Computer Laboratory – Course material 2008–09: Paper 1: Programming Methods

Next: Paper 1: Programming in Up: Lent Term 2009: Part Previous: Paper 2: Professional Practice Contents

Paper 1: Programming Methods

Lecturer: Dr R.K. Harle

No. of lectures: 6

Prerequisite courses: Software Design, Programming in Java

Aims

This course is primarily intended to reinforce the concepts introduced in the Software Design lecture course and the Programming in Java practical course. Students will be led through a series of example Java-based projects, from requirements to testing, as well as being introduced to important concepts useful in larger programming projects (design patterns, debuggers, testing methodologies, common Java errors).

Syllabus

This course will cover the elements listed below, but not necessarily in a linear fashion. New material will be discussed in the context of examples and may not be treated in depth.

Design cycle illustration. Specification to requirements to implementation to testing. Identifying Objects. Refactoring.
Java class libraries. Correctly using in-built Java data structures. Extending a standard structure.
Design patterns. History. Usage in Java class libraries and common frameworks. Major patterns with examples in Java.
Debuggers. Basic debugging (breaking, stepping, local variables). JPDA as an example of a software architecture.
Testing. Unit testing. Black box testing. White box testing. Regression testing.
Common Java errors. The need for care with syntax. Numerical overflow and other common problems.

Objectives

At the end of the course students should

be able to describe and implement the major design patterns
be able to take a small software project from specification to implementation and test it conforms to the specification
be able to demonstrate good object-oriented programming skills
be able to define a suitable test procedure for code they have written
be familiar with common errors in Java and its associated libraries
be familiar with debugging terminology

Recommended reading

Gamma, E., Helm, R., Johnson, R. & Vlissides, A. (1995). Design patterns: elements of reusable object-oriented software. Addison-Wesley.
Bloch, J. & Gafter, N. (2005). Java puzzlers. Addison-Wesley.

Next: Paper 1: Programming in Up: Lent Term 2009: Part Previous: Paper 2: Professional Practice Contents