Java Programming Fundamentals Competency (Intermediate Level)

Topics covered

• compare objects for semantic equality
• demonstrate additional applications of using the else clause to provide an alternate code path to control program flow
• differentiate between equality tests based on the == operator and .equals
• differentiate between the StringBuffer and the StringBuilder object, and determine the right choice for your specific use-case
• effectively use nested loops
• extract primitive data types back from wrapper objects of type Integer, Float, etc.
• identify common causes of infinite looping, such as incorrect use of the continue keyword
• modify control flow in a program using the if construct
• perform type conversions using methods available in various wrapper objects
• short-circuit execution of the current loop iteration using the continue keyword
• use enhanced for loops, also known as for-each loops, to iterate over arrays and iterable objects in Java
• use enums (enumerated types) along with switch statements
• use multiple loop variables to control the number of iterations in a while loop
• use nested if-else conditions to deal with mutually exclusive conditions
• use strings in if-else constructs, relying on the .equals method and avoiding the == operator
• use string variables in switch statements
• use the default keyword to deal with unexpected values in switch evaluation
• use the do-while loop control structure to ensure that the body of a loop is always executed at least once, regardless of the value of the loop variable