This book is built around the objectives that Sun has published for the SCWCD exam. If you know everything that is covered by the objectives, you will pass the exam. The chapters in the book examine each objective in detail and explain everything you need to understand about web component development.

How this book is organized

This book has four parts:

For those of you new to web component development, weíve included one introductory chapter each on Servlets and JavaServer Pages. The objectives of chapters 1 and 2 are to make you comfortable with this technology. They wonít make you an expert, but theyíll teach you enough so that you can understand the rest of the book. If you already have experience with the Servlet and JavaServerPages technologies, you can skip these two chapters. Since in practice servlets are written for HTTP, we have also included a brief discussion of the HTTP protocol and the basics of web applications in chapter 3. You should read this chapter even if you know the HTTP protocol.

Chapters 4 through 17 cover the exam objectives. We have written one chapter for each group of objectives, except for objective section 8, which is covered in two chapters, 11 and 12. Some chapters start with basic concepts that do not necessarily correspond to exam objectives but are very important in order to understand the remaining sections. In the chapters, we illustrate the concepts with simple test programs. You should try to write and run the programs, and we encourage you to modify them and try out similar examples. From our experience, weíve seen that people tend to understand and remember the concepts a lot better if they actually put them in code and see them in action.

Chapter 18 is a discussion of filters. Although knowledge of filters is not required for the SCWCD exam, we have included this information because filters are an important addition to Servlet Specification 2.3.

There are five appendices. Appendix A will help you set up Tomcat. Because some of the exam objectives require basic knowledge of XML, weíve included a brief introduction to XML in appendix B. Appendix C contains a sample web.xml file that illustrates the use of various deployment descriptor tags. Appendix D contains the answers to each chapterís review questions. In appendix E, you will find the Quick Prep, a summary of key concepts and helpful tips that you can review as part of your last-minute exam preparations.

How each chapter is organized

After the introductory chapters in part 1, each chapter begins with a list of the exam objectives that are discussed within it, along with the chapter sections in which each objective is addressed. In some of the chapters, the order of the objectives departs slightly from the original Sun numbering to better correspond to the way the topics within the chapters have been organized.

As you read through the chapters, you will encounter Quizlets about the material you have just read. Try to answer the Quizlet without looking at the answer; if you are correct, you can feel confident that you have understood the concepts.

At the end of each chapter, you will find review questions that will help you to evaluate your ability to answer the exam questions related to the objectives for the chapter. The answers to these questions are in appendix D.

Whatís on the CD?

The CD that accompanies this book includes the JWebPlus exam simulator, which contains three practice exams that will help you prepare to take the real exam. It also includes a copy of Tomcat 4.0 that you can install to run the examples in the book, and to write your own test programs. Of course, all of the examples from the book are also on the CD, along with the latest Servlet 2.3 and JSP 1.2 specifications. In addition, you will find relevant RFCs and a JSP syntax card. And finally, the CD contains a fully searchable electronic version of this complete book.

Code conventions

Italic typeface is used to introduce new terms.

Courier typeface is used to denote code samples, as well as elements and attributes, method names, classes, interfaces, and other identifiers.

Bold courier is used to denote important parts of the code samples.

Code annotations accompany many segments of code.

Line continuations are indented.

Source code

Source code for all the programming examples in this book is available for download from the publisherís web site, www.manning.com/deshmukh. Any corrections to code will be updated on an ongoing basis.

Author Online

Purchase of the SCWCD Exam Study Kit includes free access to a private web forum run by Manning Publications, where you can make comments about the book, ask technical questions, and receive help from the author and from other users. To access the forum and subscribe to it, point your web browser to www.manning.com/deshmukh. This page provides information on how to get on the forum once you are registered, what kind of help is available, and the rules of conduct on the forum.

Manningís commitment to our readers is to provide a venue where a meaningful dialogue between individual readers and between readers and the authors can take place. It is not a commitment to any specific amount of participation on the part of the authors, whose contribution to the AO remains voluntary (and unpaid). We suggest you try asking the authors some challenging questions lest their interest stray!

The Author Online forum and the archives of previous discussions will be accessible from the publisherís web site as long as the book is in print.

