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Visual J++^™

Bryan Morgan, et al.

Introduction

• Conventions Used in This Book
  
• How to Use This Book

Chapter 1   Visual J++: What It Is and Why It Is Unique

• What Is ActiveX?
  • ActiveX Documents
  • ActiveX Controls
  • ActiveX Scripting
  • ActiveX-Enabled Internet Protocols
  • ActiveX APIs
  • ActiveX Server Framework
  • Microsoft Windows Virtual Machine for Java
• Java + ActiveX = A Unique Development Tool
• Microsoft's Component Object Model and ActiveX
  • The Birth of ActiveX: An Overview of COM
  • ActiveX: Activating the Internet
• Comparing Java and COM
  • Java and COM: Some Differences
  • Java and COM: Surprising Similarities
• Advantages and Disadvantages: A Close Look at Java and ActiveX
  • The Importance of Broad Support
  • ActiveX Has a Large Developer Base
  • Security Limitations
  • Java Is an Interpreted Language
  • Object Persistence
  • Language Independence
• Summary

Chapter 2   The Visual J++ Development Environment

• The Microsoft Developer Studio
  • What Is a Project?
  • The Project Workspace Window
  • The Application Window
  • The Output Window
  • The Full Screen View
• Using and Configuring the Visual J++ Toolbars
  • Displaying and Hiding Toolbars
  • Creating and Modifying Toolbars
• Configuring the Visual J++ Menus
• Customizing the Other IDE Options
  • The Editor Options Page
  • The Tabs Options Page
  • The Compatibility Options Page
  • The Workspace Options Page
  • The Format Options Page
  • The InfoViewer Options Page
• Summary

Chapter 3   Object-Oriented Programming with Java

• What Is Object-Oriented Programming?
  • Encapsulation
  • Inheritance
  • Polymorphism
• Information Hiding and Object-Oriented Programming
  • Restricting Access to Members
• An Object-Oriented Example
  • The People Object
  • Using the People Object to Create Employees
• Java: Fully Buzzword Compliant
  • Encapsulation Using a Class
  • Inheriting from Other Classes
  • Interfaces and Packages
  • Case Study: The java.applet Package
• The Visual J++ Class Library
  • The com.ms Package
  • The java.applet Package
  • The java.awt Package
  • The java.io Package
  • The java.lang Package
  • The java.net Package
  • The java.util Package
  • The sun Package
• Summary

Chapter 4   Understanding the Java Base Platform

• The Java Runtime Environment
  • The Java Class File Format
  • How Security Is Maintained at Runtime
  • The Java Runtime Class Loader
  • Are Java Applets Safe?
• The Java Virtual Machine
  • The JVM Specification
  • With Emphasis on the Word Machine
  • Taking Out the Trash Using Garbage Collection
• The Java API
  • The Java Base API
  • The Java Standard Extension API
• Obtaining the Java Base Platform
• Examining the Visual J++ Installation
• Summary

Chapter 5   Elements of the Java Language

• Java's Unit of Work: The Statement
  • Expressions
  • Adding Comments to Your Source Code
  • Legal Syntax for Identifiers
  • Java Keywords
  • Where Are the ifdefs, pragmas, and includes?
• Java Data Types
  • Converting Among Types
• Java Operators
  • Assignment Operators
  • The Comparison Operators
  • The Logical Operators
  • Arithmetic Operators
  • The Bitwise Operators
  • Order of Operator Evaluation
• Java Control Flow Statements
  • The if Conditional Statement
  • The while Loop
  • The do...while Loop
  • The for Loop
  • The switch Statement
  • Forcing the Direction of Code Using break, continue, return, and label
• Creating and Using Arrays
  • Creating Arrays
  • Using the Created Array
• Working with Objects
  • Accessing Java Class Members
  • Constructing and Destroying Objects
  • Using the this Keyword
  • What Class Is This?
  • Converting Object Types
• Summary

Chapter 6   Creating Programs with Java

• The Goals of This Chapter
• Object-Oriented Design
• Thinking in Terms of Objects
  • A Brief Review of Object-Oriented Programming
• The Object-Identification Stage
  • The Politician Object
  • The Issues Objects
• The Object-Construction Stage
  • Building Classes
  • Using Hidden Helper Classes
  • Adding Other Classes to the Project
• Using Inheritance
  • Inheriting from Politician
  • Inheriting from LegislativeBody
• Using Polymorphism
  • Adding Interfaces
• Summary

