I need to learn java!

Ignore what the other people have said, and just Google "how to install java jdk 6 and jre 6." You're going to need to have those before you can even get started to learn how to program in java.

After that, find on Google, a Java IDE, that suits your abilities, and then download and install it. After that, learn the functions on how to use the IDE properly, you'd only need to know how to create a basic Java application with the IDE.

Once that is done, search for tutorials on the Java "Helloworld" application so you may get started learning Java. You'll have to learn how to write Java's High-Level programming syntax, so to do this you can easily find various tutorials all over Google that can teach you how to do so.

I have told you what you will need to know, so good luck.

 

Apocalypsies Most tutorials aimed at beginners will cover install jre and jdk. Also, a lot of people (myself included) don't recommend using an IDE while first starting out - they can be helpful, sure, but using an IDE at the start can easily encourage beginners to depend on their IDE, which leads to a lot of them solving errors by selecting one of the IDE's solution. Sometime this works, but sometimes it results in people trying to cast their class to a listener. Either way, the person needs to know how to solve it without help, even if they let the IDE do the work.

On the other hand, if you had to do it without an IDE then you will be forced into understand how the code works and the errors that you encounter. It might seem less productive to beginners, but it results in them learning more. Also, I certainly would recommend learning a bit of Java before learning how to properly use the IDE!

As a side note, I'd like to say that you seem to be taking a "I know best" attitude in this post and your one in the common mistakes. I'd suggest that you change that. One, it would be more polite and two, I doubt that you actually do know best. Everyone has room to learn more.

 

Oh my god... Aren't there like 100000 posts about this?

 

macboinc That would make up like ~5% of the total amount of posts on these forums. That's a large amount for such a limited topic...

...So, probably!

 

Like the say, learn the easy way and be challenged by hard challenges or learn the hard way and face no challenges.

 

AdamQpzm
Knowing not to cast your class to a Listener is a Bukkit API thing, learning java doesn't always help you predict that. If you want to know how to make a Listener, then you should learn first, not have a go at it without any knowledge on how it works.

 

lucabunny77 After getting to learn some java and bukkit, I would recommend browsing this part of the forum (plugin development). I learned a lot of things just looking at other peoples problems and the answers given for them.

 

Mrawesomecookie It's true that it's a Bukkit thing, but the error itself is a Java thing, and I was simply using a Bukkit analogy because, well, we're on Bukkit aren't we?

For more detail: When you are registering your events in the onEnable(), and you pass a class that doesn't implement Listener, you obviously get an error. Two of the possible solutions are:

1) Cast argument to Listener
and 2) Let class implement Listener

My point was simply that, someone who understands will know that the 2nd option is the correct one. However, someone who has become overly dependant on their IDE (which can easily use to someone who has always had it available) they are just as likely to pick the first. In fact, they may be more likely to pick the first as they may be familiar with encountering the "cast" suggestion in other places that it works in

To reiterate, not having your IDE give you these suggestions often forces you to understand the code more.

 

It'd be a big waste of time to learn without an IDE, IDE's will help you more than using notepad and batch files for compiling and running something that will end up broken. Also I am sure you're only bringing up the "common mistakes" thread because you clicked my profile, viewed my posts, and are trying to be the "best" yourself. I know that I am not wrong on the common mistakes thread, as I have dealt with mistakes as they have mentioned, before hand. I also have been learning the bukkit api before I even had a premium minecraft account. I know what I am talking about, and I am not going to sit there and lie to your face to be the "best". No one can be the best. Everyone in space and on earth is dumb when it comes to computing.

 

Using an IDE to do coding early on will pretty much lead to you being unable to code without one. This is the same thing as using a calculator for kids learning basic math - they become dependant on it to do basic actions. IDE is a tool for convenience, to allow you to code faster, not to code for you.

 

Java takes a couple months to learn. You can't learn it in one day. So if you want to code you need to dedicate yourself to it.