Code-Alongs

Code-Along 1: Iterators

In this code-along, you'll learn how to implement and use Java Iterators effectively. You'll practice creating custom iterators for your own data structures and understand the Iterator pattern in detail.

What You'll Learn

  • Iterator Fundamentals: Understand the core methods of the Iterator interface - hasNext(), next(), and remove()
  • Safe Collection Modification: Learn how to safely add and remove elements from a collection during iteration without throwing ConcurrentModificationException
  • Custom Iterators: Implement your own Iterator for a custom data structure
  • ListIterator Usage: Explore the extended functionality of ListIterator for bidirectional traversal and element manipulation

Key Concepts

Iterators solve a common problem in Java programming - how to traverse a collection while safely modifying its contents. Through this code-along, you'll understand:

  • The difference between using a for-each loop and an Iterator
  • How the Iterator maintains its position using an internal cursor
  • Proper sequencing of next() and remove() operations
  • How to implement the Iterable interface in your own classes

Resources

Starter Repository Solution Repository

Code-Along 2: Spring Boot

This code-along will guide you through building a simple RESTful web service using Spring Boot. You'll learn about Spring Boot's core concepts, dependency injection, and how to create controllers and endpoints.

What You'll Learn

  • Spring Boot Fundamentals: Understand Spring Boot's auto-configuration and how it simplifies application setup
  • RESTful Controller Creation: Build controllers with @RestController and handle different HTTP methods
  • Request Mapping: Use annotations like @GetMapping, @PostMapping to route requests
  • Path Variables and Parameters: Extract data from URLs using @PathVariable and @RequestParam
  • Response Handling: Format responses properly with status codes and content types

Key Concepts

Spring Boot is a powerful framework for building web applications and microservices. In this code-along, you'll explore:

  • The structure of a Spring Boot application
  • How dependency injection simplifies component management
  • RESTful API design principles and implementation
  • Testing endpoints using Postman
  • Common patterns for organizing Spring Boot applications

Resources

Starter Repository Solution Repository