Chapter 7   Advanced Java Programming

• Exception Handling
  • Handling Errors in Java
• Performing Simultaneous Operations Through Multithreading
  • Creating a Threaded Application
  • Writing Thread-Safe Code Using Synchronized Methods
• Streaming Input and Output
  • Retrieving Input from the User
• Networking in Java
• Summary

Chapter 8   Developing Applets and Applications

• A Comparison of Applets and Applications
• Building a Java Application
  • The Inevitable Hello, World! Application
  • Creating a Graphical Application
  • Running Your Application with the Standalone Java Interpreter
• Limitations of Java Applets
  • Applet Security Limitations
  • Inter-Applet Communication Limitations
• Building a Java Applet
  • The init() Method
  • The start() Method
  • The stop() Method
  • The destroy() Method
  • The paint() Method
  • The Hello, World! Applet
• Summary

Chapter 9   Managing Visual J++ Projects

• Visual J++ Project Workspaces
  • Creating Project Workspaces
  • Creating a Workspace Using Existing Source Code
  • Adding Existing Files to a Project
  • Creating New Files for a Project
  • Adding and Using Subprojects
  • Setting the Default Project
  • Deleting Projects or Subprojects from the Workspace
  • Setting and Using Project Configurations
  • Setting Workspace Display Options
• Working with the Developer Studio Views
  • The ClassView Options
  • The FileView Options
  • The InfoView Options
• Summary

Chapter 10   The Visual J++ Compiler

• Code Performance
  • Performance and Bytecode Interpreters
  • The Test Program
  • Just-in-Time Compilation
  • Java Code Optimization
• Visual J++ Compiler Options
• The Command-Line Compiler
  • The Command-Line Compiler Options Explained
• WinDiff
  • The WinDiff Options Explained
• Summary

Chapter 11   Building a Simple Java Applet with Visual J++

• Wizards
• Visual J++ Applet Wizard Overview
• Running the Applet Wizard
• Summary

Chapter 12   Debugging with the Visual J++ Debugger

• Using Breakpoints to Examine Program Execution
  • Setting Breakpoints
  • Stepping Through Code at a Breakpoint
• Viewing and Modifying Values at Runtime
  • The Watch Window
  • The Variables Window
  • Using DataTips
  • Using QuickWatch
  • Using Drag-and-Drop Between Windows
• Viewing the Program Call Stack
  • The Call Stack Window
• Debugger Use of the Output Window
• Setting Global Debug Options
• Debugging the Java Class Libraries
• Summary

Chapter 13   The Standard Java Packages

• The java.lang Package
  • Interfaces
  • Classes
• The java.util Package
  • Interfaces
  • Classes
• The java.io Package
  • Interfaces
  • Input Stream Classes
  • Output Streams
• The java.net Package
  • Classes
• The java.awt Package
  • Introduction to the AWT
  • Interfaces
  • Component Classes
• The java.awt.image Package
  • Classes
• The java.awt.peer Package
• The java.applet Package
  • Interfaces
  • Classes
• Summary

Chapter 14   An Introduction to GUI Programming

• The Goals of the AWT
• The AWT Object Categories
• Plunging Right Into the First AWT Java Program
• Components, Containers, and Layouts
  • Component Classes
  • Container Classes
  • Layout Managers
• Some Sample Programs
  • Java Cash Register
  • Java Coffee Shop
  • Implementing Your Own Components: Image Buttons
• Summary

Chapter 15   GUI Development Using the Visual J++ Resource Wizard

• Creating a Login Dialog
  • Component Properties
• Integrating Designed Forms into Applications
• Integrating the Generated Classes
• A Side-by-Side Comparison
• Summary

Chapter 16   Java and the Component Object Model

• An Overview of COM
  • Identifying COM Objects
  • COM Interfaces
  • Tracking Reference Counts
  • COM Is Not Necessarily OLE
• Comparing Java and COM
• Understanding COM Terminology
• Using COM Objects
  • Dynamically Creating New COM Objects
  • Retrieving Interfaces
  • Reference Counting
  • Object Reuse Through Containment and Aggregation
  • Using Containment
  • Using Aggregation
• Connecting Java and COM
• Type Libraries and Object Description Language
• COM Tools Included with Visual J++
  • The Java Type Library Wizard (JAVATLB)
  • Building Type Libraries with MKTYPLIB
  • Registering Objects with JAVAREG
  • The OLE2 Object Viewer
• Summary

