Is Kotlin Right For You? - Detroit Java Users Group

Sure Java pays the bills for some of us, but there’s no reason why we can’t have fun developing again. Kotlin, developed by JetBrains, has been catching on lately because of its functional nature, null safety, type inference, full interoperability with Java, cross-platform support, and ease of use with Android and Spring. Is this something you and your team should considering spending time to learn?

In this session we will go over what Kotlin is, what problems it solves, and what makes it stand out from other JVM languages. You’ll come away with enough knowledge to decide if this is something you and your team should consider adopting.

Transcript

1. Is Kotlin
   Right For You?
   Detroit Java User Group
   2018-05-23
   Todd Ginsberg
   @ToddGinsberg
   Principal Software Developer
   

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2. @ToddGinsberg
   Who Is This Person?
   Todd Ginsberg
   Principal Software Developer @Netspend
   (a payments company in Austin, TX)
   Java developer since 1995
   Kotlin developer since 2016
   Chicago Java User Group CFO
   

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3. @ToddGinsberg
   What’s in a Name?
   By Editors of Open Street Map - Open Street Map, CC BY-SA
   Kotlin Island
   

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4. @ToddGinsberg
   Hiding The Real Reason?
   

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5. @ToddGinsberg
   But First…
   I
   Java
   

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6. @ToddGinsberg
   Agenda
   1.What is Kotlin?
   2.Syntax and Code
   3.Community
   4.Summary / Wrap-up
   5.Q & A
   

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7. @ToddGinsberg
   What Is Kotlin?
   

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8. @ToddGinsberg
   What Is Kotlin?
   Statically typed JVM language, developed by JetBrains
   Released under Apache 2.0 license
   JVM 6 or 8 bytecode
   Also targets ECMAScript 5.1
   LLVM compiler can compile to native
   

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9. @ToddGinsberg
   Major Features
   100% interoperable with Java
   Very easy to learn
   Type Inference
   More than diamond operator or local var (thanks Java 10!)
   Null-safe
   170,000+ issues on GitHub!
   11,172 duplicates on Stack Overflow!
   Fantastic IDE support
   Large, positive community
   

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10. @ToddGinsberg
    Kotlin Adoption
    

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11. @ToddGinsberg
    Supported on Android
    Beep! You can
    use Kotlin now!
    - 2017
    

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12. @ToddGinsberg
    Recommended on Android
    Beep! Prefer
    Kotlin over Java!
    - 2018
    

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13. @ToddGinsberg
    Spring Framework Support
    Kotlin is fully supported in Spring Framework 5
    Kotlin is an option on start.spring.io
    Spring @NotNull annotations == Better Kotlin nullability support
    Comprehensive Kotlin documentation and examples
    

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14. @ToddGinsberg
    Supported in Gradle
    

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15. @ToddGinsberg
    Syntax
    

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16. @ToddGinsberg
    Variables and Values
    var place: String = "Chicago"
    place = "Illinois" // OK!
    val name: String = "Todd"
    name = "Emma" // Compile Error!
    

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17. @ToddGinsberg
    Type Inference
    val d: Int = 2
    val description: String = "Todd has $d doughnuts"
    

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18. @ToddGinsberg
    val d = 2
    val description = "Todd has $d doughnuts"
    Type Inference
    

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19. @ToddGinsberg
    Equality
    val name1 = "EXAMPLE"
    val name2 = "example"
    // Structural Equality
    name1 == name2.toUpperCase() // True!
    // Referential Equality
    name1 === name2 // False!
    // Unfortunately…
    name1 ==== name2 // Compiler Error L
    

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20. @ToddGinsberg
    Raw Strings
    val json = "{\n\"name\": \"Todd\"\n}”
    val json =
    """
    {
    "name": "Todd"
    }
    """
    

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21. @ToddGinsberg
    Null Safety
    // Guaranteed to never be null
    val name: String = "Todd"
    // May be null
    val salary: Int? = null
    

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22. @ToddGinsberg
    var city: String? = "Chicago"
    // Not allowed, might be null!
    city.toUpperCase()
    // Safe traversal
    city?.toUpperCase()
    Null-safe Traversal
    

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23. @ToddGinsberg
    val lowest : Int? = listOf(1, 2, 3).min()
    val lowest : Int = listOf(1, 2, 3).min() ?: 0
    Elvis
    

