Most of these questions can be answered by a careful reading of the book, but I get asked them anyway. Before writing to me, please check to see if your question is already answered here.
What's the difference between the first and second editions?
The first edition (published in 1998) only covered Java 1.0, because that's what the majority of installed browsers at the time could handle. Now that a sufficient number of Java 2 capable machines are out there, the second edition has been updated to meet your needs (if you still want Java 1.0, don't fret: Appendix D covers the differences). I also added a number of chapters covering Servlets, JSP, Swing, and working with Visual Tools such as GoLive and Dreamweaver. You can tell how much has been updated and added when you realize that the first edition was 221 pages and the second edition is 345 pages.
I used Notepad to type in a Java applet straight from the book. When I try to run the applet, however, I get the error "class HelloWorld cannot be found".
Notepad is not an IDE (Integrated Development Environment). You'll need a program that can take a .java file and create a .class file. IDEs are covered on page 8, and tips on the different IDEs are given in Appendix A. The online version of Appendix A also includes links to buy all the software online.
I got an IDE, but I can't figure out how to use it to create .class files.
You'll have to look at the documentation that came with the IDE. Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy every IDE on the market, much less all the hardware that's needed to run every possible variation.
I uploaded the .class file to the same directory as my HTML file, but I get the error "class HelloWorld cannot be found". I know it's there; what's the problem?
Take a look at the CODEBASE attribute of your APPLET tag. That shows the directory where the server is expecting to find the applet (page 28).
Do you have a .zip file that I can download?
Yes, finally! You can find a link to it on the applets page, or you can download it directly from here.
I've never successfully run any Java applets before in IE, and when I try to run yours, I get an error message that says, "You should use a Java-enabled browser!" What's the problem?
The Java plugin that's supposed to automatically download (as promised in the book) doesn't, because Sun changed the URLs for the download. Try changing the following lines in your HTML files:
<param name="type" value="application/x-java-applet;version=1.3">
to
<param name="type" value="application/x-java-applet;jpi-version=1.4">
and
pluginspage="http://java.sun.com/products/plugin/1.3/plugin-install.html"
to
pluginspage = "http://java.sun.com/products/plugin/index.html#download"
and add
codebase="http://java.sun.com/products/plugin/autodl/jinstall-1_4_0-win.cab#Version=1,4,0,0"
as an attribute to the object tag. Thankfully, this only needs to be done once; after that, your applets should run fine once Java is installed. An even easier approach: click here to run an applet from Sun's site that will do the installation for you.
I have a Java question that has nothing to do with your book. Are you available for consulting?
Between teaching and working on my next book, I'm not taking on any consulting projects at this time. Thanks for asking, though.
I want to ask you a question about the book. How can I contact you?
My email address for book questions is on page xiv of the introduction. I've had to leave it off the site due to the number of spam robots that look for addresses--sorry!
Last updated: Wednesday, May 28, 2003
This site © Dori Smith 2002-3