Chapter 17   Encapsulating COM with the Visual J++ Class Library

• The java Package
• The com Package
  • The com.ms.applet Package
  • The com.ms.awt Package
  • The com.ms.lang Package
  • The com.ms.net Package
  • The com.ms.com Package
• The sun Package
  • The sun.applet Package
  • The sun.audio Package
  • The sun.awt Package
  • The sun.misc Package
  • The sun.net Package
• Summary

Chapter 18   The Microsoft Java Virtual Machine

• The Microsoft VM
• The JVM Specification
  • Components of the JVM
  • The Constant Pool
  • The Java Instruction Set
  • Limitations of the JVM
• Integrating Java and COM Using the Microsoft VM
  • Combining COM and Java
  • Using COM Objects in Java
  • Limitations of Java/COM Integration
• Summary

Chapter 19   Extending Java Using ActiveX

• The Advantages of ActiveX
  • High Performance
  • Persistence
  • Huge Existing Code Base
  • Language Independence
  • Distributed COM
• The Flip Side: The Disadvantages of ActiveX
  • Platform Dependence
  • Security Model
  • Network Performance
  • Browser Dependence
• What Does ActiveX Mean for the Web Developer?
  • ActiveX and the Intranet Setting
  • ActiveX and the Internet
• Combining Java and COM Using Visual J++
• Summary

Chapter 20   Calling COM Objects from Java

• A Mix of COM with Your Java (or Java with Your COM!)
• Ground Rules for Calling COM Objects from Java
  • Registering the Object
  • Creating Java Classes Using the Java Type Library Wizard
  • Handling Security During Distribution
• Calling a COM Object from Java
• Providing Active Content with Java Applets and ActiveX Controls
  • Introduction to the Java/ActiveX Example
  • Retrieving the ActiveX Control
  • Building Java Classes from the Control's Type Library
  • Building an HTML Page Using the ActiveX Control
  • Creating an ActiveX-Aware Java Applet
  • Creating a Java Applet to Control the Chart
• Summary

Chapter 21   Building COM Objects with Java

• A Brief Review of COM
  • Developing COM Objects for Programmers Using Other Languages
• Designing a Simple COM Object
• Creating the Type Library
  • Generating GUIDs for the COM Object
  • Building the Shell of a Type Library
  • Mapping Java Types to ODL Types
  • Using MKTYPLIB to Build the Type Library
• Generating the Java Interface to the COM Object Using JAVATLB
• Implementing the COM Object in Java
• Registering the Java Classes Using JAVAREG
• Calling the COM Object from a Java Applet
• Calling the COM Object from Visual Basic
• Summary

Chapter 22   Using ActiveX Documents to Convey Information

• From OLE 1.0 to ActiveX Documents
  • Visual Editing, OLE 1.0, and OLE 2.0
• How ActiveX Documents Apply to the Web
  • Viewing ActiveX Documents
• Adding ActiveX Document Support
• Summary

Chapter 23   Security with ActiveX Authenticode

• Introduction to Code Signing
  • Digital Signatures
  • Digital Certificates
• Authenticode
  • The User's Perspective
  • The Publisher's Perspective
• Java and Authenticode
  • The Java Sandbox
  • Stepping Out of the Sandbox
• Using Authenticode with Java
  • Using the Code-Signing Tools
  • Introduction to Cabinet Files
  • Creating Cabinet Files
  • Using Cabinet Files in Web Pages
• Summary

Chapter 24   Distributed Component Object Model

• Information "Not-so-Super" Highway
  • The Current Programming Model
  • Distributed Computing
  • Distributed Web
  • DCOM Key Features
  • DCOM Functionality
• Summary

Chapter 25   Browser Support for Active Content

• What Is a Web Browser?
• The Great Browser War
• Microsoft's Strategy: ActiveX
  • Shell Extensions
  • WinInet Extensions
  • ActiveX
• Netscape's Strategy: Netscape ONE
  • Java
  • Netscape Plug-ins
  • LiveConnect
  • Netscape Internet Foundation Classes
• Browser Features
  • HTML 3.2 Support
  • Just-in-Time Java Compiling
  • ActiveX Controls
  • ActiveX Documents
  • Netscape Plug-in Support
  • Multimedia Support
  • Script Support
  • Security Features
• Comparison Summary
• Browser Considerations for Developers
• Summary

