where to start, if i want to learn Java and wicket framework

Question

Hi all,

I am a C/C++ programmer with moderate experience in desktop application. (no web development). now I would like to move to web development. and I am considering Java and Wicket framework. but since Java is a vast language. Could you please guide me where to start learning Java. I mean what feature i should learn first. like Swing should be the first, i guess.

reason for choosing wicket is:- I can get the HTML/CSS done using some tool. and don't have to learn JSP, Servlet, XML and other stuff.

Answer 1

Well eventually you will have to understand all of these technologies (JSP, Servlet, XML, etc.) to be a successful web developer, but to get started you can probably treat the Wicket abstraction as non-leaky (Joel on Leaky Abstractions).

You don't have to know swing to get started with web development, swing is really only used on the desktop.

If you already know C/C++ you should have all the concepts to understand Java. See this stackoverflow question for a list of freely available books on (amongst others) java:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/194812/list-of-freely-available-programming-books

Answer 2

I think you might need to learn at least how to configure a deployment descriptor (web.xml) file for wicket. And I don't think there's a shortcut to know all of the involved technologies. You might need some basic knowledge of the underlying ones, since probably you'll get stuck and frustrated soon as problems arise.

I would recommend exhaustive and complete documentation, that cannot only serve as a tutorial, but also as a reference. I would recommend going to the source:

• For Java, "The Java Tutorials": http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E17409_01/javase/tutorial/
• For JEE development, "The JEE Tutorials" : http://java.sun.com/javaee/reference/tutorials/
• For Apache Wicket (you probably know this): http://wicket.apache.org/

Good luck.

Answer 3

Java is quite simple language, compared to C++. You already know many of it's concepts - OOP, inheritance, generics, inner classes. Learn about interfaces, exceptions, basic concurency (the synchronized keyword).

Then you'll need to know what's in JDK and how to use the most used parts of it: * Java datatype framework (or how is it called) - I mean, things like List, ArrayList, Set, HashSet, Iterator, ... * I/O stuff - Streams, File, FileInputStream. * ... you'll find out what you need, usually from examples.

That's for Java.

Now for web, you'll need to know HTML (see w3c), HTTP (install FireBug and watch the communication; I mean, don't read the spec for a start).

Then for wicket, first read some tutorial's, my favorite are here:
http://ondra.zizka.cz/stranky/programovani/java/web/wicket/index.texy

Then read the book - Wicket in Action.

And in general - excersise everything you learn. Reading is not enough... Definitely you should create some console java apps before you jump to web and Wicket - because that puts many layers between your code and the observed output (Wicket, HTML, HTTP, browser, ...).