The Eckel Index: New language features from Java 9 through Java 17

A summary of many of the most important language improvements since Java 8

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Earlier in 2022, Java Magazine published seven articles by Bruce Eckel (author of On Java 8 version 2) that describe new features added to the Java language since Java 8, covering everything through Java 17. Readers requested a list of the topics covered in those seven articles; here’s the list.

Note that all the source code for these articles can be found on GitHub.

Article #1: Simplifying local variable type inference

The var keyword

Type inference

Generics

Article #2: Java records

The record keyword

Canonical constructors

Compact constructors

Article #3: Interfaces and sealed classes

The default and static methods

Sealed classes

Sealed interfaces

Subclasses of a sealed class

Article #4: Switch expressions, arrow syntax, and case null

The arrow syntax (->) in case clauses in a switch

The case null clause in a switch

Using switch as an expression

Article #5: Pattern matching

Pattern matching for instanceof

The bigger picture of pattern matching

Selector expressions

Article #6: Pattern matching guards and dominance

Guards

Dominance

Coverage

Article #7: Java modules, text blocks, and more

Modules

Text blocks

Better NullPointerException reporting

Effectively final variables in try-with-resources

Dig deeper

• A peek into Java 17: Encapsulating the Java runtime internals
• Book review: Java 9 Modularity
• Design implications of Java’s switch statements and switch expressions
• Fight ambiguity and improve your code with Java 17’s sealed classes
• Functional programming in Java: Lists, lambdas, and method references
• Gavin Bierman explains pattern matching for switch, a Java 17 preview
• Hidden gems in Java 16 and Java 17, from Stream.mapMulti to HexFormat
• Inside the language: Sealed types
• Java 14 arrives with a host of new features
• Java records: Serialization, marshaling, and bean state validation
• Modern Java toys that boost productivity, from type inference to text blocks
• New switch expressions in Java 12
• Pattern matching for instanceof in Java 14
• Records come to Java
• Simpler object and data serialization using Java records
• Text blocks come to Java
• The evolving nature of Java interfaces