Chapter 26   HTML and Web Page Design

• An Overview of HTML
  • Required Tools for HTML Development
  • What Are HTML Tags?
  • HTML Attributes
• The Basic Structure of an HTML File
  • Required Tags
  • Other General Page Tags
• Basic HTML Formatting Tags
  • Text-Formatting Tags
  • A Text-Formatting Example
  • Tags to Create Lists
  • Creating a Hyperlink
  • Adding Graphics
• Creating Tables
  • <TABLE>...</TABLE>-Table
  • <CAPTION>...</CAPTION>-Caption
  • <TD>-Table Data Cell
  • <TH>-Table Head Cell
  • <TR>-Table Rows
  • Using Tags to Form a Table
• Creating Forms
  • <FORM>...</FORM>
  • <INPUT>
  • <SELECT>
  • <OPTION>
  • <TEXTAREA>...</TEXTAREA>
  • Building a Form
• Summary

Chapter 27   Manipulating Web Components Using JavaScript

• Using Scripts in HTML Files
  • A Simple <SCRIPT> Example
• Variables in JavaScript
  • Data Types
  • Expressing Literals in JavaScript
• Building Expressions in JavaScript
  • Operators
• Statements
  • Conditional Statements
  • Loop Statements
  • Object Manipulation Statements
• Functions
• Built-In Functions
  • eval
  • parseInt
  • parseFloat
• Arrays
• Events
  • Event Handlers
• JavaScript Objects
  • The navigator Object
  • The window Object
  • The location Object
  • The frame Object
  • The document Object
  • The anchors Object
  • The forms Object
  • The history Object
  • The links Object
  • The Math Object
  • The Date Object
  • The String Object
• Summary of Reserved Words
• Summary

Chapter 28   Manipulating Web Components Using VBScript

• Differences Between VBScript and Visual Basic
• Using Scripts in HTML Files
• Variables in VBScript
  • Data Types
  • Expressing Literals in VBScript
• Arrays
• Building Expressions in VBScript
  • Arithmetic
  • String
  • Date
  • Logical
  • Operators
• Statements
  • Conditional Statements
  • Loop Statements
• Procedures
  • Sub Procedure
  • Function Procedure
• Built-In Functions
  • Math Functions
  • Date and Time Functions
  • String Manipulation Functions
  • User Interface Functions
  • Data Type Functions
• Events and Event Handlers
• VBScript Object Model
• Summary of Reserved Words
• Summary

Chapter 29   Embedding Components Within Web Pages

• Using the <APPLET> and <OBJECT> Tags
  • The <APPLET> Tag
  • The <OBJECT> Tag
• Creating a Simple Java Applet
  • Create a New Project
• Integrating a Java Applet into HTML
  • Passing Parameters to a Java Applet
  • Controlling a Java Applet with VBScript
  • Controlling a Java Applet with JavaScript
• Integrating ActiveX Controls into HTML
  • ActiveX Control Pad
  • Controlling ActiveX with Scripting
• Summary

Chapter 30   Querying Databases with Data Access Objects

• Overview of the Data Access Objects
  • Generating the Class Files
• Using _DBEngine Objects
  • Useful Methods
• Using Database Objects
  • Controlling Transactions
  • OpenRecordset
  • Close
• Using Field Objects
• Using Recordset Objects
  • Reading Records Sequentially
  • Updating Records
  • Deleting Records
  • Adding New Records
  • Finding Records
• Summary

Chapter 31   Basic Java Multimedia Capabilities

• Multimedia Web
• Image Retrieval
  • GetGraphics
  • GetImage
  • Image Retrieval Status Checking
• Image Display
  • Establishing a Display Window
  • Creating an Image Object
  • Putting the Image on the Screen
• Audio Retrieval and Playback
  • Playing
  • Stopping
  • Repeating
  • Single Audio Clips
  • Multiple Audio Clips
• Animation
  • What Is It?
  • Integrating Audio
  • Painting and Repainting
• Summary

Chapter 32   Extending Multimedia Capabilities Through ActiveX

• ActiveX
• The OLE Object Viewer
• Customizing ActiveX Controls
• The Java Type Library Wizard
• The Dialog Box Editor
• Additional ActiveX Content
• Summary

