As spotted by Jeanne Boyarsky on Down Home Country Coding, it looks like there is a new shift of perspective for becoming Java certified. In the new Java Programmer Plus Certification, developers will be required to show off their programming prowess.

Normally when taking the SCJP exam a developer is faced with a barrage of multiple choice and drag and drop questions. Rather than being a test of programming ability the focus tends to be about how much you can remember. The new certification will require a developer to write code to solve particular problems. The code is evaluated through the use of a Code Challenge engine that compares the results to those produced by a test harness. Specific syntax, comments and style are not taken into account, all that matters is the code compiles and meets the requirements of the question.

Currently the exam is at the beta stage and Sun are looking for developers interested in trying out the new format. The beta exams will be sat between July 22nd and July 31st 2009 in certain cities around the world. If you're interested, sign up using the Beta Request Form.

If all goes well, the new version will replace the old SCJP format in the near future.

Some expressions can be used as statements by simply adding a semicolon. They are known as expression statements. When these statements are executed the value of the expression is evaluated.

The expressions that can be made into statements:

• use the increment (++) and decrement (--) unary operators.
• assign values to variables.
• call object methods.
• create objects.

For example, the following are expression statements:

//assigning a value
number = 42;

//using the increment operator
number++;

//using the decrement operator
--number;

//calling a method
System.out.println("Is " + number + " the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything?");

//creating an object
Universe realityOne = new Universe(42);

For you robot battlers out there, Robocode v1.7.1.3 has been released and can be downloaded at the usual spot. As well as several bug fixes there is now a new kind of Robot (in a beta form) – the RateControlRobot.

The RateControlRobot tries to simulate a more realistic robot. It can be controlled by setting a rate for its movements (e.g., to move forward 10 pixels per turn). The robot will continue to move at the specified rate until it's changed or it's been blown up..

Related Articles:
Robocode: Learn Java by Building Robots
Build a Simple Robocode Robot

When calling a method of an object it's common to pass a value to the method. For example, if the object Employee has a method called setJobTitle:

Employee dave = new Employee();
dave.setJobTitle("Candlestick Maker");

the String "Candlestick Maker" is an explicit parameter being passed to the setJobTitle method. However, there is another parameter in the method call that is known as the implicit parameter. The implicit parameter is the object the method belongs to. In the above example it's dave, the object of type employee.