|
Editorial Review Book Description
JavaFX Script makes it easy for developers to quickly develop high-quality UI-intensive applications very quickly. As JavaFX Script: Dynamic Java Scripting for Rich Internet/Client-side Applications demonstrates, developers can develop Rich Internet Applications and rich client-side user interfaces quickly and easily with this potential replacement for Ajax and perhaps even ActionScript and other scripting found in Flash. This firstPress book on JavaFX Scriptcovers the following topics: - The fundamentals of the JavaFX suite of technologies and the foundations of JavaFX Script and available tools
- How to create a Wordsearch application
- How to augment and enhance the Wordsearch application after learning more advanced JavaFX Script features such as classes, objects, UI components, and constructs.
What you’ll learn - Understand the JavaFX family and JavaFX Script and its relationship to the Java/Java SE 6 platform.
- Set up a JavaFX Script development and execution environment culminating in a Hello JFX application.
- Create a Wordsearch application and explore important JavaFX Script concepts by doing so.
- Survey the JavaFX UI Components including the commonly used ones that go into further building and enhancement of the Wordsearch application frame and menu structure.
- Use more advanced JavaFX Script language constructs for extending the Wordsearch application.
- Build JavaFX classes and objects, build the data model for the WordSearch application, and run the data model with a tester program.
- Develop the view for the Wordsearch application using a data model such as bind as well as drawing on a canvas.
- Explore more JavaFX Script concepts and possible IDE tie-ins to NetBeans, Eclipse, etc.
Who is this book for? This book is for content developers and application developers with some programming experience who want to create rich internet applications. Related Titles - Beginning Java SE 6 Platform: From Novice to Professional
- Pro Java 6 3D Game Development: Java 3D, JOGL, JInput and JOAL APIs
... Read more Customer Reviews (6) 
A good book on a language of dubious value
Maybe I'm just an old entrenched Java programmer, but quite frankly, after reading this book, I just don't get why somebody would want to use JavaFX. First off, you are forced to use Netbeans if you want to program in JavaFX. I don't use Netbeans and I'm not interested in doing so. I don't know many Java programmers who are interested in doing so either. Second, the JavaFX language itself doesn't parallel well with the Java language. Many simple constructs are completely different from what is done in Java. In short, I'm having to learn yet another language. Finally, it just doesn't deliver what I'm looking for - a simpler fasterway of writing reliable multimedia applications. Sure you can put up some nice 2D GUIs and displays, but Sun had been promising a Java answer to Flash, or at least the beginnings of one. The problems with pure Java solutions to multimedia - runtime startup time, resource usage, and a lack of complete multimedia solutions including audio, animation, etc. is a problem that has existed since the early days of Java Media Framework and its eventual orphaning by Sun. JavaFX doesn't solve any of these problems or even put a real dent in it.
However, to the author's credit, I learned all of this by reading his book. He doesn't editorialize on the language, but his examples make clear the shortcomings of this new language and therefore prevent you from wasting anymore time than necessary on it. I commend him on that.
Learn Easily what JavaFX is About
JavaFX is a great tool to leverage the advantages of all the vast Java class libraries and Swing in a declarative but statically typed style. I had come to this conclusion when I first noticed JavaFX through stumbling across a link on Sun's Java web-site and portal.
The one thing that JavaFX lacked was a basic, get up to speed tutorial or book which didn't assume you were a programming dunce, didn't assume that you were somehow clueless about how Swing or SWT (or any modern) user interface library worked.
This book filled the gap for me.
I am a reasonably adept Swing GUI developer, can understand SWT and write it (but can't see any particular advantage to SWT unless you're using a product that already uses it or it's an Eclipse based product) and understand GTK+. Hence, I don't need a lecture on how GUIs work, what an event model is, what a widget is; nor do I need a how to program, what does Java syntax look like.
This book gives you sufficient information to: determine if JavaFX may fit into your GUI needs, how to use JavaFX and Java classes together and how to put together a small, JavaFX application. Others have stated the application isn't real-world: I challenge them - I wrote a "real world" word place program for a client...games aren't "real world" but they contain very real concepts both in their play and in their creation.
The book doesn't: teach you how to program Java or any other programming language; it's a fairly tutorial style book. JavaFX is the type of tool where you can bring up a small(ish) example and fiddle with bits to work out what changes. It doesn't teach you a heap about Swing but gives pointers to Swing documentation where appropriate. Those not used to programming or Swing may find it difficult to translate Swing documentation into what JavaFX does. It will show you how to make classes, but not why you'd make them and it presupposes you know a little about programming.
That said, I do know these things and it was certainly worth my money.
I think this book would suit anyone who wanted to peek at JavaFX to see what a basic, but functional example does. It would also suit someone who knew Java, who wanted to add JavaFX to their toolset. It would be less suitable for someone who didn't know what a "for" or "while" loop does and it doesn't go into great detail about "classes", "class hierarchies" and such.
It's a good book and it augments and isn't, by any means, a regurgitation of online documentation.
A Great Introduction to an Exciting Language
If you are looking to have fun with programming, JavaFX is a good place to start.And if you want to learn JavaFX Script, this book can help.The book starts by giving you an overview of JavaFX and its future. Then we get a classic Hello World example which is used to explain declarative programming and how to split up source files and begin binding to a model.Then we get to do some code by example. The main example chosen was a word search program. This gives us a chance to exercise a lot of the features of JavaFX. There is even a section on 2d animation and translation.Throughout the book there are practice problems and challenges to help you exercise your programming muscles.The book also makes a great reference with detailed tables for most of the language features.Overall this is a great introduction to this exciting language. There is a slight learning curve when you get to the Hello World example. I would take it slow after that and make sure you have the foundations of declarative language down. It's just a thought hurdle you have to make, but well worth it in the end.
First printed resource, good start
I was lucky enough to win a free, as in beer, copy of the book in PDF format from the author Jim Weaver.
After reading it from front to back my overall opinion is it's a great resource to get started.It covers everything you need to get up and running from downloading, installing and setting up your Java FX (JFX) Script deveopment environment.The book also discusses the basics that any programmer needs to know to get rolling.The book also provides examples of creating custom widgets, which is certainly helpful.
I give the book 5 out of 5 stars as a starting reference point.Hopefully someone, *hint hint* (Jim), adds to the JFX book collection with a more advanced coverage of the language and perhaps use real world examples.
Great reference for a powerful language
This book definitely covers the basics of the JavaFX language.The first two chapters deal primarily with background information and the basic syntax of the language (which interestingly feels like a lot like JavaScript with some Java tendencies) while chapters three and five cover basic UI constructs and event handling.Chapter four (the longest chapter) covers some of the more advanced constructs provided by the language.
Scattered throughout the last three chapters are tables summarizing the information presented plus related contructs that are very similar and don't require much extra detail to understand and use.There are many examples demonstrating how the language parts work, and if you do all of the many exercises (which I have to admit I did not), you should be well on your way to writing basic JavaFX applications easily and quickly.
The book does move along a little on the slow side for my tastes, but what it lacks in speed, it makes up in thoroughness.Where something can be done multiple ways, each of those ways is illustrated by one or more examples.The tables mentioned before cover the operators and standard classes (including their attributes) of the language in great detail--so much that a skilled programmer could probably read chapter 2, flip to the tables in the later chapters, and begin working on a rich-client application using the tables as sort of an API.
Overall, this book provides a great primer and reference on what seems to be a language with a lot of potential.
... Read more |
Error Ridden
From a former student