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24. @ToddGinsberg
    Combine Safe-Traversal and Elvis
    println(
    city?.toUpperCase() ?: ”UNKNOWN”
    )
    

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25. @ToddGinsberg
    val lowest: Int? = listOf(1, 2, 3).min()
    val lowest: Int = listOf(1, 2, 3).min()!!
    val lowest: Int = emptyList().min()!!
    // KotlinNullPointerException! L
    Manual Override
    

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26. @ToddGinsberg
    Null Safety
    Remember the names!
    ?. == Safe Traversal
    ?: == Elvis
    !! == Hold My Beer
    

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27. @ToddGinsberg
    Expressions – if
    val status = if (code == 42) {
    "Success"
    } else {
    "Fail"
    }
    

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28. @ToddGinsberg
    Expressions – try/catch
    val number = try {
    code.toInt()
    } catch (e: NumberFormatException) {
    0
    }
    

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29. @ToddGinsberg
    Expressions – When
    val result = when(x) {
    0 -> "x is 0”
    in 1..10 -> "x is between 1 and 10”
    in someSet -> "x is in someSet”
    parseString(s) -> "the same as parseString”
    else -> "x doesn't match anything"
    }
    

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30. @ToddGinsberg
    when (x) {
    is Int -> print(x % 2 == 0)
    is String -> print(x.length + 1)
    is IntArray -> print(x.sum())
    }
    if(x != null) {
    println(x.toString())
    }
    Smart Casting
    

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31. @ToddGinsberg
    Classes
    class Entity : SomeInterface {
    // ...
    }
    

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32. @ToddGinsberg
    Classes - Inheritance
    open class Entity : SomeInterface {
    // ...
    }
    class Customer : Entity() {
    // ...
    }
    

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33. @ToddGinsberg
    Properties
    class Customer(var name: String) {
    var state: String? = null
    }
    val c = Customer("Todd")
    c.state = "IL"
    println("${c.name} from ${c.state}")
    // "Todd from IL"
    

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34. @ToddGinsberg
    Properties – Set
    class Customer(var name: String) {
    var state: String? = null
    set(value) {
    field = value?.toUpperCase()
    }
    }
    

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35. @ToddGinsberg
    Properties – Set
    class Customer(var name: String) {
    var state: String? = null
    private set(value) {
    field = value?.toUpperCase()
    }
    }
    

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36. @ToddGinsberg
    Properties – GET
    class Customer(var name: String) {
    var state: String? = null
    get() {
    return field?.toUpperCase()
    }
    }
    

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37. @ToddGinsberg
    Property Delegation
    class Country {
    val gdp: Int = slowCalculation()
    }
    class Country {
    val gdp: Int by lazy {
    slowCalculation()
    }
    }
    

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38. @ToddGinsberg
    Class Delegation
    // Java
    class MyJavaImpl implements HugeInterface {
    private final HugeInterface backing;
    public MyJavaImpl(HugeInterface hi) {
    backing = hi;
    }
    // IMPLEMENT EVERYTHING
    }
    

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39. @ToddGinsberg
    Class Delegation
    // Java
    class MyJavaImpl extends SomeImplementation {
    // Implement Some
    }
    

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40. @ToddGinsberg
    Class Delegation
    // Kotlin
    class MyImpl(h: HugeInterface) : HugeInterface by h
    {
    // Implement Some
    }
    

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41. @ToddGinsberg
    Sealed Classes
    sealed class Message
    class StartServer(val name: String) : Message()
    class StopServer(val name: String) : Message()
    object CountServers : Message()
    

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42. @ToddGinsberg
    Sealed Classes
    val response = when(msg) {
    is StartServer -> startServer(msg.name)
    is StopServer -> stopServer(msg.name)
    is CountServers -> countServers()
    }
    

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43. @ToddGinsberg
    Let’s Write a POJO!
    public class Person {
    public String firstName;
    public String lastName;
    }
    

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44. @ToddGinsberg
    Let’s Write a POJO!
    public class Person {
    private String firstName;
    private String lastName;
    public String getFirstName() {
    return firstName;
    }
    public void setFirstName(final String firstName) {
    this.firstName = firstName;
    }
    public String getLastName() {
    return lastName;
    }
    public void setLastName(final String lastName) {
    this.lastName = lastName;
    }
    }
    

