Kotlin Tip #23: Use type aliases to provide alternative names for existing types — 100 Kotlin Tips in 100 Days
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Tip #22: Use copy() to Modify Immutable Objects
Type aliases in Kotlin provide a way to introduce alternative names for existing types, whether they are classes, functions, or even complex generic types.
This feature is particularly useful for improving code readability and reducing complexity in your Kotlin codebase. By offering a simpler or more context-specific name for a type, type aliases can make your code more understandable and maintainable.
A type alias is declared using the typealias keyword, followed by the alias name and the type it refers to. The basic syntax looks like this:
typealias AliasName = ExistingTypeComplex generic types, especially those with multiple type parameters, can often be verbose and hard to read. Type aliases can simplify these definitions, making them more readable:
Moreover, type aliases can provide names that better reflect the purpose or context of a type within a specific domain:
Kotlin also allows you to alias function types, which can make higher-order function signatures simpler and more expressive.
Finally, in projects where a specific type is used frequently in a particular context, a type alias can reduce repetition and potential errors in specifying that type:
By providing more descriptive names for complex or commonly used types, type aliases make the code easier to understand at a glance. They offer a flexible way to introduce readability improvements without the need for additional classes or interfaces.
Besides that type aliases are resolved at compile time and have no runtime overhead. However, they are not new types but alternative names to existing types. This means they do not create new types in the type system.
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Tip #24: Use
lateinitfor Late Initialization of Non-null Variables
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