SCJP StudyGuide

Sun Certified Programmer
for Java 6 Study Guide

SCJP Exam 310-065
Kathy Sierra
Bert Bates
McGraw Hill
ISBN: 978-0-07-159106-5
Study Notes by Mahanthi Bukkapatnam
SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS
Table of Contents
Introduction: Why these notes ............................................................................................ 5
Chapter 1: Declaration and Access Control........................................................................ 6
Identifiers and JavaBeans ............................................................................................... 6
Declare Classes ............................................................................................................... 7
Declare Interfaces ........................................................................................................... 8
Declare Interface Constants ........................................................................................ 9
Declare Class Members .................................................................................................. 9
Variable args ............................................................................................................. 10
Constructors .............................................................................................................. 10
Modifiers allowed only on methods ......................................................................... 11
Modifiers allowed only on instant variables............................................................. 11
Modifiers allowed only on local variables................................................................ 11
Transient variables .................................................................................................... 12
Volatile variables ...................................................................................................... 12
Enums ........................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 2: Object Orientation........................................................................................... 14
Polymorphism ............................................................................................................... 14
Overriding and Overloading ......................................................................................... 14
Overriding ................................................................................................................. 14
Overloading............................................................................................................... 15
Reference variable casting ............................................................................................ 16
Legal Return Type ........................................................................................................ 17
Constructors and Initialization...................................................................................... 19
Statics............................................................................................................................ 20
Coupling and cohesion.................................................................................................. 20
Chapter 3: Assignments .................................................................................................... 21
Literals, Assignments and Variables............................................................................. 21
Passing variables into methods ..................................................................................... 21
Array declaration, Construction and Initialization........................................................ 21
Initialization .............................................................................................................. 21
Wrapper classes and Boxing......................................................................................... 22
Boxing, == and equals()............................................................................................ 22
Overloading................................................................................................................... 23
Garbage Collection ....................................................................................................... 23
Chapter 4: Operators ......................................................................................................... 24
Chapter 5: Flow control, Exceptions and Assertions........................................................ 25
If statements .................................................................................................................. 25
Switch statements.......................................................................................................... 25
Loops and Iterators ....................................................................................................... 26
Basic for Loop........................................................................................................... 26
Enhanced for Loop (for arrays)................................................................................. 26
Labeled Statements ................................................................................................... 26
Exception handling ....................................................................................................... 27
Mahanthi Bukkapatnam
Page 2 of 69

Assertion ....................................................................................................................... 28
Chapter 6: String, I/O, Formatting and Parsing ................................................................ 29
String, StringBuffer and StringBuilder ......................................................................... 29
File and I/O ................................................................................................................... 29
Serialization .................................................................................................................. 29
Dates, Numbers and Currency ...................................................................................... 29
Parsing, Tokenizing and Formatting............................................................................. 29
Chapter 7: Collections....................................................................................................... 30
hashCode() and equals() ............................................................................................... 30
Collections .................................................................................................................... 31
Operations on a collection ........................................................................................ 31
Key Interfaces and Concrete classes......................................................................... 31
Ordered and Sorted ................................................................................................... 32
List interface ............................................................................................................. 33
Set Interface .............................................................................................................. 34
Map interface ............................................................................................................ 35
Queue Interface......................................................................................................... 36
Sorting Collections and Arrays................................................................................. 36
Comparable Interface................................................................................................ 36
Comparator Interface ................................................................................................ 37
Key Sort methods...................................................................................................... 37
Searching Arrays and Collections............................................................................. 37
Converting Arrays to Lists to Arrays........................................................................ 38
Using Lists ................................................................................................................ 39
Using Sets ................................................................................................................. 39
Using Maps ............................................................................................................... 39
Using Navigating (Searching) TreeSets and TreeMaps............................................ 39
Polling ....................................................................................................................... 40
Descending Order ..................................................................................................... 40
Backed Collection..................................................................................................... 40
Using PriorityQueue class......................................................................................... 40
Method overview for Arrays and Collections........................................................... 40
Method overview for List, Set, Map and Queue....................................................... 40
Chapter 7: Generics........................................................................................................... 41
Generics and Collections .............................................................................................. 41
Before Java 5............................................................................................................. 41
Generics and Legacy Code ....................................................................................... 42
Polymorphism and Generics ..................................................................................... 43
Generic Methods....................................................................................................... 43
Parameterized Types ..................................................................................................... 44
Class.......................................................................................................................... 44
Methods..................................................................................................................... 45
Chapter 8: Inner Classes ................................................................................................... 46
Overview and Key Points ............................................................................................. 46
Regular Inner class........................................................................................................ 47
Method Local inner class .............................................................................................. 48
Page 3 of 69