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45. @ToddGinsberg
    Let’s Write a POJO!
    public class Person {
    private String firstName;
    private String lastName;
    public Person() { }
    public Person(final String firstName, final String lastName) {
    this.firstName = firstName;
    this.lastName = lastName;
    }
    public String getFirstName() {
    return firstName;
    }
    public void setFirstName(final String firstName) {
    this.firstName = firstName;
    }
    public String getLastName() {
    return lastName;
    }
    public void setLastName(final String lastName) {
    this.lastName = lastName;
    }
    }
    

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46. @ToddGinsberg
    Let’s Write a POJO!
    import java.util.Objects;
    public class Person {
    private String firstName;
    private String lastName;
    public Person() { }
    public Person(final String firstName, final String lastName) {
    this.firstName = firstName;
    this.lastName = lastName;
    }
    public String getFirstName() {
    return firstName;
    }
    public void setFirstName(final String firstName) {
    this.firstName = firstName;
    }
    public String getLastName() {
    return lastName;
    }
    public void setLastName(final String lastName) {
    this.lastName = lastName;
    }
    @Override
    public boolean equals(final Object o) {
    if (this == o) return true;
    if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
    final Person person = (Person) o;
    return Objects.equals(firstName, person.firstName) &&
    Objects.equals(lastName, person.lastName);
    }
    @Override
    public int hashCode() {
    return Objects.hash(firstName, lastName);
    }
    }
    

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47. @ToddGinsberg
    Let’s Write a POJO!
    import java.util.Objects;
    public class Person {
    private String firstName;
    private String lastName;
    public Person() { }
    public Person(final String firstName, final String lastName) {
    this.firstName = firstName;
    this.lastName = lastName;
    }
    public String getFirstName() {
    return firstName;
    }
    public void setFirstName(final String firstName) {
    this.firstName = firstName;
    }
    public String getLastName() {
    return lastName;
    }
    public void setLastName(final String lastName) {
    this.lastName = lastName;
    }
    @Override
    public boolean equals(final Object o) {
    if (this == o) return true;
    if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
    final Person person = (Person) o;
    return Objects.equals(firstName, person.firstName) &&
    Objects.equals(lastName, person.lastName);
    }
    @Override
    public int hashCode() {
    return Objects.hash(firstName, lastName);
    }
    @Override
    public String toString() {
    return "Person{" +
    "firstName='" + firstName + '\'' +
    ", lastName='" + lastName + '\'' +
    '}';
    }
    }
    

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48. @ToddGinsberg
    Data Classes To The Rescue!
    data class Person(val firstName: String,
    val lastName: String)
    • Getters (and Setters for vars) as Properties
    • toString()
    • hashCode() and equals()
    • And…
    

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49. @ToddGinsberg
    Copying Data Classes
    val me = Person("Todd", "Ginsberg")
    val emma = me.copy(firstName = "Emma")
    // Person(”Emma", "Ginsberg")
    

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50. @ToddGinsberg
    Destructuring Data Classes
    val me = Person("Todd", "Ginsberg")
    val (first, last) = me
    // first == “Todd” last == “Ginsberg”
    

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51. @ToddGinsberg
    FUNctions!
    fun generateRandomNumber(): Int {
    return 4
    }
    fun generateRandomNumber(): Int = 4
    fun generateRandomNumber() = 4
    

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52. @ToddGinsberg
    FUNctions – Default Values
    fun random(offset: Int = 0): Int =
    offset + 4
    random() // 4
    random(1) // 5
    

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53. @ToddGinsberg
    FUNctions – Named Parameters
    fun combine(first: Int,
    second: Int): Int =
    first + second
    combine(1, 2) // 3
    combine(first = 1, second = 2) // 3
    combine(second = 2, first = 1) // 3
    

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54. @ToddGinsberg
    FUNctions – Named & Default
    fun combine(first: Int,
    second: Int,
    third: Int = 0): Int =
    first + second + third
    combine(1, 2) // 3
    combine(second = 2, first = 1, third = 3) // 6
    

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55. @ToddGinsberg
    FUNction Names
    @Test
    fun `Replicants have a four year lifespan!`() {
    // ...
    }
    @Test
    fun replicantsHaveAFourYearLifespan() {
    // ...
    }
    

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56. @ToddGinsberg
    fun measureTimeMillis(block: () -> Unit): Long {
    val start = System.currentTimeMillis()
    block()
    return System.currentTimeMillis() - start
    }
    val time = measureTimeMillis {
    someSlowQuery()
    }
    High Order FUNctions
    

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57. @ToddGinsberg
    Extension FUNctions
    // Java
    public static boolean isEven(int i) {
    return i % 2 == 0;
    }
    // Kotlin
    fun Int.isEven(): Boolean = this % 2 == 0
    2.isEven() // True!
    

