Beginner Java Programming

TRC Beginner Programming Curriculum

Class 1

• Introduction, overview: Everyone should bring a laptop to class. Student laptops are ok.
• Set up replit.com accounts: Most students use their google account to sign in.
• Create first java replit, Hello World
  • Click run and get output.
  • Discuss the basic components of a java program.
  • Explain the syntax.
  • Show a couple examples where the program breaks because of bad syntax. Explain the error messages.
• Topics covered:
  • Variables
  • Primitive types and Expressions
  • Introduction to numeric types: int, long, float, double.
  • Numeric operators: +-*/%
  • Useful constants like Math.PI
  • Variable declarations and initialization
  • String types: simple string creation, concatenation
  • Introduction to boolean types and operators. && || == !=, >, < etc.
  • Some practice with these types- give a few simple programming problems

Class 2

• Recap boolean expressions
• Introduction to while loops
  • Using a variable to count loops
  • Simple programs using while()
    • Print the numbers 1 to 10
    • Print the numbers 10 to 1
  • Incrementing, decrementing,
• Introduction to if/else statements
  • Simple conditional execution
  • Combine if with while. For example, print even numbers up to 20.
• Introduction to Scanner and Random.
  • Ask the user to input their name and repeat it back
  • Ask for a number and repeat back its square

With these two we can start to build a complex program: play a guessing game: choose a random number between 1 and 10 and have the user guess the number, giving too low/ too high feedback. This might require step-by step building up the program with the students.

Assign the fizz buzz problem for homework.

Class 3

• Fizz buzz solution
• [SKIP] Do … while ⇔ while
• Introduction to for loops
  • do several examples
  • While ⇔ for loop
• Objects and classes: usually we use a working example of Robots or Animals
  • Member variables
  • Constructors
  • Member methods
  • Getters/setters
  • Static class methods
  • Inheritance - show some examples from FRC repos.
• Arrays
  • Initialization
  • Iterating
  • Exercises: find the min, find the max, compute the average
• Case statements
• State machines
  • Soda vending machine
  • State transition diagram
  • What variables are needed,
  • Implementation as a class
• Exceptions - throwing/handling
• Wrap-up:
  • Tour of FRC code base.
  • Examples of state machines, inheritance
  • Show example of a shooting state machine from the code.
• Installing WPILib, github desktop