Anonymous inner class ................................................................................................. 50
Static Nested class......................................................................................................... 51
Chapter 9: Threads............................................................................................................ 52
Overview....................................................................................................................... 52
Distinguish Thread and Thread of Execution ............................................................... 53
The Thread class ........................................................................................................... 53
Thread and the Runnable interface ............................................................................... 54
Defining Threads .......................................................................................................... 55
Instantiating Threads..................................................................................................... 56
Starting Threads ............................................................................................................ 57
Getting the name of the Thread .................................................................................... 57
Starting multiple threads ............................................................................................... 58
Thread Scheduler .......................................................................................................... 58
Thread States and Transitions....................................................................................... 59
Sleeping......................................................................................................................... 60
Thread Priorities............................................................................................................ 61
Yielding from a thread .................................................................................................. 61
Join() method ................................................................................................................ 62
Synchronization Code................................................................................................... 63
Key points about locking and synchronization............................................................. 64
Synchronizing static methods ....................................................................................... 65
More Synchronization points........................................................................................ 66
Thread interaction ......................................................................................................... 67
Exceptions related to threads ........................................................................................ 67
Summary - Points to keep in mind................................................................................ 68
Heading ......................................................................................................................... 69
Page 4 of 69
Introduction: Why these notes

To develop the habit of taking good notes.
Help me in visualizing the concept and the relationship with other concepts.
Help me pass the exam
Help me to overcome my fear of taking exam.
Page 5 of 69
Chapter 1: Declaration and Access Control

Identifiers and JavaBeans
Legal Identifiers
Legal Identifier
First char
1. $
2. _
3. Letter
Subsequent chars
1. $
2. _
3. Letter
4. Number
Size
Unlimited
Restrictions
Java Keywords cannot be used
Case
Case sensitive
Valid JavaBean
method signatures
get
set
isMyStatus()
public void addMyListener(MyListener m)
public void removeMyListener(MyListener m)
Page 6 of 69
Declare Classes
Access modifiers for

a class
private, default, protected and public,
Non-access
modifiers for a class
strictfp
final
abstract
Only applicable to:

Strictfp applicable
to:
1. Class
2. Method
Page 7 of 69
Declare Interfaces
Interface methods:
How to think about
methods in an
interface?
All the methods in an interface are abstract.

No non-abstract method in an interface
Methods of an interface are public and abstract.
Interface constants:
Constants in an
interface
Public, static and final (in any combination)
Static methods in an
interface?
No not allowed
Restrictions for the

methods in an
interface
Cannot be
Extends and
interfaces
Interfaces can extend other interfaces. Only interfaces.
1. final
2. strictfp
3. native
An Interface can extend multiple interfaces. Weird it is

mentioned in page 123
Inplement and
interface
No implementing of other interfaces or classes
Can a interface
method be
protected?
No. It can only be public.
Page 8 of 69
Declare Interface Constants
One key rule to

remember
Constants in an interface are:

public static and final
Declare Class Members
final arguments
Final arguments cannot be modifying the argument in the method.
What modifiers
cannot go together.
Abstract and static cannot go together.

Why? Abstract needs an object, static means no object is
necessart.
The intention can be conflicting if you use both abstract and static
together.
Other method
modifiers
synchronized - Threads
strictfp
- floating point, scientific computing
native
- integrating legacy code.
Page 9 of 69
Variable args
Only 1 argument as var args

Key rules
Last argument
Declared like the following:

int x
not like the following:
int x
How many
arguments can be
passed to a var arg
variable?
0 or more.
Constructors
Return type of a
constructor
What happens if a
return type is
specified
Nothing.
If a return type is specified, it becomes a method.
Page 10 of 69
Modifiers allowed only on methods
Modifiers allowed
only for methods
1.
2.
3.
4.
abstract
synchronized
strictfp
native
Modifiers allowed only on instant variables
Only for the instance

variables
1. transient
2. volatile
Modifiers allowed only on local variables
Only for local

variables
1. final
Page 11 of 69
Transient variables
Transient means
Please do not serialize this variable.
Volatile variables
Volatile means
In a multi-threading situation, please do not perform any caching

for there variables.
Page 12 of 69
Enums
2 places enums can
be declared
Outside a class
Inside a class
Can be declared in a
method?
No Never
Access modifier rule

when declared
outside a class
Not private or protected.
Semicolon rule
Semicolon at the end of an enum declaration is optional
Method to get all the

enums as an array?
values() returns the enum values as an array
Does the values()

method return the
enums in the order
by which they are
declared?
Yes
Public or default allowed
Block and overriding You can start a block and override specific methods for that
for individual enum
particular enum.
Page 13 of 69
Chapter 2: Object Orientation

Polymorphism
Extends rule
A class can extend only one class.
Abstract methods
requirement
Declaration should end with a semi colon.
Overriding and Overloading

Overriding
Some rules
Arguments must be the same

Return type
must be the same
or must be a subtype
access level can be less restrictive
overriding method can throw any number of unchecked
exceptions.
Checked exceptions must be narrower or fewer.
Can you override

methods that are
final or static
No. Final means you cannot override it. Compiler Error

If it is private in the super class, then you can redefine it.
Static If the subclass has a method by the same name, it is
called redefining, not overriding. No compiler error.
Page 14 of 69
Overloading
Some rules
Must Change
Arguments must change
Optional
1. Return type
2. Access modifier
3. Throw new or broader exceptions
See Page 115
Page 15 of 69
Reference variable casting

Compiler while
casting
The compiler makes sure that the two types belong to the same
inheritance tree
Animal animal = new Animal()
Dog dog = (Dog) animal;
The above code, compiles but fails at runtime.
Downcast
You want to call a specific method.
How to think about

downcast
The compiler checks to see if the class is in the same inheritance

hierarchy and then allows it.
Watch out for this

point.
If the compiler knows for sure it is not the same type, it will give
an error.
Downcast in not that safe
(I was not aware of

this before)
Animal animal = new Animal();

Tiger tiger = new Tiger();
tiger = new Animal();
This above code give an compile error. tiger reference cannot

take an Animal object.
If we provide a cast like:
tiger = (Tiger)new Animal();
The code compiles, but at runtime, gives a class cast

exception.
Casting across
inheritance tree
What happens when you cast say an Animal to a String.

