BillLeighton

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since Mar 20, 2000
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Recent posts by BillLeighton

Ah.... I was under the impression that it was safest to set the Look and Feel to "Metal" to guarantee it would look and feel the same cross-platform...
If I do a UIManager.setLookAndFeel(...) at the start of my application, do I need to check if my LookAndFeel is what I expect in other GUI classes, or can I rest easy that for the life of the app running, the LookAndFeel I initially set will be there?
Should we add javadoc comments to the Sun-supplied interface, or is this considered untouchable?
I must implement methods from the interface Sun provided, in a Data class. My question is, if I were to add "syncronized" to some of the Sun interface methods, as well as add an additional exception to some of them (along with the required ones to throw per the interface) would this be OK? I am under the impression that the keyword "syncronized" and the exceptions thrown are NOT part of a method's signature. So would this count as "implementing" the methods correctly? Or am I playing with fire here?
I may have gotten my wirees crossed reading different posts for different exams... I see in my docs that I cannot alter the format of the *.db file from Sun, as the file may be used by other applications. But I do not see anything regarding changing the Data class. Of course this class has to implement the Sun interface, but it is alright to add more methods to it, correct? Or did I miss something in the instructions? Has everyone ended up memorizing the instructions from reading them over and over and over..?
Thanks, Jim! In a somewhat related question, regarding some of what I said above...

"All configuration must be done via a GUI, and must be persistent between runs of the program" seems to indicate that the "configuration" would be perhaps the location of the database (if they selected standalone) or the server and port if they selected "server". I would of thought that you would also store the user preference of "standalone", "server" or "no argument" as well, but it appears you make that choice from the command line, and it's a "done deal" by the time you hit any kind of GUI.


This appears to suggest no storing of "network vs. local" preferences, as these will always be decided from the command line (entering a mode or leaving blank).
For "alone" mode, the only property to store in suncertify.properties would be the location of the local database, I guess. It seems logical that the database shored be stored in the User's working directory, along with their suncertify.properties. However Sun says to provide them with a copy of the original *.db file they sent me. So I am assuming that there will actually be two *.db files, One pristine copy in the location Sun specifies in the hierarchy, and another "working" copy of the *.db, perhaps located in the user's working directory...
regarding the instructions "Such configuration information must be stored in a file called suncertify.properties which must be located in the current working directory." Um, where would the "current working directory" be? If I am creating or reading this file form a class in a package called "suncertify.client", would that be the directory? Sun seems very specific on where things should be locared for submission, like help files, etc. Or would it be the "root" of the runme.jar?
I know this has been discussed before, but I am still a bit confused...
The specs say "The mode flag must be either "server", indicating the server program must run, "alone", indicating standalone mode, or left out entirely, in which case the network client and gui must run."
I interpret this as:
"server" argument - just start the RMI server, no client GUI presents itself?
"alone" argument - start GUI in local(standalone?) mode, no choice to pick local or network database
no argument - GUI starts in network mode, again no choice to pick one or the other?
From the wording it almost seems there is no option for an end user to select standalone or network mode via the GUI... and the line in the specs regarding "All configuration must be done via a GUI, and must be persistent between runs of the program" seems to indicate that the "configuration" would be perhaps the location of the database (if they selected standalone) or the server and port if they selected "server".
I would of thought that you would also store the user preference of "standalone", "server" or "no argument" as well, but it appears you make that choice from the command line, and it's a "done deal" by the time you hit any kind of GUI.
A side note, do you know how much $$$ it would of cost to resubmit? I also wonder if a person should wait to find out if they passed the first part of the test before scheduling and paying for the written part of the test...
basic newbie overview question regarding the Contractor exam here...
Regarding getting the data from the Sun provided db file...
it sounds like I will need to use a FileChannel and ByteBuffer to extact the data from the db file. I assume that once the data is extracted, that "Contractor" objects should be created from this, and any manipulation of the data should be in the form of these Contractor objects? For RMI these objects would be serialized, but it looks like the requirements for the "local network" specifically states that you can't deal with serialization in any form.
Am I on the right track? Or am I over-complicating things by dealing with Contractor objects as opposed to directly manipulating a buffer or somesuch?
I understand the value of using extensive logging during the development process, but would it be bad to leave logging code (even SEVERE logging) in the final project? I understand the general thought is not to leave JUnit tests in the code, particularly as the submitter did not write JUnit, but the logging stuff is Sun's , and seems fair game...
Those seem like good guidelines. Of course the real purpose of the exam is to learn, which books and these forums help you do. I was just wondering if others were concerned that they were following any one particular source too closely.
[ June 21, 2003: Message edited by: BillLeighton ]
I am reading "The Sun Certified Java Developer Exam with J2SE 1.4" which is a great book. This book does not address the exact requirements of the exam of course, but comes pretty close as far as issues! I am worried about using too many of the ideas, and, eventually, too much of the code. I am not talking cutting and pasting, but is there a danger (as Sun may see it) of not really "doing" the assignment? Or is it a matter of if you can get your assignment to work, and can answer the follow-up test intelligently, you're golden? IT is a great book and it is hard not to think "I am not going to be able to come up with a better solution then this!" in spots. Thoughts?
[ June 21, 2003: Message edited by: BillLeighton ]
I'd say 10% maybe more on the test, which in my case was the difference between passing and failing. But emotionally, I think it helped even more to get up for the test, just reading what everyone had to say about the test, both before and after they took it. I also like the "we are all in this together" attitude here, and on an international level.