13 Reasons why I love Kotlin
Since Android Studio 3, all my new projects are in pure Kotlin! I make sure I am somehow able to use Kotlin even if it involves explaining to the client, why they would rather want to have their app in Kotlin than in Java. One of the reasons why the clients don’t want to use Kotlin is because AS 3 is not a stable build right now. By the way, there is a Kotlin support plugin for AS 2, which can be used in place. Other reasons are vague like I’d rather have Java, it is standard, native apps are in Java, stuff that I can not and do not want to argue with.
I started learning Kotlin just as a fun hobby back when Google announced official support. I wanted to know what was all the hype about. I so wish I had started sooner.
You have to try Kotlin and if you haven't already, you are missing out on a lot of great things. Some of the major reasons why I’d rather stick to Kotlin, in order of priority:
1. No null checks anymore
Kotlin programming language aims at eliminating the perils of null references from code, which is often called The Billion Dollar Mistake. All those if(x != null) and try catch blocks gone! And so many null pointer exceptions also gone! Who does not want that? Kotlin addresses null exceptions at compile time which automatically handles all the NPE’s that used to occur at compile time.
2. Extension functions
This is by far the coolest feature in Kotlin. You can add functions to a class, without actually modifying the class. Wow! These extension functions can be used like regular class methods and they are statically resolved. Again wow!
3. Type casts
Kotlin already reduces code considerably and upon that are the is and the as keywords. It’s like you are writing English!
Cookie as Biscuit
if (Cookie is Biscuit)
if (Cookie !is Biscuit)4. Lambdas and inline functions
Combined together lambdas and inline functions make the code a lot smaller and coding that a lot easier and simple. Although if you are used to Java syntax like me, it takes a little while to get the hang of these, especially when reading someone else’s code. But these are somethings that you would always want to use once you learn how to use them.
5. Have you met String templates
I mean seriously, imagine all the lines of code that went into computing values and then converting and putting into the final string, it all goes in that one line of string declaration, that is all seriously
"$a + $b is ${a+b}"6. The var and the val and the lateinit
Make variable mutable or non mutable with var and val and if your variable is initialised later and you do not want to initialise it in declaration then just add a lateinit. Super convenient.
7. A class with 4 variables is so small in Kotlin
All the getters and setters are gone, no need for that boiler plate code anymore.
8. Kotlin wants you to write less code
When you are writing a block of code it is way shorter and simpler in Kotlin. Kotlin compiler can understand from the code and write the remaining code. For example, it can infer types in variable declarations. This increases productivity and saves time. A lot of keywords like extends are replaced by just a single character : in this case in Kotlin.
9. No more finding views by ids
In Kotlin you can directly address views by their ids, no need of the lengthy findViewById or for that matter Butterknife.
10. No semicolons :p
I love the no semi colon thing in python and now I don’t have to use them for every statement when building android apps. Such a time saver.
11. High Order functions
If you like to use RxJava and love the high order functions that fits perfectly with Kotlin.
12. Kotlin saves so much time
From the smart casts to the type inference and the considerably less amount crashes and of course how writing the same code in Java takes a lot more time, it is so much less effort with Kotlin.
13. Kotlin makes Android development more fun
If you search the web, you’ll find tons of ways in which Java’s pain points are solved by Kotlin and how these features of Kotlin aim to make Android development more fun. It helps you write more expressive and effective code with fewer bugs.
I hope you are sold on trying out Kotlin at least once. Let me know your view on this subject. Follow me for posts on Tech, Design and spirituality. Until next time :)