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58. @ToddGinsberg
    The apply Extension
    // Expression and Statements
    val p = Person()
    p.name = "Todd"
    p.age = 21
    // Single Expression
    val p = Person().apply {
    name = "Todd"
    age = 21
    }
    

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59. @ToddGinsberg
    The use Extension
    // Java
    try (DatabaseConnection conn = getConnection()) {
    // ...
    }
    // Kotlin
    getConnection().use { conn ->
    // ...
    }
    

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60. @ToddGinsberg
    One More Thing On FUNctions…
    Functions are final by default.
    Functions can be defined in a file, outside of a class.
    Functions can be defined within another function.
    Kotlin supports tail recursive functions.
    

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61. @ToddGinsberg
    What About Checked Exceptions?
    NO
    

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62. @ToddGinsberg
    listOf(1, 2, 3, 4)
    .filter { x -> x % 2 == 0 }
    .map { y -> y * 2 }
    // List[4, 8]
    Lambdas
    

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63. @ToddGinsberg
    Lambdas
    listOf(1, 2, 3, 4)
    .filter { it % 2 == 0 }
    .map { it * 2 }
    // List[4, 8]
    

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64. @ToddGinsberg
    Lambdas Are Closures
    val ints = listOf(1, 2, 3, 4)
    var sum = 0
    ints.forEach { sum += it }
    println(sum) // 10
    

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65. @ToddGinsberg
    The Nothing Type
    Nothing has no instances. You can use Nothing to represent "a value
    that never exists”…
    fun TODO(): Nothing = throw NotImplementedError()
    override fun mustOverrideToCompile(): Int = TODO()
    

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66. @ToddGinsberg
    Type Aliases
    fun doSomethingWithMap(
    ops: Map>
    ) {
    ops.entries // ...
    }
    

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67. @ToddGinsberg
    Type Aliases
    typealias Operations = Map>
    fun doSomethingWithMap(ops: Operations) {
    ops.entries // …
    }
    

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68. @ToddGinsberg
    Import Aliases
    import java.util.Date
    import java.sql.Date
    

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69. @ToddGinsberg
    Import Aliases
    import java.util.Date as UtilDate
    import java.sql.Date as SqlDate
    

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70. @ToddGinsberg
    Reified Generics
    // Ugly
    val log = Logger.getLogger(Metrics::class.java)
    // What I want
    val log = loggerOf()
    

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71. @ToddGinsberg
    // Thanks type erasure L
    fun loggerOf(): Logger =
    Logger.getLogger(T::class.java)
    Reified Generics
    

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72. @ToddGinsberg
    inline fun loggerOf(): Logger =
    Logger.getLogger(T::class.java)
    // Works!
    val log = loggerOf()
    Reified Generics
    

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73. @ToddGinsberg
    Community
    

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74. @ToddGinsberg
    Community Resources
    https://kotlinlang.slack.com
    • 16,500+ members
    • Get answers and chat with people who work with the language
    • Welcoming and helpful
    • Language authors hang out here
    Stack Overflow
    • Actually get meaningful answers
    • Not uncommon to get many useful answers
    • Language authors here as well
    

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75. @ToddGinsberg
    Community
    KΛTEGORY funKTionale
    Λrrow
    

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76. @ToddGinsberg
    Try Kotlin!
    https://try.kotlinlang.org
    

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77. @ToddGinsberg
    Learn Kotlin!
    http://bit.ly/GoogleKotlinClass
    

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78. @ToddGinsberg
    Fun == Fun
    Kotlin
    Thanks, Stack Overflow!
    

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79. @ToddGinsberg
    Summary
    

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80. @ToddGinsberg
    Why Kotlin is Right For Me
    I write far less code.
    The code I write is more expressive and clear.
    I avoid whole classes of defects.
    Allows me to write in a more functional style.
    Writing Kotlin, for me, is more fun.
    Plays well with the tools I already use (Spring, IDEA, Gradle)
    

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81. @ToddGinsberg
    Is Kotlin is Right For You?
    

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82. Than You!
    @ToddGinsberg
    https://todd.ginsberg.com
    

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