Example:
Animal a = new Animal();
Page 16 of 69

String name = (String) a;
You will get a compiler error.
How to think about

upcasting?
It is safe. You can do it explicitly or implicitly.
Legal Return Type

Overriding methods
return type
Covariant what is
it
The return type can be a subtype of the overridden method.
Need to do some research.

Within the bounds of covariant returns.
Overloading
requirements
Just changing the return type is not enough.
The parameters should change for overloading to work.
Valid return values
On Page 128 and 129 there are 6 rules.
In a method with an object reference return type, you can return

any object type that can be implicitly cast to the declared return
type.
Page 17 of 69
Page 18 of 69
Constructors and Initialization

Default constructor
If you dont provide a constructor, the compiler creates a default

constructor.
Syntax of a default
constructor
A constructor with no arguments.
Scenario in which
the default
constructor will not
be created
If a non default constructor is provided, default constructor will

not be created by the compiler.
First statements in a
constructor
this() or super().
this() or super can only occur as the first line in the
constructor, if used other than the first statement, you will get
a compiler error.
Prerequisite for
calling an instance
method or access an
instance variable
from the constructor
The call to super() must complete.
Can you call the

constructor from
other methods?
No, constructors can be called from other constructors only.
Key Rule for

constructors
The first line in a constructor must be a call to super() or a call to

this().
No exceptions.
If the constructor
does not have this()
or super() what will
the compiler put in?
super();
Page 19 of 69
If you dont put a

this or super as the
first line, what will
the compiler insert?
super()
The super class does

not have a no arg
constructor, what the
rule that the subclass
constructor has to
follow.
The first line of the constructor will have to call the super class
constructor with the proper arguments.
When constructors
are chained, and you
dont call super()
what will happen.
KaBoom the stack will explode.
Can you have this()

and super() in the
same method.
How can you? You cannot.
Statics
Coupling and cohesion
Page 20 of 69
Chapter 3: Assignments
Literals, Assignments and Variables
Passing variables into methods
Array declaration, Construction and Initialization

Initialization
When is the instance

initialization block
run?
Immediately after the call to super().
What exception is
thrown from a static
init block?
ExceptionInInitializationError
Before the construction of the current object begins.
Page 21 of 69
Wrapper classes and Boxing

Are Wrapper classes
immutable?
Yes
Given a string
representation of a
value, how do you
get its primitive?
parseXXXX()
Given a string
representation, how
do you get the
wrapper object
valueOf()
Given a wrapper
how do you convert
into other
primitives?
From wrappers,
how do you get the
Hex and the Octal
version of the value?
Parse gets a primitive
valueOf() you get a wrapper Object
xxxxValue();
toHexString() and toOctalString();
Boxing, == and equals()
Boolean
== return ture if the values are same
Page 22 of 69
Byte
== return ture if the values are same
Character
== return true if the values are within \u0000 to \u007f. Else false
Short and Integer
-128 to +127 return true, else false.
Overloading
Order for matching a
method for
overloading
It is done in the following order.
Primitive widening
Auto Boxing
Var args
Garbage Collection
How to invoke the
garbage collector
System.gc();
finalize() method(?)
Page 23 of 69
Chapter 4: Operators
Assignment Operators
instanceof Comparison
RACL
Relational Operators
Arithmetic Operators
Conditional Operators
Logical Operators
TODO
Page 24 of 69
Chapter 5: Flow control, Exceptions and Assertions

If statements
Switch statements
Valid data types
allowed for a switch
statement.
Char, byte, short, int or enum.
What data types are

not allowed.
Long, float and double.
Requirement for the

case constant
Case constant must evaluate to the same type as the switch

expression.
The case constant must be a compile time constant
If the case constant

is final is that
enough.
No, if it is a final variable, it must have been initialized.
Case constant ranges
The case constant has to fall within the valid range of the switch
expression data type.
Can you have more

than one label using
the same value.
No. The compiler will get confused.
Are boxing allowed

for case constants?
Yes.
Page 25 of 69
Loops and Iterators

Basic for Loop
Key requirement for

condition.
You can have only 1 test expression
Last two things that

happen in a for loop.
1. Iteration expression
2. evaluating the conditional expression
Enhanced for Loop (for arrays)
Key requirement for

the declaration
section of the
enhanced for loop
Declaration should declare a new variable. Cannot use an old

variable.
Key requirement for

the expression
section
Expression needs to be a array.
Labeled Statements
Can you label any

statement?
Yes
Page 26 of 69
Exception handling
A return statement is
encountered, will the
finally block execute
Yes. Definitely. (This is a point I learnt from this book)
Will finally always

execute?
Yes, whether an exception happens or not.
In a try-catch-finally Either one of the catch or finally blocks are required.