Appendix A   JavaScript Language Reference

• Reserved Words
• Literals
• Operators
  • Assignment
  • Comparison
  • Arithmetic
  • String
  • Logical
  • Bitwise
• Statements
  • Conditional Statements
  • Loop Statements
  • Object Manipulation Statements
• The JavaScript Object Hierarchy
  • The Navigator Object
  • The Window Object
  • The Location Object
  • The Frame Object
  • The Document Object
  • The anchors Object
  • The forms Object
  • The History Object
  • The links Object
  • The Math Object
  • The Date Object
  • The String Object

Appendix B   VBScript Language Reference

• Summary of Reserved Words
• Literals
• Operators
  • Assignment
  • Comparison
  • Arithmetic
  • String
  • Logical
  • Bitwise Logical
• Statements
  • Conditionals
  • Loops
• Procedures
• Built-in Functions
  • Math
  • Dates and Time
  • String Manipulation
  • User Interface
  • Data Type

Credits

Copyright© 1997 by Sams.net Publishing

FIRST EDITION

All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. For information, address Sams.net Publishing, 201 W. 103rd St., Indianapolis, IN 46290.

International Standard Book Number: 1-57521-161-0

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Trademarks

All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Sams.net Publishing cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. Visual J++ is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks go out to the following people, without whom this book would have been much, much more difficult to complete: Sharon Cox, Chris Denny, Jeff Koch, Kitty Wilson Jarrett, Mike Nygard, David Blankenbeckler, Vince Mayfield, and Jeff Perkins. Also thanks to TASC for providing a work environment in which special projects outside of work are encouraged and appreciated.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife, Becky, and our beautiful new baby who hasn't entered the world yet. Thank you both for allowing me to share my hopes and dreams with you.

-Bryan Morgan

About the Authors

Bryan Morgan

Bryan Morgan is a software engineer with TASC, Inc., in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University and has also authored material for several other books by Sams.net Publishing, including Java Developer's Reference. Bryan and his wife, Becky, are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first child in November 1996.

David Blankenbeckler

David Blankenbeckler received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Clemson University in 1991. After graduation, David worked for AT&T's Workstation Products Division as the primary software engineer for AT&T notebook products. David moved to Oregon in 1995 to work for Intel Corporation as a senior software engineer. His programming experience includes Java, C/C++, JavaScript, VBScript, HTML, Visual Basic, and Delphi. David currently lives in Oregon with his wife, Kimberly, and new son, Logan.

Mike Cohn

Mike Cohn is the director of information technology at Access Health, Inc., the leading provider of personal health management. Before that he was with Andersen Consulting and the Adler Consulting Group in New York. He holds a master's degree in computer science from the University of Idaho and has been programming for 16 years. Mike lives in Cameron Park, California, with his wife, Laura, and their daughter, Savannah.

David Hanley

David Hanley is a professional Java programmer working out of Chicago, where he was born. He is currently completing his master's degree in computer science. When he is not working or studying, he enjoys running, bicycling, martial arts, playing chess, or relaxing with a book.

Mahendra Palsule

Mahendra Palsule is a software professional born and raised in Mumbai, India. With an engineering diploma in computer technology from Bombay in 1991, he is also a Microsoft Certified Professional in Windows Operating Systems Services & Architecture. He has worked as a software consultant for the past four years, and has experience in software development, networking, and multimedia authoring on Windows and Macintosh platforms. He has contributed to multimedia projects in Europe and the Middle East. He is currently involved in Web Publishing at Radan Multimedia Limited, Mumbai. Apart from his obsession with computers and the Internet, he has diverse interests from astronomy to epistemology. He loves to work on multimedia projects where he can synthesize his creative and technical skills. You can reach him at mahendra@radanmedia.com.

Hiro Ruo

Hiro Ruo was born in Taichung, Taiwan. He has lived in Tokyo, Japan, and did most of his growing up in Skokie, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). Hiro received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Northwestern University and a master of science degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University. He worked for more than five years at NCR (eventually AT&T, and back to NCR). Currently, he is a software engineer with Intel Corporation.

