Sprint Challenge

Sprint Challenge Overview

This sprint challenge will test your understanding of Sets, Maps, Composition, and Exception Handling. You'll need to apply concepts from all the modules in this sprint to create a robust solution.

Key Objectives You'll Demonstrate

• Using Sets to manage unique collections of elements
• Implementing Maps to establish relationships between objects
• Applying composition to create flexible and maintainable class structures
• Implementing proper exception handling for robust code
• Writing clean, well-organized code with appropriate comments

Concepts to Review

// Sets for unique collections
Set<Student> uniqueStudents = new HashSet<>();

// Maps for relationships
Map<String, List<Course>> studentCourses = new HashMap<>();

// Composition example
public class University {
    private Set<Student> students;
    private Map<String, Department> departments;
    
    // Methods that use the composed objects
}

// Exception handling
try {
    // Operations that might fail
} catch (SpecificException e) {
    // Handle specific exception
} catch (Exception e) {
    // Handle general exceptions (use with caution)
} finally {
    // Clean up resources
}

Tips for Success

• Plan first: Before coding, understand the requirements and plan your approach
• Use appropriate data structures: Select the right collection types based on your needs
• Handle exceptions properly: Don't just catch exceptions; handle them appropriately
• Test thoroughly: Create test cases to verify your implementation works correctly
• Follow clean code principles: Write readable, well-structured code with meaningful names

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using a List when a Set would be more appropriate (or vice versa)
• Forgetting to override hashCode() when overriding equals() for custom objects
• Creating deep inheritance hierarchies instead of using composition
• Catching exceptions too broadly without proper handling
• Not closing resources properly in try-catch-finally blocks