code

August 15, 2000

Manipulating Java arrays, and Java I/O redirection

August 01, 2000

Caching objects in JNI, and Accessing arrays in JNI

July 11, 2000

Using Shutdown Hooks, and Automating GUI Programs with java.awt.Robot

June 27, 2000

XML Introduction, Using the SAX API, and Using the DOM API

June 13, 2000

Using BreakIterator to Parse Text and Goto Statements and Java^TM Programming

May 30, 2000

Using Dynamic Proxies to Layer New Functionality Over Existing Code and Using Timers to Run Recurring or Future Tasks on a Background Thread

May 09, 2000

Random Access for Files and Using Adapters

April 25, 2000

Improving Serialization Performance with Externalizable, and Handling Those Pesky InterruptedExceptions

April 11, 2000

Formatting Decimal Numbers, and Using Checksums

March 28, 2000

Why Use Threads?, Protecting Shared Resources with Synchronized Blocks, and Minimizing the Overhead of Synchronized Blocks

March 14, 2000

Using java.lang.Class and Overload Resolution

February 29, 2000

Serialization in the Real World , Serialization and Class Versioning , Serialization and Secure Data, and Serialization and the Complete Class Rewrite

February 14, 2000

Manipulating Hierarchical Data with JTree and Invoking Programs from Java^TM Applications

January 24, 2000

Using Finally Versus Finalize to Guarantee Quick Resource Cleanup and Using HPROF to Tune Performance

January 10, 2000

Narrowing and Widening Conversions and Using Import Declarations

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1999

December 14, 1999

Using Remote Method Invocation(RMI) to Access Legacy Databases

November 24, 1999

Color Choosers and Loading Text Files in Swing Efficiently

October 21, 1999

Creating Image Thumbnails and Capturing Standard Output in a Log

October 5, 1999

Swing Document Locations File and Keymaps

September 23, 1999

Extracting Links from an HTML File and Sorting Arrays

September 7, 1999

Error Checking with JNI and Using JTextPane

August 26, 1999

Creating Round Swing Buttons and Formatting BigDecimal Numbers

Release — Java 2

August 9, 1999

Using Coordinate Transformations With the Java2D^TM API and Using List Collections Efficiently

Release — Java 2

July 13, 1999

Undoing Text Edits and Adding Security Features to Applications

Release — Java 2

June 15, 1999

File Choosers and Using the Graphics Environment Class

Release — Java 2

May 11, 1999

Custom Carets and Reference Objects

Release — Java 2

April 14, 1999

Cut, Copy, and Paste and Package Version Identification

Release — Java 2

March 17, 1999

Collators and Big Decimal

Release — Java 2

February 16, 1999

Converting Pathnames to URLs and Using Vector in the Collection Framework, and Reading/Writing Unicode Using I/O Stream Encodings

Release — Java 2

January 13, 1999

StringBuffer Editing and How Bootstrap Classes are Found, and Interning Strings

Release — Java 2

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1998

December 15 1998

True/False Random Values with NextBoolean, Cross Compilation Using -Target, and Unicode Character Blocks

Release — JDK 1.1 & Java 2

November 17, 1998

Setting File Modification Times and Walking across File Systems

Release — Java 2

October 20, 1998

Improving I/O Performance and Jar File Manifests

Release — JDK 1.1 & Java 2

September 15, 1998

Synchronized Statements and Finally Clauses

Release — JDK 1.1

September 9, 1998

Debugging Applications

Release — Java 2

August 11, 1998

Filter Streams and Default Constructors

Release — JDK 1.1

July 22, 1998

String Tokenizing 2 and Division by Zero

Release — JDK 1.1

June 23, 1998

String Tokenizing 1 and Enumeration Interface

Release — JDK 1.1

May 21, 1998

Temporary Files and Using Resource Bundles

Release — JDK 1.1 & Java 2

April 21, 1998

Collections and Unpacking Zip Files

Release — JDK 1.1

March 16, 1998

Javadoc, Hashtable, and Definite Assignment

Release — JDK 1.1

February 17, 1998

Program Assertions and Serialization

Release — JDK 1.1

January 20, 1998

String and String Buffer, Javap and .class Files, and Followup to Tech Tips for Dec 16, 1997

Release — JDK 1.1

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1997

December 16, 1997

Performance and Reflection (Introspection)

Release — JDK 1.1

November 18, 1997

ScrollPane, Faster I/O and Class Literals

Release — JDK 1.1

October 21, 1997

Menu Shortcuts and Command Dispatching

Release — JDK 1.1

September 24, 1997

Printing and Global Variables

Release — JDK 1.1

September 3, 1997

JAR Files and Performance: Garbage Collection

Release — JDK 1.1