Conventions

These conventions are aimed to increase the readability and the comprehension of the Java Programming Wikibook. It completes the Wikibooks Manual of Style. However exceptions can be made if needed. If you find it too complex to follow, add the content rawly. It will be formatted by someone.

Most of the time a page from the Java Programming Wikibook has a structure that looks like this:

<noinclude>{{Displaytitle|title=The title of the page}}
{{Nav}}
{{Java Programming/LanguageFundamentalsTopic/Nav}}
__NOTOC__</noinclude>
This is the introduction.
==First section==
This is a section.
<noinclude>
{{Nav}}
{{Status|50%}}</noinclude>

Sometimes we wish to convey an entire java file, this can be done as follows:

{{XCode|1='''Code listing 1.1: The <code>MyClass</code> class'''
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
class MyClass{}
</syntaxhighlight>}}

class MyClass{}

"1.1" means that it is the first code of the first chapter. Using <syntaxhighlight/> is better than using a template as || is a part of the Java syntax.

When just a small section of code is shown, the code template may be used as follows:

{{XExample|1='''Code section 1.1: The <code>MyClass</code> class'''
<syntaxhighlight lang="java">
for (int i=0; i<10; i++) {
 System.out.println("Hello!");
}
</syntaxhighlight>}}

for(inti=0;i<10;i++){
System.out.println("Hello!");
}

To represent what is shown on the screen, use the following syntax:

{{XConsole|1='''Output for the application'''
<pre style="background-color:#000; color:#fff;">
Hello World!
</pre>}}

Hello World!

Notes grant readers additional information about a certain topic. You can enter additional or side notes by using the following template:

{{XNote|This is an additional note.}}

Use notes only when it is necessary. A note is less readable than paragraphs.

To warn the user of things like common pitfalls, the XWarning template should be used as demonstrated:

{{XWarning|This is a warning.}}

If there are sections of the book that require attention at a later time, you can add a to-do note by including the following template:

{{TODO|To-do items for pages should be kept in their respective comment boxes.|Java Programming}}

If a section is optional, it can be hidden like this:

{{Java/Hidden begin|title=Hidden section}}
This section is not mandatory.
{{Hidden end}}

This book uses various illustrations and diagrams to convey its message, e.g., flow-chart or UML diagrams, etc. Due to the nature of diagrams, they need to be designed in a scalable vector format. It is highly recommended that you use the SVG format for your diagrams. Please, do not use JPG or PNG for diagrams that could otherwise be done in SVG. Ask a regular contributor for his/her help in this matter.

A regular feature for diagrams used in this book is the overall color scheme. The most notable color used for illustrations in this book is   #2a7fff (as is shown for the diagrams below, for instance). In order to include illustrations into your content, you need to use the {{Java/Illustration}} template. Given below is an example of how this template ought to be used.

{{Java/Illustration
|number=1
|caption=A sample illustration from the book
|image=[[File:Java Compilation Basics.svg|center]]
}}

• Use italic when you use a term for the first time.
• Use the <code/> markup when you refer to a class, a field or a method.

This book uses United States English, purely for the sake of consistency. Most programming languages have words represented in the United States English, e.g., color, etc. You should use the US English wherever possible.

The book follows the official Java code conventions. Here is an example:

if(foo==bar){
// do stuff
}else{
// do other stuff
}

• Book:Java Programming

• Wikibooks pages with to-do lists