Kotlin Tip #9: Utilize Higher-Order Functions — 100 Kotlin Tips in 100 Days
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Tip #8: Embrace Single Expression Functions
In mathematics, functions that operate on other functions are a well-established concept, often seen in calculus and functional analysis. These operations are known in software development as high-order functions, a concept that is deeply rooted in functional programming and that allows developers to write more flexible, abstract, and reusable code.
Higher-order functions are functions that can take functions as parameters and/or return a function. This capability to use functions as values opens up a wide options of programming patterns and techniques that can make code more declarative, meaning you focus on what to do rather than how to do it.
Let’s take a look at the example below. In this example, calculate is a higher-order function. It takes three parameters, two integers (a and b), and a function (operation).
fun calculate(a: Int, b: Int, operation: (Int, Int) -> Int) = operation(a, b)The parameter operation is also a function that, in turn, takes two integers and returns another integer. Then, the calculate function applies the operation function to a and b, and returns the result.
We then use calculate with two different functions: one that adds its arguments and one that subtracts its arguments. This demonstrates how higher-order functions can be used to create more flexible and reusable code.
Another example is implementing a higher-order function for measuring how long a function takes to be processed. I particularly like this use case because it helps us encapsulate the logic for calculating the time spent in a function and reuse it whenever needed. Let’s see how we can implement it with higher-order functions.
In this example, longRunningOperation() is a function that simulates a long-running operation by sleeping for 2 seconds.
We pass this function to measureTime() using the :: operator. measureTime() then runs the operation, measures the time before and after, and logs the elapsed time. This demonstrates how higher-order functions can be used to add behavior (in this case, logging) to other functions.
I hope you have enjoyed the ninth tip of our series! Don’t forget to subscribe and stay tuned for more Kotlin tips!
Stay curious!
Tip #10: Prefer Immutable Collections
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