code block, which
sections are optional. You cannot ignore both catch or finally blocks.
Unwinding the stack
Order of the
exception handlers.
Specific Exception handlers come first

Generic Exception handlers come last.
Else it will result in a compile error.
What are unchecked

exceptions?
Error and RuntimeExceptions
Common exception
See page 382
Page 27 of 69
Assertion
What exception is
thrown when an
assertion fails
AssertionError
Example of
assertions
assert( x < y );
assert( x < y ) : Message goes here..;
Requirement for the

expression after :
It has to be capable of being converted to a String.

Void cannot be converted to a String. So a method returning void
cannot come in the part.
JVM Command line

switches
-ea
-enableassertions
-da
-disableassertions
Selective enabling
-ea:com.packagename.com
Page 28 of 69
Chapter 6: String, I/O, Formatting and Parsing
String, StringBuffer and StringBuilder
File and I/O
Serialization
Dates, Numbers and Currency
Parsing, Tokenizing and Formatting
TODO
Page 29 of 69
Chapter 7: Collections
hashCode() and equals()
Overriding equals
Strings and Wrappers override equals and make good hashing

keys
Equals contract.
Reflexive
Symmetric
Transitive
Consistent
Null
equals() and
hashCode()
If equals() of 2 objects is true, hashCode() must be true

If hashCodes() are not equal, then equals() has to be false.
instanceof operator
Transient variables
and equals()
In the equals() method, use instanceof to see if the class is proper

class.
When overriding equals(), do not use transient variables for

comparision.
Why?
The explanation is a TODO item
Page 30 of 69
Collections
Operations on a collection
What are the

operations?
1. Add
2. Remove
3. Retrieve
4. Find/Search an object or a group of objects in the
collections
5. Iterate through a collection.
Key Interfaces and Concrete classes
Key Interfaces
Collection
List
Set
NavigableSet
SortedSet
Queue
Map
NavigableMap
SortedMap
Maps
Key Concrete
Classes
HashMap
Hashtable
TreeMap
LinkedHashMap
Sets
HashSet
LinkedHashSet
TreeSet
Page 31 of 69

Lists
ArrayList
Vector
LinkedList
Queues
PriorityQueue
Utilities
Collections
Arrays
Ordered and Sorted
Difference
Ordered is different from sorting

But a sorted collection is in a natural ordered.
Sorted collection is both sorted and ordered.
Page 32 of 69
List interface
Main concept of a
list
Cares about the index.

Has methods related to the index
Get(int index)
indexOf(Object o)
add(int index, Object obj)
You want a fast

iteration? Which list
class do you use?
Main difference
between ArrayList
and Vector
You want a fast

insertion and
deletion, which list
class you would
want to use?
ArrayList
Vector methods are synchronized, will have a performance hit.
LinkedList
Page 33 of 69
Set Interface
Main point about a

set
Main way to think

about set classes
A set does not allow duplicates
HashSet and TreeSet
And HashSet has a cousin called LinkedHashSet
HashSet and
hashCode() relation
LinkedHashSet and
HashSet difference
The more efficient is the hashCode() method, the efficient is the

access performance with HashSet
HashSet
objects are not ordered.
LinkedHashSet
the insertion order is maintained.
Tree Set
Ascending Order by natural order.
TreeSet implements NavigableSet.
NavigableSet implements SortedSet
Page 34 of 69
Map interface
Main point about a

set
Cares about unique identifiers

Relies on the equals() method
HashMap
Unsorted and unordered map

More efficient your hashCode(), the more efficient is the access
performance.
Null and HashMap
HashMap allows one null key

Allows multiple null values.
Hashtable
Synchronized version of HashMap.

Does not allow anything that is null.
LinkedHashMap
Maintains insertion order

Slower to add and remove
Faster iteration
TreeMap
Sorted Order.
Page 35 of 69
Queue Interface
Main point
FIFO first in, first out
PriorityQueue
Sorting Collections and Arrays
How do you sort a

collection
Collections.sort( list );
Comparable Interface
Requirement for the

sort method
Sort() method takes a list

The objects in the list must implement an interface called
Comparable.
Comparable
interface
You need to implement a single method called compareTo();

Example:
Int x = thisObject.compareTo( anotherObject );
-ve
0
+ve
Implementation
point
thisObject < anotherObject

same
thisObject > anotherObject
You need to have access to the source code in order to implement

the compareTo() method
Page 36 of 69
Key Method
compareTo()
Comparator Interface
What can you do

with this interface
If you dont have access to the source code of the class that you
want to sort, you can use the Comparator to do the compare
operation.
Key method
compare()
Key Sort methods
Collections
Collections.sort(list)
Collections.sort(list, comparator)
Arrays
Arrays.sort( array )
Arrays.sort( array, comparator)
Searching Arrays and Collections
Search method
binarySearch()
Successful search
Return the index of the element being searched