You can also reach the authors through their web site at www.jdiscuss.com, where they maintain forums for the discussion of Java topics, especially those related to the Sun exams. Additionally, the web site contains material that you will find useful in your preparation for the exam, such as information about books, tutorials, free and commercial practice exams, and study notes. The site will continue to be updated with exciting new resources as they become available.

Exam code: 310 ñ 080
Cost: $150
Number of questions: 59 multiple-choice questions

The questions tell you the number of correct answers. You may also get questions that ask you to match options on the left-hand side with options on the right-hand side, or that ask you to drag and drop options to the correct place. In general, many exam takers have reported that questions on this test are easier than the ones on the Sun Certified Java Programmerís exam. The exam starts with a survey that asks you questions about your level and experience with Servlet/JSP technology, but these questions are not a part of the actual exam.

At the time of this writing, the duration of the test was 90 minutes. But Sun has changed the duration for the SCJP exam a couple of times, so they could change the duration of this test as well. Please verify it before you take the exam. You can get the latest information about the exam from http://suned.sun.com.

Hereís how to register and what to expect:

1. First, purchase an exam voucher from your local Sun Educational Services office. In the United States, you can purchase an exam voucher by calling (800) 422-8020. If you reside outside of the United States, you should contact your local Sun Educational Services office. Youíll be given a voucher number.
2. Tests are conducted by Prometric all across the world. You have to contact them to schedule the test. Please visit the Prometric web site at www.2test.com for information about testing centers. Before you schedule the test, check out the testing center where you plan to take the exam. Make sure you feel comfortable with the environment there. Believe us, you do not want to take the test at a noisy place. Once you finalize the center, you can schedule the test.
3. You should reach the testing center at least 15 minutes before the test, and donít forget to take two forms of ID. One of the IDs should have your photograph on it.
4. After you finish the test, the screen will tell you whether or not you passed. You will receive a printed copy of the detailed results.
5. Within a week, your results will be available at the ìMy Certificationî web site at www.galton.com/~sun/.
6. Within a month or so, youíll get a welcome kit from Sun that contains a pin and the certification.

Best of luck!

DESCRIPTION

With the tremendous penetration of J2EE in the enterprise, passing the Sun Certified Web Component Developer exam has become an important qualification for Java developers. To pass the SCWCD exam (Exam Number: 310-080) you need to answer 60 questions in 90 minutes and get 61% of them right. You also need $150, and this book.

SCWCD Exam Study Kit helps you learn all the concepts, large and small, that you must know to pass the exam. In this must-have book, you can be sure that no exam topics are missed.

The exam is for Sun Certified Java Programmers who have a certain amount of experience with Servlets and JSPs, but for those who do not, the book starts with three introductory chapters on these topics. Although SCWCD Exam Study Kit has one purpose, to help you get certified, you will find yourself returning to it as a reference after passing the exam.

The CD includes three bonus practice exams from the popular test simulator, JWebPlus, which helps you reinforce key concepts. All questions are followed with detailed explanations. It also includes Tomcat, the Servlet/JSP specifications, related RFCs and a convenient, searchable electronic version of the book.

What's Inside:

• Exception handling
• Session management
• Security
• Custom tags
• Design patterns
• Filters
• All exam objectives, carefully explained
• 120 review questions
• Quick Prep section for last-minute cramming
• CD contains:
• JWebPlus simulator (3 practice tests, 180 additional questions)
• Searchable PDFs of entire book
• Tomcat
• Servlet/JSP specifications

WHAT THE READERS SAY ABOUT THIS BOOK...

"SCWCD Exam study kit book from manning is GOOD. Forget the other one, too many errors, if you are not interested to burn your money and read a long-long list of errata plus errata for erratas."
--A reader from Java Programmer Certification Exam And Training

"I also purchased the book by Sybex for the SCWCD. After reading two chapters in that book, I switched to this book and never looked back."
-- An Amazon reader

ABOUT THE AUTHORS...

Hanumant Deshmukh develops Java certification software for Enthuware.com and manages JDiscuss.com, a site for Java certification aspirants. He lives in Iselin, New Jersey.

Jignesh Malavia is a senior technical architect at SourceCode, Inc. who writes Enthuware.com SCWCD exams. He lives in Ardsley, New York..

Related Titles

• SCWCD Exam Study Kit Second Edition Java Web Component Developer Certification Hanumant Deshmukh, Jignesh Malavia, and Matthew Scarpino - SCWCD Exam 310-081