Good Place To Learn Java And Bukkit API

Hello, So I'm an okay Developer, I'm not that good I can only do the basic things like killing players and setting flying. And other basic stuff. I really want to know more about Bukkit API so I can code plugins for my server that are actually good. I want to learn more about configuration and stuff for making Lobby signs to join games and stuff really bad. Or have multiple games for paintball I could make and stuff like that. So if someone could teach me to code or give me a link to a place to learn Bukkit api I would be sooo happy. I really would like to learn how to code better and do more advanced things so I could make things like Search and Destroy and make plugins for people on Plugin requests that are more advanced like Survival games when people request it usually no one makes it cause its too big. I want to be a person that will help that person out so they can have a cool plugin not many people have. So please help me I will be very very happy. Thanks for everything and I hope you have a cool new year! Happy new years everyone! You all awesome!

 

Chibbey I am a developer for a few servers and I am thinking about getting one for my server just to help out. I could teach you a few things and help you understand the API. Also I recommend getting a book about Java and after you learn java read and watch videos about Bukkit. And posting here and reading posts here can really help you learn.

 

When i started doing bukkit plugins, here is what i used.

http://jd.bukkit.org/rb/doxygen/annotated.html

http://wiki.bukkit.org/Event_API_Reference

http://wiki.bukkit.org/Plugin_Tutorial

Code:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrMGokrBHdg&list=PL4A0C6138F3F5AA41

 

http://thenewboston.org/list.php?cat=31

Here you can learn all about java and that will help you much in Bukkit, because if you know java well Bukkit is much easier! For the rest just google when you need help with something, there is almost the same question asked by another user!

 

Jalau ImDeJay Forseth11
Thank all of you for helping me out I have to go out somewhere for a while but when I get back I will listen to all of you and do what you said. Maybe I can get a book while im out

 

Chibbey I used Java: A Beginner's Guide By: Herbert Schildt when I first started. It was $10 at half price books and $40 for it new.

 

IMHO, the best way to learn is by having a goal. I've tried to teach numerous people that wanted to learn to make Bukkit plugins, and most of them gave up within the first few days because they didnt have any actual goals.

You cant "learn" an entire language and API. You reference them to get to your goals.

Know what you want to make, then use Google to get to the correct docs that explain how to make it.

Over enough time a lot of things will become second nature to you and finding your answers through Google will become much easier and faster.

 

Whatever you do, learn Java first, before messing with the Bukkit API.

 

True, java helps alot when it comes to bukkit api

 

Chibbey
Codisimus wrote a book on the Bukkit API

 

It can be found at http://www.packtpub.com/building-minecraft-server-modifications/book and is currently on sale until the 3rd.

 

reading book written by random forum member is not good place to learn java, oracle is good place
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/reallybigindex.html

 

Like BillyGalbreath said, I recommend you set yourself some goals. However you should start with a small goal and slowly make it more complicated. If you try and code a minigame plugin straight away you are going to struggle.

 

Garris0n
Why wasting time on reading outdated articles by random people when you can read modern articles by java developers?

 

RawCode

 

RawCode
Why is it a waste of time? Just because you don't like books, doesn't mean they are a bad source (some of them are fairly decent). The oracle tutorials and documentation is phenomenal, but a lot of people (including myself) prefer books.

 

AoH_Ruthless
Its your own decision to prefer books over oracle documentation, everyone have free will and learn as he like.

Why waste of time:
Just imagine, you invented java\Perlin Noise\wheel\bicycle\something else and posted tech documentation on your own site, anyone free to visit and read that documentation, build your invention by blueprints.

Someone decided to publish book about your technology, that person explained how he understands documentation and how he planning to implement that documentation, it's his own vision of subject.
Now imagine that author of book is wrong.

Anyone who red his book just wasted time.

 

My book teaches the Bukkit API, not Java. You can learn Java through it but it is meant to get you started with creating plugins. As you create more and more you will become more practiced with Java. But if you want to create very complicated plugins you will also need to learn Java from some other means.

You are right that my book contains my interpretation of how the Bukkit API should be used. Parts will be different than all the YouTube videos out there but real programmers would most likely agree that my techniques are better. And whether they are different or not they are not wrong. The code works and you should remember that there is more than one way to complete a task.

And by the way, I am not just a random forum member. I have the highest reputation of any plugin developer on BukkitDev. Thousands of people use my plugins.

I agree with Ad237, You must start small. Maybe a simple command. Then once you understand that try listening for some events. If you look at the table of contents of my book you will see the order that I introduce topics. Even if you don't wish to buy the book you could still try to learn the topics in the same order. Like I said, there are different ways of going about learning to code but this is what I would suggest.

 

Codisimus
Cool! You got the highest reputation! I would kill for you to teach me some stuff! I might get your book also!

 

From what I can see, my reputation score (693) is higher than any other dev. I have only seen a handful over 50 and none over 300.

 

Codisimus
sk89q author of World Guard and World Edit have reputation 8.
Probably this value better if lower.

If multiple ways to solve problem exists (not in case of java), i wont take your or anyone else solution, i will refer to oracle documentation, this does not make your solution "wrong", but i wont use it and wont recommend it to anyone.

In case of "there is no official documentation on subject" i will refer to source code, ignoring any books or articles by random people - only valid source of information is author and development team.

 

Reputation increases as you receive more likes as well as for other reasons. sk89q may have more downloads but according to BukkitDev I provide better support and users "like" me more.

How can you say this? There can be many different algorithms for doing a similar task. Let's taking sorting for example. Oracle has included a certain algorithm into Java but it is not always the most efficient method of sorting. In fact, as other people have developed better methods, Oracle has implemented them within their next Java release.

Oracle does not provide anything that will help you learn how to use the Bukkit API. I agree that is is a great help for Java concepts but it won't help you learn how to create a Bukkit plugin command.

This may be fine for you (and I do this most of the time too) but a new programmer may not fully understand how to read and understand Javadocs. It will have all the information if you can make sense of it. In fact I teach in my book how to refer to the Javadocs for the Bukkit API so that you can self teach in the future. As for articles written by random people, they are not a waste of time. They can help you get a head start on understanding a new concept. Once you learn it, you can address the documentation and see if there is anyway to improve the code.