Java Programming Course - United Kingdom

Module 1: Introduction to Java & Environment Setup

1. What is Java? (History, Features, and the JVM/JRE/JDK ecosystem).
2. Setting up the Environment: Installing the JDK and an IDE (like IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, or VS Code).
3. The "Hello World" Program: Understanding the basic structure of a Java file.
4. Compilation vs. Execution: How code turns into bytecode.

Module 2: Variables and Data Types

1. Primitive Data Types: int, double, boolean, char, float, long.
2. Reference Data Types: Introduction to String.
3. Variables: Declaration, initialization, and naming conventions (camelCase).
4. Type Casting: Widening (automatic) and Narrowing (manual) conversions.

Module 3: Operators and Expressions

1. Arithmetic Operators: +, -, *, /, %.
2. Relational & Logical Operators: ==, !=, >, <, &&, ||, !.
3. Assignment Operators: =, +=, -=.
4. Unary Operators: Increment (++) and Decrement (--).

Module 4: Control Flow Statements

1. Conditional Statements: if, else if, else, and switch cases.
2. Looping Structures:
3. for loops (standard and enhanced).
4. while loops.
5. do-while loops.
6. Jump Statements: break and continue.

Module 5: Methods (Functions)

1. Defining Methods: Syntax, return types, and parameters.
2. Method Overloading: Creating multiple methods with the same name.
3. Scope: Understanding local vs. class-level variables.
4. The static Keyword: Why main is always static.

Module 6: Arrays and Strings

1. Arrays: Declaring, initializing, and accessing single-dimensional arrays.
2. Iterating Arrays: Using loops to process data.
3. String Manipulation: Common methods like .length(), .charAt(), .substring(), and .equals().

Module 7: Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

1. Classes and Objects: The blueprint vs. the instance.
2. Constructors: Initializing objects with default and parameterized constructors.
3. The this Keyword: Distinguishing between instance variables and parameters.
4. Access Modifiers: public, private, protected, and default.

Module 8: The Four Pillars of OOP (Foundations)

1. Encapsulation: Using Getters and Setters to protect data.
2. Inheritance: Using extends to reuse code between classes.
3. Polymorphism: Method overriding and dynamic method dispatch.
4. Abstraction: Basic introduction to Abstract Classes and Interfaces.

Java Course Outline (Advance)

Module 1: Deep Dive into JVM Internals

1. JVM Architecture: Class Loaders, Runtime Data Areas (Heap, Stack, PC Register), and Execution Engine.
2. Garbage Collection (GC): Understanding G1, ZGC, and Shenandoah collectors; tuning GC for performance.
3. Memory Management: Identifying memory leaks and using tools like VisualVM or JProfiler.
4. Bytecode Manipulation: A look at how Java code is interpreted at the machine level.

Module 2: Advanced Generics & Collections

1. Generics Under the Hood: Type Erasure, Wildcards (? extends T, ? super T), and Generic Methods.
2. The Collections Framework (Internals): Analyzing the time complexity and internal structure of HashMap, ConcurrentHashMap, and TreeSet.
3. Custom Collections: Implementing your own data structures within the Java Collection framework.

Module 3: Functional Programming in Java

1. Lambda Expressions: Syntax and functional interfaces (Predicate, Function, Consumer, Supplier).
2. Stream API: Advanced data processing using map, filter, reduce, collect, and parallel streams.
3. Optional Class: Handling null safely to avoid NullPointerException.
4. Method References: Simplifying code with ClassName::methodName.

Module 4: Concurrency and Multithreading

1. Thread Safety: Synchronization, Volatile variables, and Atomic classes.
2. The Executor Framework: Managing thread pools with ThreadPoolExecutor and ScheduledExecutorService.
3. Locking Mechanisms: ReentrantLock, ReadWriteLock, and StampedLock.
4. CompletableFuture: Asynchronous programming and non-blocking I/O operations.

Module 5: Reflection and Annotations

1. Java Reflection API: Inspecting and modifying the behavior of classes at runtime.
2. Custom Annotations: Creating and processing your own annotations using Reflection.
3. Dynamic Proxies: Implementing the Proxy pattern dynamically for logging or transaction management.

Module 6: Design Patterns (Java Implementation)

1. Creational Patterns: Singleton (Thread-safe), Factory, and Builder.
2. Structural Patterns: Adapter, Decorator, and Proxy.
3. Behavioral Patterns: Observer, Strategy, and Command.
4. SOLID Principles: Deep dive into writing maintainable and decoupled code.

Module 7: Modern Java Features

1. Records: Immutable data classes.
2. Sealed Classes: Controlling inheritance hierarchies.
3. Switch Expressions: Enhanced switch syntax and pattern matching.
4. Virtual Threads (Project Loom): Lightweight concurrency for high-throughput applications.

Module 8: Database Connectivity & Persistence

1. Advanced JDBC: Batch processing, transaction management (ACID), and Connection Pooling (HikariCP).
2. Introduction to JPA & Hibernate: Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) and managing entity lifecycles.
3. Criteria API: Building dynamic, type-safe database queries.