Assignment 3 (100 Pts)

In this assignment, we're going to extend Assignment 2 with the concepts we just learned--collections and streams.

Using Collections

We discussed several different types of collections in class on 06/22/06. Instead of an array, choose an appropriate collection to store your media items. Before making your choice, consider how easily you can implement the same functionality as in the last assignment, e.g., easily you can store items, retrieve items, and sort items.

This part is purposedly open-ended. In your README, you will defend your choice of collection.

Using Streams

You will read from a file to initialize the data on program startup. Before a user exits the program, you will write out a file containing the current state of the library.

Note the format of the file. The comments are useful for understanding the format of the file. You will have to be able to handle its format and duplicate the format in the file you write out.

(Rhetorical question: where should you implement the stream functionality? The class files? The driver program? Both?)

A driver program

• Read a file that contains the media items
• Store the instances in an appropriate collection
• Provide a menu for the user to manipulate the library. Allow the user to
  • Print the collection
  • Sort the items
  • Add new items
  • Check items in or out of the library
• Write a file that contains the current state of the media items

When you execute your program, demonstrate your program's ability to handle strange or incorrect behavior as well.

Packages

Java Docs

README

• Your name
• Assignment name
• Date
• High-level description of the assignment and what your program(s) does
• A list of submitted files
• The online location of your Java Docs, e.g., http://copland.udel.edu/~sprenks/cisc370/docs. (This is just an example location; the docs at the location are not complete.)
• Instructions for running your program
• Defend your choice of collection for storing the media items. Why did you choose this type of collection over the others? What are the benefits of your choice? What are the disadvantages? Under what condidtions would you use an alternative collection?
• Any other information you want Ke or Sara to know

Script file

If you use Eclipse to run your program, you can copy the text in the Console window from your program's execution and pastes it into Notepad, or some other form that you can save and print. Or, you can upload (ftp) your code to strauss and use the script command there. Eclipse is just a development environment. Java is portable, so you should be able to run your code on any machine that has a JVM.

Submission

Submit a printed version of your assignment (script file) at the beginning of class on Thursday, June 29.

Electronic Submission Organization

Your submission directory will look something like this:

• sprenkle/
  • assign3/
    • CD.class
    • CD.java
    • DVD.class
    • DVD.java
    • ...
    • README
    • assign3.script
    • docs/ (the HTML documentation)

Email a gzipped tar file of your assignment directory (named lastname, as shown above), which includes the script file, the Java files, the class files, the docs, and README to Ke (kli at cis.udel.edu) before next Thursday (June 29) at 11:59:59 p.m. The name of your zipped submission should be lastname-assign3.tar.gz (or .zip or whatever the appropriate extension). The subject line should be "[Your Name] CISC370: Assignment 3 Submission".

Please do not submit your code from earlier assignments. You may need to create a temporary location that contains your submission so that you do not submit code from earlier assignments.

If you have any questions about submission, ask early!

We will follow similar directory structures in future submissions.

Grading (100 pts)

• Correctness (classes, driver: streams, collection): 35 pts
• Organization (inheritance relationships, location of ): 20 pts
• Testing (as demonstrated in script file): 30 pts
• Documentation (completeness, correctness, defense of collection choice): 15 pts