Java in 24 Hours, 8th Edition

The opening chapters begin with "what programmers do," then guide readers through installing development tools, writing and running their first Java program, and understanding how Java code travels from source file to bytecode. The book then moves into language fundamentals: variable types and assignment, integers and floating-point numbers, characters and strings, Boolean values, operators, conditionals, loops, and arrays. The middle section covers object-oriented programming: creating objects, adding attributes and methods, inheritance and reuse of existing classes, and using data structures to store collections of objects. Later chapters address exception handling, threads, inner classes and lambda expressions, building and laying out graphical user interfaces with Swing, responding to user input, file I/O, the new HTTP client, Java2D drawing, and conclude with two hands-on projects: a Minecraft mod and an Android app.

Each chapter includes sample programs, output results, and code analysis, with Q&A sections, quizzes, and exercises at the end to help readers check their understanding. Appendices cover using the NetBeans IDE, finding Java learning resources, and troubleshooting the Android Studio emulator and NetBeans package errors. Written for Java 9, the book is ideal as a systematic introductory textbook to be read alongside hands-on coding practice.