0 and +ve indicate successful search
-ve indicates unsuccessful search

Page 37 of 69
Unsuccessful search
0 -> -1
1 -> -2
2 -> -3
As 0 is a valid searh index.
Collections state for

searching
Sorted.
If not sorted, results unpredictable.
Comparator
requirements.
If the sort is not done by the comparator, then the binarySearch()

should not use the comparator.
If the comparator is used to sort the collection, then pass the

comparator as an argument to the binarySearch() method
Converting Arrays to Lists to Arrays
List and sets
toArray()
Arrays
asList()
Backed collections
Page 38 of 69
Using Lists
Iterator
Iterator<Dog> i3 = d.iterator();
While( i3.hasNext() ) {
Dog d2 = I3.next(); //No need for the cast here as we are
using generics
}
Using Sets
What does the add

method return
True/False. If there is a duplicate object already present in the

collection, then add() would return false.
Using Maps
Using Navigating (Searching) TreeSets and TreeMaps
Key methods
Lower()
Floor()
Higher()
Ceiling()
less than
less than or equal
greater than
greater than or equal
LowerKey()
FloorKey()
HigherKey()
CeilingKey()
Page 39 of 69
Polling
Key Idea
Peek returns a copy (?) to verify this

Poll return and removes the entry from the collection.
Key methods
pollFirst()
pollFirstEntry() retrieves and removes the key value pair.
pollLast()
pollLastEntry()
Descending Order
Key methods
TreeSet.descendingSet()
TreeMap.descendingMap()
Backed Collection
TODO
Using PriorityQueue class

TODO
Method overview for Arrays and Collections

TODO
Method overview for List, Set, Map and Queue

TODO
Page 40 of 69
Chapter 7: Generics
Generics and Collections
Before Java 5
Short coming of
Collections before
Java 5
Not type safe.

No way to check at compile time as to what type of object is
being added to the collection.
A non-generic collection can hold any kind of object!
Advantage of
Generics with
collections.
1. Ensures that the exact type is added to the collection.

2. You dont have to do an explicit cast when retrieving the
object from the collection.
Page 41 of 69
Generics and Legacy Code
List myList = new ArrayList();

Example
List<Integer> myList = new ArrayList<Integer>();
Public List changeStrings(ArrayList s) {

}
Public List<String> changeStrings(ArrayList<String> s) {
}
Will the generic

code work with the
legacy code?
Yes. No problem.
Explain Type
Erasure
After the code compiles, all the Generic type information is lost.
The byte codes generated before and after generics were
introduced, is exactly the same.
Generics when do
they come into play.
Only at compile time.
Will get a compiler warning.
Page 42 of 69
Polymorphism and Generics
Base type

This works just fine.
Generic Type
List<Parent> myList = new ArrayList<Child>();

This does not work.
Compare Generic
and Array example
Object[] myArray = new JButton[3]; //Works fine

List<Object> list = new ArrayList<JButton> // Does NOT work
Generic Methods
Base type

This works just fine.
What is the
?
mechanism by which
you tell the compiler Public void addAnimal(List<Animal> animals)
that you will not be
adding anything into
the collection, but
Public void addAnimal(List<? extends Animal> animals)
still let the method
take in generic
subtypes?
No, it is applicable to interfaces as well.

? extends is it
applicable only to
classes?
Page 43 of 69
Do you have an
equivalent for
extends?
Yes, with the super keyword.

we can have the following
public void addAnimal(? super Dog) {
}
Which means, accept any class which is a supertype of Dog.
Key rule for using

the ?
While declaring - It cannot be used in the RHS while creating

the object
Reference declaration
When creating a typed collection you cannot use the ?
What is wrong with

this statement?
The following does not compile:
List<?> foo = new ArrayList<? Extends Animal>();

The new ArrayList<? Extends animal>() will not compile
Parameterized Types
Class
Example
Public class RentalGeneric<T> { //T is the parameter type

}
Instantiation
RentalGeneric<Car> carRental = new RentalGeneric<Car>();
Page 44 of 69

carRental object will have to deal with the Car type only
Can we use more
than 1 parameter
type
Yes.
Public class RentalGeneric<T, X> { //T is the parameter type
}
Can the ? wildcard

be used for classes?
NO
The following is not legal:
Public class NumberHolder<? Extends Number>{//NOTLEGAL
}
Methods
Example
Public <T> void makeArray(T t) { //T is the parameter type

}
Example 2
Public <T extends Number> void makeArray(T t) { //T is the

parameter type
}
Page 45 of 69
Chapter 8: Inner Classes

Overview and Key Points
What is the
Inner class instance has access to all members of the outer class
relationship the inner instance even Private member of the outer class
class shares with the
outer class?
4 Types of inner
classes
Regular Inner class

Method local Inner class
Anonymous inner class
Static Inner class
Page 46 of 69
Regular Inner class
Example
Class MyOuter {
Private int x = 7;
Class MyInner {
Public void method() {
System.out.println( X = + x );
}
}
}
Requitement for
Instantiating an
Inner class
2 places an inner
class instance is
instantiated
You need to have an instance of the outer class.
Within the outer class

