JavaUtils

JavaUtils is a library of Java utility classes and packages.

See:
Description

Packages

javautils	Miscellaneous utility classes.
javautils.collections	Utilities for manipulating collections.
javautils.dispensers	Dispenser framework and library.
javautils.fun	Framework for functional objects.
javautils.graph	Utilities for manipulating graphs.
javautils.graph.adt	Interfaces for graphs.
javautils.graph.templates	Template Methods [Gamma1995] for graph algorithms.
javautils.graph.testing	Utilities for testing graph algorithms.
javautils.holders	Holder classes for primitives types.
javautils.jdbc	Utilities for dealing with JDBC.
javautils.maps	Type safe maps for convenience.

JavaUtils is a library of Java utility classes and packages. Among other things, it contains utilities for functional programming.

About simple wrapper methods

Many methods in JavaUtils are very simple wrappers on Java API methods intended to make it convenient to perform frequently needed operations. These wrapper methods often translate checked exceptions to unchecked exceptions, using Exceptions.toThrowUnchecked(Throwable), and provide useful defaults for arguments. For example, Classes.newInstance(Class) is a very simple utility method for instantiating a class. The documentation of such methods is usually provided in the form of a pseudo code snippet that illustrates the semantics of the method. Such pseudo code snippets are not the implementation of the method.

Naming conventions

The classes and methods in the JavaUtils-library are named fairly systematically using a relatively small number of naming patterns.

Method naming

The naming conventions used in the JavaUtils-library are different from the Java naming conventions used by Sun. In JavaUtils, in general, method names start with a verb if the method is decisively imperative and the client calls the method explicitly for the side-effects of the method. On the other hand, methods that are functional, and do not have externally observable side-effects do not, in general, start with a verb. We feel that these conventions yield short and logical names that communicate the intentions of the methods well.

Class naming patterns

Abstract*

Example: AbstractTypedMap

An abstract class intended to be derived from to form a concrete class that implements some interface.

Basic*

Example: BasicGraph

A basic implementation of some interface. Usually not intended to serve the needs of all users.

*Builder

Example: GraphBuilder

A Builder [Gamma1995] is used for building complex objects.

*Constants

Example: TestGraphConstants

An interface that defines useful constants. To use the constants, you can "implement" the interface to get convenient access to the constants.

*Contract

Example: GraphContract

A Design-by-Contract [Meyer1997] Decorator [Gamma1995] for an interface.

*Decorator

Example: GraphDecorator

A basic forwarding Decorator [Gamma1995] for an interface that simply forwards all operations to the decorated object.

*Holder

Example: IntHolder

A holder for a primitive value or reference. Used for storing primitive values in collections and to emulate lexical binding [Abelson1995] with anonymous inner classes.

*Map

Example: ObjectToIntMap

A class the represents a binary relation between keys and values.

*s (plural)

Example: Graphs

A class that contains static utility methods that implement algorithms relating to some concept.

*Template

Example: BfsTemplate

An abstract Template Method [Gamma1995] class.

*Test

Example: AlgsTest

An automated [JUnit] unit test class.

*To*

Example: ObjectToObjectToBoolean

A systematically named abstract class that represents an anonymous function [Abelson1995] (or a Strategy [Gamma1995]). The name reflects the type of the underlying function.

References

The following is a complete alphabetical listing of references made in the documentation. Please note that this documentation is not intended as an introduction to software design. The references point out to readily available software design, algorithm and programming texts whose material is general enough that it is not worth rephrasing here.

[Abelson1995]

Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, 2nd. ed.

Abelson, Sussman and Sussman

ISBN 0-262-01153-0

[Cormen2001]

Introduction to Algorithms, 2nd. ed.

Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest and Stein

ISBN 0-262-53196-8

[Fowler1999]

Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code

Martin Fowler

ISBN 0-201-48567-2

[Gamma1995]

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software

Gamma, Helm, Johnson and Vlissides

ISBN 0-201-63361-2

[JUnit]

"JUnit is a simple framework to write repeatable tests."

JUnit was originally designed by Erich Gamma and Kent Beck.

JUnit (http://www.junit.org)

[Kühne1999]

A Functional Pattern System for Object-Oriented Design

Thomas Kühne

ISBN 3-86064-770-9

FPS - Functional Pattern System (http://www.mm.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de/~kuehne/fps)

[Martin2002]

Agile Software Development: Principles, Patterns, and Practices

Robert Cecil Martin

ISBN 0-13-597444-5

[Meyer1997]

Object-Oriented Software Construction, 2nd. ed.

Bertrand Meyer

ISBN 0-13-629155-4

[PLOP3]

Pattern Languages of Program Design 3

Edited by Robert Martin, Dirk Riehle and Frank Buschmann.

ISBN 0-201-31011-2

[Siek2001]

The Boost Graph Library: User Guide and Reference Manual

Jeremy Siek, Lie-Quan Lee and Andrew Lumsdaine

ISBN 0-201-72914-8

The Boost Graph Library (http://www.boost.org/libs/graph/doc)

[Weiss1997]

Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in C, 2nd. ed.

Mark Allen Weiss

ISBN 0-201-49840-5