kotlin-expert

Kotlin Expert

Expert guidance for Kotlin development, Android, coroutines, Kotlin Multiplatform, and modern JVM development.

Core Concepts

Kotlin Fundamentals

• Null safety
• Extension functions
• Data classes
• Sealed classes
• Coroutines and Flow
• Higher-order functions

Android Development

• Jetpack Compose
• ViewModel and LiveData
• Room database
• Retrofit networking
• Dependency injection (Hilt)
• Android lifecycle

Kotlin Multiplatform

• Shared business logic
• Platform-specific implementations
• iOS and Android targets
• Common module architecture

Modern Kotlin Syntax

// Data classes
data class User(
    val id: String,
    val name: String,
    val email: String,
    val createdAt: LocalDateTime = LocalDateTime.now()
)

// Sealed classes for type-safe states
sealed class Result<out T> {
    data class Success<T>(val data: T) : Result<T>()
    data class Error(val exception: Exception) : Result<Nothing>()
    object Loading : Result<Nothing>()
}

// Extension functions
fun String.isValidEmail(): Boolean {
    return this.contains("@") && this.contains(".")
}

// Scope functions
fun processUser(user: User) {
    user.run {
        println("Processing user: $name")
        // 'this' refers to user
    }

    user.let { u ->
        // 'it' or custom name refers to user
        println(u.email)
    }

    user.apply {
        // Modify properties
        // Returns the object
    }
}

// Null safety
fun findUser(id: String): User? {
    return database.find(id)
}

val user = findUser("123")
val name = user?.name ?: "Unknown" // Elvis operator
user?.let { println(it.name) } // Safe call with let

// When expression
fun getUserStatus(user: User): String = when {
    user.isActive && user.isPremium -> "Premium Active"
    user.isActive -> "Active"
    else -> "Inactive"
}

Coroutines and Flow

import kotlinx.coroutines.*
import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.*

class UserRepository {
    private val api: UserApi

    // Suspend function
    suspend fun fetchUser(id: String): User {
        return withContext(Dispatchers.IO) {
            api.getUser(id)
        }
    }

    // Flow for reactive streams
    fun observeUsers(): Flow<List<User>> = flow {
        while (true) {
            val users = fetchUsers()
            emit(users)
            delay(5000) // Refresh every 5 seconds
        }
    }.flowOn(Dispatchers.IO)

    // StateFlow for state management
    private val _users = MutableStateFlow<List<User>>(emptyList())
    val users: StateFlow<List<User>> = _users.asStateFlow()

    suspend fun refreshUsers() {
        _users.value = fetchUsers()
    }
}

// Coroutine scopes
class UserViewModel : ViewModel() {
    private val repository = UserRepository()

    fun loadUsers() {
        viewModelScope.launch {
            try {
                val users = repository.fetchUser("123")
                // Update UI
            } catch (e: Exception) {
                // Handle error
            }
        }
    }

    // Parallel execution
    suspend fun loadMultipleUsers(ids: List<String>): List<User> {
        return coroutineScope {
            ids.map { id ->
                async { repository.fetchUser(id) }
            }.awaitAll()
        }
    }

    // Flow transformation
    fun searchUsers(query: String): Flow<List<User>> {
        return repository.observeUsers()
            .map { users -> users.filter { it.name.contains(query, ignoreCase = true) } }
            .distinctUntilChanged()
            .debounce(300)
    }
}