There is an implicit this reference to the outer instance.
Outside the outer class
Example for
instantiating an inner
class from the
outside the outer
class
MyOuter outer = new MyOuter();

MyOuter.MyInner inner = outer.new MyInner();
You need to have the outer instance, otherwise you cannot

instantiate the inner class.
Weird point
Instantiating an inner class is the only scenario in which youll

invoke new on an instance.
Page 47 of 69

In other places, you invoke new to create a new instance.
How do you
reference the outer
class instance?
MyOuter.this
Access modifiers for

inner class
Since inner class is like a member of the outer class all the
modifiers applicable for member can be applied for the inner class
as well:
MyOuter is the class name.
final
abstract
public
private
protected
static
strictfp
Method Local inner class
How do you define

method local class
and
Where can you
instantiate it?
In a method.
Only after you declare the class, can you instantiate an object of
the method local inner class
Page 48 of 69
What method local

inner object can and
cant do?
The instance can be created only in the method in which the inner
class is declared.
The inner class can access the outer class instance variables and
methods.
It cannot access the local variables of the method in which it is
defined.
It can access the local variables which are marked final and
initialized(?)
It the method is static, then the inner class can only access the
static members of the outer class. as there is no this reference
associated with a static method.
Page 49 of 69
Anonymous inner class
Plain old version 1
Class Popcorn {
Public void pop() {
}
}
Class Food {
Popcorn p = new Popcorn() {
Public void pop() {
}
};
}
Plain Old Version 2
interface Popcorn {
Public void pop() {
}
}
Class Food {
Popcorn p = new Popcorn() {
Public void pop() {
}
};
}
Key point to
remember
Through anonymous inner classes, we are creating an instance of

a new subclass (we dont know its name).
Page 50 of 69
Static Nested class
Example
Class MyOuter {
Static class MyInner {
}
}
Instantiation:
MyOuter.MyInner inner = new MyOuter.MyInner();
Key point
It can only access the static members of the outer class.
Page 51 of 69
Chapter 9: Threads
Overview
What sections are in
this chapter?
1. Start new Threads

2. Recognize thread states and transitions.
a. By what methods the transitions take place.
3. Object Locking
4. Write code to use wait, notify and notifyAll
Can you explain why

this order exists?
1. First you need to know how to create a thread object and

know how to start a thread.
2. A thread of execution will be going through a few stages
like the following:
1) newly created thread.
2) Runnable eligible for running not waiting.
3) Running the thread is executing at this stage.
4) Blocked/waiting the thread is put on hold.
5) Dead the thread is finished executing.
3. Need for Object locking the underlying mechanism for
blocking threads to allow for atomic operations (Rewrite
this line). The keywords the language provides for
enabling this functionality.
4. Inter-thread communication the methods provided on
the Object itself.
Page 52 of 69
Distinguish Thread and Thread of Execution

What is a
java.lang.Thread
Thread is a object. It is created on the Heap.
Thread of execution
Thread of execution is a lightweight process, that has its own

call stack.
The Thread class

What does a thread
mean to you?
A thread means:
a thread of execution that has its own call stack
What is one of the

most important rule
to keep in mind with
regards to threads?
Very little is guaranteed.
What is the name of

the main thread in
Java
It is called main.
What are the

important methods
on the Thread object
not on the object
itself.
In which method
does the action
happen?
start()
yield()
sleep()
run()
run() method.
The thread of execution will always begin by invoking the run()
method.
Page 53 of 69
Thread and the Runnable interface

What are the 2 ways
by which you can
define and
instantiate a thread.
1. Extend the java.lang.Thread class.

2. Implement the Runnable interface.
Can you explain as

to why extending the
Thread class is not a
good design.
SubClassing means that you are making a special class of the

Thread class. This is very unlikely.
What are the 2

benefits of
implementing the
Runnable interface.
By implementing the Runnable interface, you can make the class

be a part of a thread and at the same time you are free to extend
other class.
Page 54 of 69
Defining Threads
Of the 2 ways to
Implementing the Runnable interface
create threads, which
is preferable.
What happens if you

overload the run()
method like
run(String s)? Will
the overloaded
method be called?
What are the 2 steps

to define code to run
in a separate thread
by extending the
java.lang.Thread
class
How do you define

behavior to be run in
a separate thread
using the Runnable
interface.
No.
Only the run() method will be invoked from the new thread of
execution.
1. Extend the java.lang.Thread class

2. Override the run() method
Example:
public class Thread1 extends java.lang.Thread {
public void run() {
System.out.println(Here you go.);
}
}
Make the class implement the runnable interface and define the
public void run() method.
Example:
public class Runnable2 implements Runnable {
public void run() {
System.out.println(Here you go.);
}
}
Page 55 of 69
Instantiating Threads
How do you
instantiate a subclass
of the
java.lang.Thread
class
Thread1 t1 = new Thread1()
How do you
instantiate a thread
when a class has
implemented the
Runnable interface?
Pass the instance of the class which implements Runnable as the

argument to the constructor when creating an object of the Thread
class.
Overloaded
constructors to keep
in mind
Thread()
Thread(String name)
Runnable2 r = new Runnable2();

Thread t2 = new Thread(r);
Thread(Runnable r)
Thread(Runnable r,String s)
When Thread object

is created, is a thread
started?
No. The Thread object has been created.
When is a new
thread created?
When is a new call
stack created?
Call the start() method on the Thread class.
Page 56 of 69
Starting Threads
What happens when
a start() method is
called on a Thread
object?
A new Thread of execution starts a new call stack is created.