Mark Seminatore

Mark Seminatore has a master's degree in mechanical engineering and has been programming for more than 15 years. When not programming killer Java applets, Mark likes to work on high-performance graphics and optimization. Mark was one of the co-authors of Tricks of the Game-Programming Gurus and More Tricks of the Game-Programming Gurus. Mark has also written several articles for Dr. Dobb's Journal, including "A Raycasting Engine in C++" and "A 2D Gaming Engine in C." He can be reached via the Internet at 72040.145@compuserve.com.

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Introduction

Visual J++ is the name of Microsoft's Java development tool. Using Visual J++, you can create powerful applets and embed them within a Web page for distribution across the Internet or a local intranet. In addition, standalone applications can be written in Java that can run on any operating system that supports the Java Virtual Machine. If Microsoft had stopped here, Visual J++ would probably be noted for its excellent integrated development environment (IDE) and its extremely fast compiler.

However, Microsoft also extended the Java Virtual Machine and Visual J++ to support the integration of Java with the Microsoft object model, the component object model (COM). Tools included with Visual J++ allow Java objects to call ActiveX objects and, likewise, ActiveX objects can call Java objects. In fact, it is even possible to create a COM object in Java. This is important to the Java developer because of the huge installed base of COM objects already existing in the form of OLE objects and OCX or ActiveX controls. In short, Visual J++ allows the Java developer to truly choose the best tool for the job at hand, whether that tool be ActiveX or Java.

It is important to remember that pure Java bytecodes produced by the Visual J++ compiler will run unmodified in any Java-enabled browser on any platform. Therefore, the majority of the focus of this book is on building traditional Java applications. Specific topics that are examined in this book are

• Building powerful, interactive Web applications with VBScript and JavaScript
• Performing networking operations in Java
• Database access using Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and Microsoft's Data Access Objects (DAO)
• Multimedia development using Java
• ActiveX and why it is important to the Web developer

Throughout this book, examples are given to illustrate relevant topics. The majority of these examples are included on the CD-ROM accompanying this book and can be compiled and run unmodified using Visual J++.

Conventions Used in This Book

A Warning box cautions you against making a mistake you could make either by overlooking an important step or by doing something that you might otherwise try to do. A mistake here could cause problems later.

Text that you type and text that should appear on your screen is presented in monospace type:

It will look like this to mimic the way text looks on your screen.

Placeholders for variables and expressions appear in monospace italic.

How to Use This Book

This book contains introductory information that will be of interest to the beginning Java developer as well as a large amount of advanced information that is designed to help intermediate to advanced Java programmers. Although the focus of this book is on Visual J++, the majority of the topics in this book provide technical information of interest to the Web developer such as Java, ActiveX, and VBScript/JavaScript. Therefore, anyone interested in building interactive Web applications using the latest technologies should find this book to be an invaluable resource.

Visual J++ Unleashed introduces and thoroughly examines Microsoft's exciting new Java development tool: Visual J++. Due to the capabilities of Visual J++, Web programming techniques using Java, ActiveX, VBScript, and JavaScript are examined in great detail. In addition, useful sample programs are given in each chapter to illustrate the power of these technologies.

For readers new to the Java language, the book begins with an introduction to Java programming fundamentals in Part I, "Introduction to Java Programming Using Visual J++." Special attention is given to object-oriented programming with Java and advanced Java programming topics such as multithreading, exception handling, and networking.

Following this introduction to the Java language, the Visual J++ development environment is examined in Part II, "The Visual J++ Development Tools." Visual J++ includes a powerful integrated development environment, Microsoft's Developer Studio, and a number of time-saving wizards and programming tools.

Because the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine included with Visual J++ and Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser supports the integration of ActiveX controls and Java applets, ActiveX and its underlying technology COM are explained in Part III, "The Foundation for Visual J++: The Component Object Model." This part of the book explains COM and ActiveX in great detail and focuses on building Web-based applications using Java and ActiveX. Interesting examples are given each step of the way to help explain these critical technologies.

Because much of the growth in popularity of the Java language can be attributed to its use to build applets for display within Web pages, Part IV, "Activating the Internet with Visual J++," focuses on Web programming topics. Included in this section are chapters that compare the capabilities of popular Web browsers, explain the latest versions of HTML, and illustrate the construction of active Web pages using VBScript and JavaScript.

Part V, "Visual J++ Development Topics," focuses on real-world Java programming issues. Included in this section are chapters on network programming, database access using JDBC, Microsoft's Data Access Objects, and multimedia programming with Java.