Document Format

Most of the documentation you must include in your certification project is in ASCII format. The design and requirements documents advocated throughout the book can be in any format you want. These documents are for your benefit; they are not included in the solution you upload to Sun.

The exception is the design choices document. Fortunately for Windows users, Sun allows the design choices document to be supplied in Microsoft Word format. That means you can provide UML diagrams. (You can draw them in Word or paste them in from another application, such as Microsoft Excel.) I didn't, but still received a perfect score for the documentation. However, I lost a few points elsewhere and might not have if I had provided UML diagrams that explained my design. I strongly urge you to use at least a few UML diagrams for your design. Then just add them to the design choices document to make it easier for your evaluator to give you a higher score.

Appendix A, "UML Glance Card," reviews the basics of UML. UML is currently at version 1.4 and can be downloaded from the Object Management Group's Web site at http://www.omg.org. Be aware that it is a 4MB PDF file.

Last, your certification project will be considered a success when you see a passing score on Sun's CertManager site in your "Test History" section. There are two major criteria to check before that day. First, make sure you have included the required components and performed various use tests. Second, ensure that all files in your single JAR file are accounted for and are in the right place. You must accomplish both tasks for your project to be successful.