The newly created thread in now in the Runnable state.
When given a chance by the JVM scheduler, the run() method is
called.
Once the run()

method completes,
what is the state of
the thread?
Dead state.
Getting the name of the Thread

What is the method
to get the name of
the executing
Thread?
On which class is
this method
declared?
getName()
Thread class.
How do you set the

name of the Thread.
1. Using the constructor Thread(String name) or

Thread(Runnable r, String name).
2. Calling the setName() on the Thread object.
How does an
instance of a
Runnable know the
Thread name?
How do you get the
reference to the
currently executing
thread?
Do threads get a
default name?
static Thread.currentThread() will return the reference to the

currently executing thread.
Yes. If you dont provide a name, it may be given a default name.
Page 57 of 69
Starting multiple threads

Can you start
multiple threads?
Is the order of the
threads that are
being executed
guaranteed?
Yes of course
No
Once a thread had

been started, can you
start it again
No. Never.
What will happen if

you start a thread the
second time?
An IllegalThreadStateException will be thrown at runtime.
Thread Scheduler
Who decides which
thread should be run
at any given moment
The Thread Scheduler
What does it do?

It decides which thread is eligible to run.
It make sure that only 1 thread is run.
There will be only 1 currently running thread.
What are some of
the keywords related
to scheduling?
Eligible
Runnable state
Currently running thread
Queue behavior
Runnable pool
Influencing the scheduler
Page 58 of 69

Can you control the
scheduler?
Can you influence
the scheduler and if
so how?
No.
Yes.
By the following methods:
Method of the Thread class
public static void sleep(Long millis) throws
InterruptedException
public static void yield()
public final void join() throws InterruptedException
public final void setPriority(int newPriority)
Methods of the Object class
public final void wait() throws InterruptedException
public final void notify()
public final void notifyAll()
Thread States and Transitions

2 states already seen
New
Runnable
Dead
What other states can a

thread be?
Running
Waiting/Blocking/Sleeping
What is the common

The thread is not eligible to run.
thing about
waiting/blocking/sleeping Not runnable.
Page 59 of 69

What does Blocked
mean?
Thread may be waiting for

a resource or
an objects lock.
Events that send a

blocked thread to
runnable state?
The event that sends the thread to runnable is
What does Sleeping

mean?
The code puts the Thread to sleep by calling the sleep()

method.
The availability of the resource

Of the object lock is suddenly available.
What event makes the

Once the sleep time expires, the thread wakes up and is now
thread move from the
put in the runnable state.
sleep state to the runnable
state
What does wait() mean?
The thread waits for a notification from another thread.
Can one thread block

another thread?
No. The way threading is defined is that 1 thread does not

have the knowledge about other threads. It can block the
current thread, never an another thread.
Suspend() stop() and resume() does this but these methods
have been deprecated.
Sleeping
Key method
Thread.sleep();
What does
interruption mean
When a thread is sleeping, it can be interrupted and it will then

throws the InterruptedException.
Page 60 of 69
What do I have to
remember about this
method?
Sleep() is a static method. You cannot put another thread to

sleep. Only the currently executing thread.
Thread Priorities
What is the method
used to set the
priority?
setPriority()
Pre defined priorities
MIN_PRIORITY
NORM_ PRIORITY
MAX_PRIORITY
MIN
1
NORM 5
MAX
10
Yielding from a thread
Key method
Yield()
What does calling

yield() do?
It allows the thread scheduler to make other thread of the

same priority run
Is this behavior
guaranteed?
No
Page 61 of 69

Willing calling yield
No. It may takes it to the runnable state at the most and this
make the thread go to
the
also is not guaranteed
blocked/waiting/sleeping
State?
Join() method
Key Method
Join()
Is this method static? No. Why? This method is called on a thread object.
What does t.join()

mean?
The currently executing thread is joined to the end of the thread

on this the join() method is called.
The current thread is blocked.
t.join() means:
Join me (the current thread) to the

end of t, so that t must finish before I
(the current thread) can run again.
t.join(5000) means
wait until thread t is done, but if it

takes longer that 5,000 milliseconds,
then stop waiting and become runnable
anyway
Page 62 of 69
Synchronization Code
Explain Race
Condition.
Multiple threads can access the same resource and corrupt data.
Before a method/operation completes, another thread races in
and reads/updates the data.
What are 2 things to

do to protect the
data?
How does
synchronization
work?
1. Mark the variable private

2. Synchronize the code that modifies the variable.
With locks.
Acquiring locks are

known as
1. Getting the lock

2. Locking the object
3. Locking on the object
4. Synchronizing on the object
What can you call

the object whose
lock we are
acquiring?
Monitor
Lock and the

monitor are they
different.
Technically yes.
But the two can be used interchangeably
Page 63 of 69
Key points about locking and synchronization

Only methods of or code blocks can be synchronized.
How many locks

does an object have?
One
Do you need to
synchronize all the
methods of a class?
No, only the methods that access the mutable state needs to be
synchronized.
How many threads

execute a
synchronized
method at a given
time?
Only 1 method can be executing an synchronized method at a

given time.
If a thread goes to
sleep, does it release
its locks?
No. It does not release them.
Can a thread acquire

multiple locks?
Yes.
Can a thread acquire

the same lock twice?
Yes. If it already has it, no problem.
Only after a thread completes executing a method, will any other

waiting thread be given the opportunity to run this method.
Page 64 of 69
Synchronizing static methods

Can you synchronize
static methods?
Which lock is
acquired for static
methods?
The lock on the methods java.lang.Class instance.

Public synchronize static method() {
Return 3;
}

Synchronize(MyClass.class) {
Return 3;
}
}
Equivalent to:
Class c1 = Class.forName(MyClass)
Synchronize(c1) {
Return 3;
}
}
Page 65 of 69
More Synchronization points

How do you describe
as to what a thread
Blocked on the objects lock.
that is waiting on a
Goes into a waiting pool for that particular object.
synchronized
method doing?
Once the lock on the object is released (a thread which holds the
lock relinquishes it after finishing the synchronized method), this
thread may get the lock and only then it will go into the runnable
state and then into the running state.
What is the
necessary condition
for a synchronized
method or block to
block synchronized
method or block.
Key goal of
synchronization
Only if the two are lock on the same object.
Threads working with the same data need to go one at a time.
Comment on static
synchronized
method and a nonstatic synchronized
method.
A simple rule to
make a class thread
safe -
Static synchronized method and a non-static

synchronized method will not block each
other.
If you access a static field using a non-static
method, two threads might invoke that
method using two different this instances.
Methods that access changeable fields need to be synchronized.
Page 66 of 69
Thread interaction
Important point
about wait/notify
Wait(), notify() and notifyAll() must be called from a

synchronized context.
A thread cant invoke a wait or notify method on an object unless
it owns that objects lock.
If the wait() method is called on an object whose lock is not held
by the currently executing thread, IllegalMonitorStateException is
thrown.
IllegalMonitorStateException is not a checked exception.
Exceptions related to threads

Important exceptions IllegalThreadStateException not a checked exception
IllegalMonitorStateException not a checked exception
InterruptedException checked exception
sleep() - static
join() - non static
wait() non static
Page 67 of 69
Summary - Points to keep in mind

Final methods
wait
notify
notifyAll
join()
setPriority()
This means that a programmer cannot override the default
functionality
Static methods
sleep()
yield()
Since these are not final can a programmer override these
methods.
When you see

Obj.syncMethod()
What do you think
The syncMethod() is synchronized on the obj.
InterruptedException Anytime you see sleep(), wait() and join() you make sure that the
InterruptedException is caught. Else, the code will not compile.
Calling start() on a
dead thread
Will throw the IllegalThreadStateException at runtime
Calling wait on an
object whose lock is
not held
Will throw the IllegalMonitorStateException at runtime
Calling wait() from

outside a
TODO: to find out as to what will happen.
Page 68 of 69

synchronize block?
Key classes,
methods and
exceptions
java.lang.Thread
start()
(IllegalThreadStateException)
java.lang.Runnable
Public void run()
public static void Sleep(long millis) throws
InterruptedException
public static void yield()
public final void join() throws InterruptedException
public final void setPriority(int newPriority)
public final void wait() throws InterruptedException
(IllegalMonitorStateException)
public final void notify()
public final void notifyAll()
Runtime Exception, not checked exception
Heading
Line
Line
Page 69 of 69

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Sun Certified Programmer

for Java 6 Study Guide

Study Notes by Mahanthi Bukkapatnam

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Introduction: Why these notes

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Chapter 1: Declaration and Access Control

Java Keywords cannot be used

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Access modifiers for

private, default, protected and public,

Only applicable to:

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

All the methods in an interface are abstract.

Public, static and final (in any combination)

Restrictions for the

Interfaces can extend other interfaces. Only interfaces.

An Interface can extend multiple interfaces. Weird it is

No implementing of other interfaces or classes

No. It can only be public.

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Declare Interface Constants

One key rule to

Constants in an interface are:

Declare Class Members

Final arguments cannot be modifying the argument in the method.

Abstract and static cannot go together.

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Only 1 argument as var args

Declared like the following:

If a return type is specified, it becomes a method.

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Modifiers allowed only on methods

Modifiers allowed only on instant variables

Only for the instance

Modifiers allowed only on local variables

Only for local

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Please do not serialize this variable.

In a multi-threading situation, please do not perform any caching

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Access modifier rule

Not private or protected.

Semicolon at the end of an enum declaration is optional

Method to get all the

values() returns the enum values as an array

Does the values()

Public or default allowed

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Chapter 2: Object Orientation

A class can extend only one class.

Declaration should end with a semi colon.

Overriding and Overloading

Arguments must be the same

Can you override

No. Final means you cannot override it. Compiler Error

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

See Page 115

SCJP 6.0 Study Guide - CNTS

Reference variable casting

The above code, compiles but fails at runtime.